Hummer H3 Winch Mounts
[ Amstar] [ Burkhalter] [ DeFelice ] [ H2O ] [ Predator ] [ Steelcraft ] [ SMA ] [ Tough Country ]
The 2006 Hummer H3 with Offroad Adventure Package, known as an H3 Adventure, is an awesome offroad vehicle. As an owner of an H3 Adventure, I can attest that it does indeed live up to its specifications.
| Approach Angle | 39.4º | Departure Angle | 36.5º | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breakover Angle | 25º | Vertical Scaling | 16" | |
| Ground Clearance | 9.1" | Fording Depth | 24" @ 5 MPH | |
| Forward Grade | 60% | Side Slope | 40% |
No matter how good the driver and how capable the vehicle, however, if you spend enough time offroad you or somebody you're riding with will eventually get stuck. Enter the winch! Being able to recover your own vehicle or rescue another vehicle is an essential offroad skill and capability. But, for whatever reason, GM / Hummer does not have a factory winch mount option for a 2006 Hummer H3. Luckily, some after-market products are slowly emerging, and are described below. The product summaries are arranged in order of my awareness of the the products, with the oldest at the bottom and most recent at the top.
H2O Hummer H3 Winch Bumper
H2O offers a very interesting winch bumper. Unlike some of the other options, the H2O winch bumper replaces everything below the headlights instead of just the bumper insert. The winch sits a bit higher: between the fog lights instead of the tow hooks. It appears as if the piece around the winch folds down, allowing access to the winch iteself. And, there is an optional over-the-hood brush guard that also folds down.
(Photo taken from TrailDuty.com)
Amstar Wilderness Ready Package
Amstar offers a glimpse of their offroad bumper with winch mount. I am not sure if this product is available separately, or only as part of the Wilderness Ready Package.
(Photo taken from AmstarFun.com)
Tough Country Armor Series
Tough Country Products has introduced the Hummer H3 Armor Front Replacement Bumper with Winch Mount. This product is a heavy-duty total bumper replacement with winch mount.
(Photo taken from www.ToughCountry.com)
Predator Motor Sports H3 Winch System
Predator Motor Sports has introduced the H3 Winch System. This system includes a winch bumper that is similar to the DeFelice winch bumper. The Predator system includes the winch bumper, a Ramsey 8500 lb winch, wire rope and a Hawse fairlead. The control box for the Predator winch bumper appears to be enclosed within the bumper itself, whereas the control box for the DeFelice winch bumper is typically located behind the front grill. This bumper is available from Teaka Toys.
(Photo take from TeakaToys.com)
Chris Burkhalter Winch Bracket
Chris Burkhalter has introduced a Hummer H3 winch mount bracket. Like the Steelcraft design, the Burkhalter design mounts to the four brushguard mounting bolts. Naturally, it shares the same benefits and concerns as the Steelcraft and any other shelf-type winch brackets that may come out in the future. Since this is a just shelf/bracket instead of an entire bumper or brushguard, it should be a significantly lower cost than the DeFelice or Steelcraft designs.
(Photo take from ElcovaForums.com)
SMA Winch Bumper
What I had previously thought was the SMA winch bumper is now available as the Predator Motor Sports H3 Winch System.
(Photo taken from TeakaToys.com)
DeFelice Winch Bumper
This is an awesome winch mount solution! But, you might say that I am slightly biased because I have the first one ever made. This Hummer H3 winch bumper was custom designed and built for me by DeFelice Offroad Innovations (DOI). The product turned out so well that they have decided to sell them to the masses, and it is now for sale online.
My winch bumper has a Warn M8000 winch with 100' of cable rope. But, I have heard that 9000 pound winches will also fit. Like everything from DeFelice, this winch bumper is very rugged and built to take a beating. The winch is fuly-enclosed by 3/16" plate steel, and does not even reduce the approach angle or ground clearance. And, as an added plus, I was able to reuse my factory brushguard which ended up being pushed about 1/4" forward of the factory-installed position.
My only complaint is visibility of the spool when respooling the cable. That is not an issue of this product specifically, but rather is an issue with enclosed winches in general. I have been extremely pleased with this product. This product is now available through Teaka Toys.
(Photo of my truck)
Steelcraft Winch Brushguard
Steelcraft has a Hummer H3 brushguard with a built-in winch mounting bracket. This product is currently available through Teaka Toys, and has both advantages and disadvantages over the DeFelice winch bumper. Because the winch is external to and not enclosed in the bumper, a wider variety of winches can likely be used. And, there is no spool visibility problem. But, also because it is external, the winch becomes exposed to the elements and has an increased risk of damage due to trees and rocks.
When using the Steelcraft winch brushguard, the winch is physically higher than with the DeFelice winch bumper. Presumably, they did this so as to not change the approach angle. I used to think the approach angle would be compromised with this Steelcraft winch mount, but recent pictures on Teaka Toys seem to show otherwise. The higher winch is also a bit less likely to become fully submerged in mud.
A disadvantage of this Steelcraft solution, however, is that the winch is mounted to the brushguard that is, in turn, mounted to the frame with four inline bolts. To me, that seems to make a nice hinge point, and I am a bit concerned about what would happen if the cable was significantly inclined or declined relative the vehicle. This could happen, for example, if the vehicle is being winched out of a hole or over a hill or rock.
(Photo taken from TeakaToys.com)