Winch mount - hitch vs. built in

Future wish is to have a custom front bumper. Would really like to have a winch but not sure as to the type of mount I'd like. Having a plate mounted one that I could change to the rear when needed would be nice, also keeping it out of the salt during the winter would be a plus. But. . . have heard that mounting that way would decrease the pulling capacity based on the strength of the hitch mount. Is this an issue from experience or are the only winches small enough for that mount style not powerful enough for this to even be an issue. Thanks all.

edit: Started this so that I wouldn't steal the other thread on hooks, should have looked further down and seen the other. Sorry for the repost of the basic question.

grizzley- check the thread on the second page titled "winch on back"...it covers this topic also

hitch mount

The hitch mount is plenty strong enough. Lots of people use rear hitches to "snatch" people using a strap. That puts a lot more load on the hitch than a steady pull with a winch ever will.

The front mount Hidden Hitch is rated to 9,000 lbs. pull, which is the same as most of the winch bumpers out there.

So, whatever issues anyone might have related to the hitch mount approach for winches, strength isn't one of them.

portable winch

my buddy's got the hitch mount winch on his libby

it's AWESOME!!! it's pulled my XJ out of a lot of stuff, i'd say they are pretty much equal...he takes it off for daily driving.

it's pretty cool

Thanks for your time and experiences guys. Lot of good points. Guess the best way will be to see how much the one I want really weighs. I like the cleaner design of the bumpers with the hitch built in, just don't know if i want to climb around in the mud moving it around.

I say go with the bumper mount, I have seen friends get stuck in positions where they couldnt get thier multimount winch to slide into the hitch mount. Having a winch only in the front isnt all that bad of an idea. Plus considering that most people probably dont go wheeling alone, if you do end up getting stuck, chances are that there would be someone around to give you a tug from the rear.

I have a Multi mount and it works for me. It's mounted in a Tomken front bumper. The 9,000 lb warn works just fine in it. I put it in whenever I go off road and leave it there so I don't have to try to hook it up after I'm stuck in the mud. Ground clearance hasn't been a problem. I just shove it into whatever is in the way. I've had it for almost 4 years now and the winch and cable hardly look weathered at all.
mattk