CBI Off-Road Fabrication offers their High-Clearance Front Receiver Hitch for 4th Generation Toyota 4Runners. Along with the CBI High-Clearance Front Receiver Hitch, we installed a Harbor Freight Badland 9,000-pound winch secured in a Harbor Freight Haul-Master hitch receiver winch mount. Total cost for the front receiver hitch, hitch receiver winch mount, and winch was around $700. Most popular winch bumpers for 4Runners sell for upward of $1,000 or more, and that doesn’t include the cost of the winch. This is an excellent means to adding a winch to your 4x4 without going broke.
Sometimes you need a winch; sometimes you don't. You're likely more than pleased to see it mounted in a heavy winch bumper at the front of your rig whilst tackling your favorite trail. But, maybe not so much during the daily commute when you're burning through fuel that costs $4.50 a gallon and knowing well that you are constantly carting around an extra few hundred pounds of winch and bumper that is contributing greatly to your crappy fuel economy.
We found ourselves amid this winch-or-no-winch conundrum with this near-stock daily-driven '04 Toyota 4Runner, which sees very little difficult trail action but still gets used for solo hunting and fishing trips in the back country a few times a year. Keen on the idea of not getting stuck during these solo ventures, a winch was seemingly mandatory, but a winch bumper was not. Looking for the best of both worlds, we came across CBI Off-Road Fabrication in Idaho Falls, Idaho. CBI offers its High-Clearance Front Receiver Hitch for 4th Generation Toyota 4Runners so a receiver mount winch cradle and other hitch receiver accessories can be utilized at the front of the rig. The bolt-on High-Clearance Front Receiver Hitch also adds strength to the front end by replacing the thin factory front crossmember with a much stouter component. Best of all, however, is the price. Offered for less than $300, this is an excellent means of adding a winch to your 4x4 without breaking the bank.
CBI’s High-Clearance Front...
CBI’s High-Clearance Front Receiver Hitch is powdercoated with a durable black wrinkle finish and includes all necessary installation hardware.
The Badland 9,000-pound winch...
The Badland 9,000-pound winch and Haul-Master hitch receiver winch mount from Harbor Freight are shown. The Badlands winch features a series-wound 5.5hp motor and an automatic load holding brake and includes a remote control with a 12-foot lead and a 21/64-inch by 85-foot aircraft-grade wire cable.
The hitch receiver winch mount...
The hitch receiver winch mount features a welded carbon steel construction and weighs less than 20 pounds.
The factory front bumper cover...
The factory front bumper cover was removed to access the factory front cross member/bumper.
The factory cross member/bumper...
The factory cross member/bumper extensions were also removed to make way for the CBI High-Clearance Front Receiver Hitch.
Installation of the CBI High-Clearance...
Installation of the CBI High-Clearance Front Receiver Hitch is fairly simple. It bolts right up using factory and provided hardware. Most of the installation time went toward removing and then re-installing the factory bumper cover. With the factory extensions removed the factory crossmember/bumper bolts to the CBI hitch receiver. Having a front hitch receiver will also create a stout recovery point using a D-ring hitch.
We used an air saw to cut...
We used an air saw to cut a hole in the stock plastic bumper cover so the hitch receiver can pass through.
With the factory bumper back...
With the factory bumper back in place we installed the included hinged license plate mount which covers the CBI hitch receiver when it is not being used. We also installed a wired plug next to the receiver so the winch can be easily powered without raising the hood to connect the positive and ground cables.
The front receiver mounts...
The front receiver mounts directly to the frame and does not affect approach angle. The Haul-Master hitch receiver winch mount features roll bars on the sides that also function well as handles.