Anyone get a metal front bumper and not get a winch?

If you drove in the dirt you would understand just how useful they really are.

 

I've use my slimline hybrid or whatever you call them - warn bumper to push over small trees on the trail.
Mine currently has a Harbor Freight Badlands 9k winch in it. I use my winch frequently.

Most recently on this Nissan Frontier once he was out of the water to pull him over a rock ledge:

 

i didn’t even see his comment with his attempted blow

yeah, snorkels aren’t for water, buddy.

 

Yes they are.

 

That’s not their only function, nor their main function. Think I’m going to go to my roof line, let alone my engine bay crossing water?

you think all the vehicles in Australia outfitted with them are so they can cross water? Like they do it on their way to work?

 

I really should add one to my 4runner. This is a trail in Arkansas that I've yet to go on.

Where that Nissan was stuck in my above pic. I had water up to the hood of my 4Runner. It was a short vehicle length crossing but raising the intake up over the hood line is not a bad idea.

Yes ideally you have more things waterproofed in the engine bay.

 

You're both correct.....

Snorkels were primarily designed with the purpose of minimizing dust ingestation into air boxes. In Australia, you spend way more time on dirt roads with large caravans kicking up dust. Water crossings did not factor into this.

I dont know about the other generations of 4Runners but our 5th gens pipe straight into the middle of the fender with only the wheel well cowl preventing foreign objects entering the air box.

It just happens...... that when you attach a snorkel appropriately and with the proper seals, the ingestation point of water is raised, allowing us to do water crossings in a "safer" manner provided the water does not get into your fuse box and other critical components (And that you make good momentum through the crossing, not stopping to let water seep into stuff.)

To be honest, the main reason I got a snorkel is because most of my wheeling is in the Ozarks. Water levels can dramatically change from one day to the next if you get heavy rain.
In all fairness… For the majority of water crossings, you could rip out your airbox and leave the top portion flipped and exposed and then the majority of water crossings that can get you by.....

The thing that I think I can say from personal experience is that I have hydrolocked a car before, and I understand the sheer amount of work and pain and expense that goes into trying to evacuate the water from your engine. if not for having a friend that was an extremely knowledgeable mechanic, my car would have certainly been totaled because the cost of doing it at a mechanic shop would have surpassed the value of the vehicle.

 

How much does a typical bumper mounted winch weigh? Are there any lightweight versions?

 

It depends on the model you choose and their features. Ive seen winches weighing between 30 and 80lbs. There are some youtube videos with comparisons, sometimes weight provided in the review.

 

Pretty sure Toyota sells / markets them as Desert Air Intakes to avoid liability for someone getting washed away and drowning, flooding their engine, etc.

 

A snorkel is like Viagra. It was designed to be a blood pressure medication. It just happened that older dudes realized they were getting God Level 9999 hards in the process (A little Lagniappe as we say in Louisiana).

Oh, and here is a shameless plug of me and the homeboys doing stupid stuff on the OOAT
(Let it be known water levels were pretty marginal in October. Come April, its all High Water Mark)

 

Isn't it a lot of work after going though deep water having to change differential fluids and stuff like that?

 

Nope. $200 in fluids and 90 minutes for the change in exchange for a lifetime of memories.

(And quite frankly, if you unscrew the top cap and check for chocolate milk, you can just replace your crusher/gasket and keep going without the change)

 

He probably uses his rig for mall crawling

 

Synthetic winch cable is lighter than steel winch line. I may eventually make the switch.
The Harbor Freight Badlands 12k winch w/ synthetic cable weighs 86.3lbs Warn Vr10-s synthetic cable weighs 72.4lbs
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/wrn-103253

My Warn VR10 with steel cable weighs around 80lbs.
My Badlands 9k with steel cable weighs 75lbs

$82 ARB 170112 Differential Breather KIT Vent The air Pressure in drivetrain Assemblies Such as The differentials, Transmission and Transfer case.

https://www.amazon.com/ARB-170112-Differential-Breather-Kit/dp/B00QBQYNF0/

 

Thanks guys for posting all the weights. Is an 8K winch not sufficient? Also is a winch mounted to the rear trailer hitch receiver workable rather than having to carry a winch around all the time? Something like this:

https://www.4wheelparts.com/p/warn-...9990&msclkid=4423e8e8749f1e67f6ab8ae136cfc9ba

 

Oh yeah, as Drobs mentioned you need a diff breather. for $70ish bucks its one of cheapest mods you can do. And a Chimp can install it for you.

Still, I dont check my tranny but I do check the rear/front diffs and transfer case after any extended playtime in the water.