Beefy underbody skidplating and a rugged new winch and mount have been installed on our project Trailhugger Hummer H3 Alpha.
Let's start with the winch and mount. The mount is made by DeFelice Off Road Innovations (DOI). If you're not familiar with DOI, they're in Mooresville, Indiana, and owner Matt DeFelice is a master of all things metal. This mount is made in-house from 3/16 inch steel and it replaces the lower factory H3 front bumper section. It simply bolts in. We chose to install a rugged Warn XD9000 winch, which is perfectly suited to our H3s weight. We replaced the standard 100 feet of 5/16-diameter steel winch line with 80 feet of 3/8 inch Viking Offroad synthetic Trail Line. We also used a Viking Offroad Safety Thimble and aluminum hawse fairlead. All very nice stuff.
Here's a photo of the Warn XD9000 winch taken before installation and after the Trail Line had been installed on the winch drum. Notice the nylon line protector. It's 10 feet in length and can be moved where needed to protect the Trail Line.
This photo shows the rockin' new DOI Up Armor skidplating. What you are looking at is actually two skidplates that are purchased separately. They stretch from the new winch mount all the way to the second crossmember behind the transfer case. Both of these plates are made in-house from 3/16 inch steel and they simply bolt-in. Now we have complete, strong protection for our H3s underbody.
So how did the install go? Well, we made a Krappy Kam video so you can see for yourself. CLICK HERE to view the video.