Multi-Purpose Light/Brush Bar w/optional Skid Plate & Winch

[KensAudio]

Skemcin/Derek,

When I install my skidplate, I'll take (before) pics to send you of the naked underside. I can't get it in the air - just on ramps, but I hope it'll help.

New question: Why add a tow hook on your unit? The Baja has a tow hook on the lower right side of the front bumper, behind a plastic cover. Will your unit obscure that, or make it inaccessible? (I'll include this in my pictures - or be sure to look for it when you get access to a Baja.)

fyi: the snow plow I found was from http://www.snowsportplow.com/
They've got a '180' version for any car to use in reverse after attaching it to the trailer hitch. They've also got versions for an ATV, that attach by 1.5" or 2" receiver hitch on front. Granted, I have no real need for something on that scale for my own private use. But then again, most of what I do to my Baja isn't "necessary".
My real scheme is to have a 2" receiver on front and back, put a hand-crank winch on a steel plate that mounts in the receiver hitch, then use it at either end. (A hand-cranked winch doesn't perform any less due to a dead battery).

You mentioned that the front bumpers weren't meant to pull - that makes sense. But a snow plow would be pushing, not pulling. And the unit also attaches to the frame & subframe, beyond the bumper, right? so why would that be an issue? Or would it be due to the leverage of the weight of a plow, cantilevered far out in front of its mounting points?

- K

[Skemcin]

Skemcin/Derek,

When I install my skidplate, I'll take (before) pics to send you of the naked underside. I can't get it in the air - just on ramps, but I hope it'll help.

New question: Why add a tow hook on your unit? The Baja has a tow hook on the lower right side of the front bumper, behind a plastic cover. Will your unit obscure that, or make it inaccessible? (I'll include this in my pictures - or be sure to look for it when you get access to a Baja.)

fyi: the snow plow I found was from http://www.snowsportplow.com/
They've got a '180' version for any car to use in reverse after attaching it to the trailer hitch. They've also got versions for an ATV, that attach by 1.5" or 2" receiver hitch on front. Granted, I have no real need for something on that scale for my own private use. But then again, most of what I do to my Baja isn't "necessary".
My real scheme is to have a 2" receiver on front and back, put a hand-crank winch on a steel plate that mounts in the receiver hitch, then use it at either end. (A hand-cranked winch doesn't perform any less due to a dead battery).

You mentioned that the front bumpers weren't meant to pull - that makes sense. But a snow plow would be pushing, not pulling. And the unit also attaches to the frame & subframe, beyond the bumper, right? so why would that be an issue? Or would it be due to the leverage of the weight of a plow, cantilevered far out in front of its mounting points?

- K

K

Great questions. I"ll be happy to address.

1. Pictures = Any quality, in focus picture will help. Again, judging from the Impreza, we'd only need to get an idea of what the lowest point is under the car in front of the center jack plate. Non-turbo exhaust headers usually come down in front of the jack plate while turbos come behind. So we wouldn't necessarily need a shot from directly below - which is fine since you are on ramps. So, an angled shot from the ground in front of the truck up into the belly and one straight front to back level with the bottom of the bumper would work.
2. Tow Hook = Our design should not impede the OEM tow hook's accessibility. Our optional tow hook is placed in the middle of the cross bar, just behind the bumper which is the radiator protection tube. The low, central location makes a more ideal place to hook the vehicle up should it need to yank someone else out or be yanked out itself. The stock, off center (passenger side) location wouldn't be too convenient if you needed to be pulled from the driver side. But, then again, our location has a higher chance of getting buried in a berm or in mud. Its all a matter of knowing what you do with your truck and what situations you are more likely to be in. For instance, I'd rather have/use our tow hook if I wanted to drag a tree out of a wooded lot - center and low. But, if I was off-roading and buried my nose in a mud hole, I'd probably use OEM hook since I would eb able to get to it. It's just an option that is easy enough to accommodate - but not available with the winch mount.
3. Plow = You are correct, there is no real issue with a plow being used on a front receiver hitch. Earlier I was summarizing our internal conversation about a front receiver hitch being used for a portable winch and how the pulling wasn't something we felt the vehicle could handle. When we placed a call to Subaru about the front receiver hitch/bumper capacity, they basically told us that if Subaru does offer the part or accessory then the car isn't built for it. Duh! right? I guess we should have seen that coming. In any respect, It's hard to remain objective when the idea of snow plowing comes into the mix - its beefy, heavy, and very hard on your vehicle. Lets just say that our bar design does not consume the lower radiator air intake opening so one could move forward with a front receiver solution should they wish to. The plow you cited seems to be able to accommodate the space our bar takes up on front of the bumper. To be completely honest, our design works really well and it would be far to costly to re-imagine the design just to accommodate a plow or front receiver hitch. Put please understand, it was discussed at great length. Collectively, we just couldn't make it make sense.

I think I covered your questions. Let me know if I missed something or need to clarify/elaborate any point. Great feedback - thank you!

-------

@all

Here is a little eye candy for those who like pictures:



This was from a batch that went out this week (Tuesday in fact). Can you pick out my bar from the others and the major differences?

After installing the winch it needed to be retentioned - but it was 9pm on a Saturday and we hadn't wired anything so this is what we did:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5g9A_Nl4Zs

Enjoy - don't criticize I know there are probably a 1,000 things you should NOT do in this video - but we stayed at a a Holiday Inn the night before so we felt pretty comfortable doing this.

[RoverLander]

I can't wait to have one! Waiting for info on how to put a deposit down... I would want all the options i've seen so far (winch, skid plate, tow hook, 8 light mounts, anymore?)

A few questions:
Any chance for matching bumper color silver in powder coating?

Whats your current expected lead time for the up coming run?

For curiosity what gauge stock are the bars?

Please excuse me if these questions have already been answered in earlier posts. (New father as of Tuesday)


Satin Pearl White 2005 Baja Turbo 5 speed

[Skemcin]

I can't wait to have one! Waiting for info on how to put a deposit down... I would want all the options i've seen so far (winch, skid plate, tow hook, 8 light mounts, anymore?)

A few questions:
Any chance for matching bumper color silver in powder coating?

Whats your current expected lead time for the up coming run?

For curiosity what gauge stock are the bars?

Please excuse me if these questions have already been answered in earlier posts. (New father as of Tuesday)


Satin Pearl White 2005 Baja Turbo 5 speed

Hello and thanks for the interest. I'll just get right to answering your questions.....

1. Deposit = original post was updated with a link to the deposit form.
2. Options = The winch mount eats up the two middle bottom light mount points as well as the tow hook location. So, sounds like you're looking at winch mount, skid plate. bottom outside tabs, and all four top tabs - and powder coating of course. No other options available at this time.
3. Color Matching = I think this was asked earlier (sorry if I missed replying to it). I'll have to check what we can do there. My worry is that it might be slightly off and I'd have no way of knowing if any difference would be acceptable or not. I can certainly offer it if our powder coater can match the OEM paint codes. There will be an minimal cost associated with the customization but I can look into it. If someone can track down and forward me the paint codes, that would help tremendously.
4. Lead Time = My honest guess would be a month. But this CAN change since we haven't looked at the car yet. THIS IS AN ESTIMATION.
   • Week 1 = collect deposits and fit truck
   • Week 2 = order materials and refine fitment
   • Week 3 = send final payment invoices and begin production
   • Week 4 = powder coat, prepare for shipping, deliver bars
   • Week 5 = buyers doing laundry every time they look at their truck
   But, like I said, any number of factors can affect this schedule so please do not hold me to this until we get the truck on the lift and can determine a production schedule.
5. Material = The original post details the material used in the build. Please reference that post and let me know if you have any more questions.
6. Winch = Just to make sure everyone is clear, the winch is NOT included with the winch mount AND the it is specifically design to direct bolt on a Superwinch UTV4000. We have NO idea what else, if anything else, will bolt up. I spoke to the Product Market Manager at Superwinch who said, "The UTV4000 would be our recommendation given your vehicle. It’s actually underrated and should be able to handle your application with ease. We believe you’d be quite happy with this selection." Mind you, that was for the Impreza. The Baja is only a couple hundred pounds heavier so I believe it still to be the correct winch for the Baja - that is ultimately the buyer's decision to make. In any respect, if you have no experience winching we HIGHLY recommend downloading the documents linked at the top of this page as it will give you an excellent insight into using the winch.

I think I've hit on everything but let me know if I missed something or need to explain anything in a little more detail.

FWIW - I felt it necessary to extend the deposit deadline given the surge of interest and to provide enough time for folks to gather and/or transfer money into their respective paypal accounts.

Deposits are due at 11:59:59 on Thursday, February 16 in order for production to be scheduled and for the project to avoid being delayed.

[RoverLander]

Bump for $199 superwinch just do it...

http://www.superwinch.com/products/prod ... 0.0.0.0.0?

[Skemcin]

Bump for $199 superwinch just do it...

http://www.superwinch.com/products/prod ... 0.0.0.0.0?

Just heard back from my contact there - 9 winches left as of today. Good news, the bolt patter on their winches is consistent across their product line, so you have alternatives.

[RoverLander]

Bump for $199 superwinch just do it...

http://www.superwinch.com/products/prod ... 0.0.0.0.0?

Just heard back from my contact there - 9 winches left as of today. Good news, the bolt patter on their winches is consistent across their product line, so you have alternatives.

Thats cool. I just ordered one... It's nice to know i'll be able to upgrade in the future if neccesary.

[anarchy1024]

+1 for interested. My brother and I share the Baja and the costs so I'll have to see if he's interested. How's shipping to Toronto, Canada?

'03 Non-turbo 5M/T. I have ramps, so I can take pictures of the underside if you need any.

[Skemcin]

+1 for interested. My brother and I share the Baja and the costs so I'll have to see if he's interested. How's shipping to Toronto, Canada?

'03 Non-turbo 5M/T. I have ramps, so I can take pictures of the underside if you need any.

Sweet. Pictures of the non-turbo will help a ton. And I"m not sure how the shipping to Canada will work. Send a PM with your address and I can figure it out.

[koehlean]

I haven't spent a LOT of time on here as my Baja is kickin strong and I have been able to take care of things myself but I just wanted to thank the community for keeping us informed. I received an email with this thread and sent my $200 the following day. Thanks again to everyone and I'm pumped about getting this installed. It is awesome to see that there are still people out there willing to make things happen for this "forgotten" subie.

[anarchy1024]

+1 for interested. My brother and I share the Baja and the costs so I'll have to see if he's interested. How's shipping to Toronto, Canada?

'03 Non-turbo 5M/T. I have ramps, so I can take pictures of the underside if you need any.

Sweet. Pictures of the non-turbo will help a ton. And I"m not sure how the shipping to Canada will work. Send a PM with your address and I can figure it out.

Alright. I'm heading away for the weekend, but I'll try to take the pictures sometime tomorrow, depending on when I get back. While I'm under there, do you want any basic measurements, particular angles, or things held in place to act as a reference?

[Skemcin]

I haven't spent a LOT of time on here as my Baja is kickin strong and I have been able to take care of things myself but I just wanted to thank the community for keeping us informed. I received an email with this thread and sent my $200 the following day. Thanks again to everyone and I'm pumped about getting this installed. It is awesome to see that there are still people out there willing to make things happen for this "forgotten" subie.

Glad you stopped in and glad you're keeping that truck running strong. We're all pretty excited about getting started.

Alright. I'm heading away for the weekend, but I'll try to take the pictures sometime tomorrow, depending on when I get back. While I'm under there, do you want any basic measurements, particular angles, or things held in place to act as a reference?

The biggest difference we've seen under these cars has been the exhaust headers. So, if were to ask for anything, the biggest help would be this:
a.) find a sheet of plywood or something similar in size that will fit between the wheels
b.) drive the truck onto your ramps
c.) take two jack stands and place them directly under the front bumper just inside the fog lights
d.) raise them to be just under the bumper - you might need to put a few 2x4 or phone books under the stands to get it there
e.) slide the plywood under the car with one end on the jack stands
f.) raise the other end of the plywood until it hits something
g.) slide the plywood out - toward the front of the truck until you are at the center jack plate or a little the rear of the car from it

Then, just move the plywood up and down to see where it is hitting - it is most likely going to be the exhaust. If you could get a measurement of how far the exhaust (or whatever is the lowest point) extends below the center jack plate that will likely be all we need. Once we get the turbo in next weekend, we will be able to ask a more specific question about the non-turbo.

Thanks for helping out with the pictures. I'm still asking around to see if we've got a local non-turbo to test fit.

[Buck Rogers]

Just talked this over with the wife, and its a go, (it's going to cost me a camera though....a good one), I will want the skid plate and winch mount...I'm assuming the light mounts are standard... Two questions, Are you taking deposits now? and My 05 N/A has Borla headers, will this make a difference, would you like a photo with measurements? I still have the original plastic cover, and this had to be trimmed for the headers to clear.

[Skemcin]

Just talked this over with the wife, and its a go, (it's going to cost me a camera though....a good one), I will want the skid plate and winch mount...I'm assuming the light mounts are standard... Two questions, Are you taking deposits now? and My 05 N/A has Borla headers, will this make a difference, would you like a photo with measurements? I still have the original plastic cover, and this had to be trimmed for the headers to clear.

Cool.

The light mounts are standard and with the winch option you can have up to 6 (four top, 2 bottom). Photos with measurements of the N/A with those headers in particular will be greatly appreciated. We will do our best to track down a local n/a to be sure of fitment. The previous post outlines one idea that you could follow that would help out. If you could take some photos and describe what you trimmed on the plastic cover, that would be helpful too.

The original post has the link for deposits. At the time of this post we have 3 of the 5 that we will need to get everything started.

Thanks in advance for the help.

[Ahzlon]

If you need N/A baja fitment. I'm fairly certain you can use a Legacy Outback for a template of the same body style. As far as memory serves the rear end is really the only major difference between the Baja and Leg.