2019+ Frog Fab winch install on Trailhawk with Technology package

As many are aware, there is not currently an off the shelf solution for a 2019+ winch bumper if you have adaptive cruise control found in the technology package. As requested by several other members, I am going to try and explain how I managed to get it to work. In total it took me close to 10 hours to complete, though some was due to issues removing old parts from my own off-roading, and others due to figuring it out as I went.

For the winch mount/bumper, I went with Frog Fab. I originally wanted the one without the bar to save weight, but they didn't have it in stock. For the winch, I went with the Warn EVO VR 10s. It has the exact same dimensions as the 8s, and is only 4 pounds heavier. In the end, the weight is hardly noticeable.

I'm not going to go through the full install, partially because I got frustrated it was talking so long and didn't get good pictures of all the steps. RRO has 3 very good videos that show the process of putting it on. I'll link below. This will pertain to only the modifications I had to make to work with the adaptive cruise camera. For the parts that I don't have pictures, I'll try and include sketches. I would have to remove the front plate to get the camera cover off, and I'll explain why that is an issue later on in this post.

RRO Winch Install 1
RRO Winch Install 2
RRO Winch Install 3

I started by removing the bumper and crash bar the night before to get a head start. I had a few of the welded nuts pop off the frame and one strip out due hitting the trails most weekends. Quick trip to tractor supply handled all my bolts issues.



Now, before you mount the winch plate, make sure to test the bolts. I had several that did not want to thread correctly. I found this out much later in the game, and just sort of made the best of it. I think some of the paint got in the threads and it needed a good cleaning. These would be for the 4 welded nuts that hold the front plate to the winch plate. Next, I went ahead and bolted the mount to the frame, and then slide in the winch. Its a tight fit, but it works. Just need to rotate correctly. In order to keep the screws from fallout out of the winch when rolling around to get it to fit, I put some tape over them to hold them in place. Worked great. Also, when mounting the recovery hooks back in place, the supplied bolts are a little too long. I added the lock washers to them, but don't do that. You will need the lock washers later. Either cut them down, or add some of your own washers to make them shorter.



Next, you will need to start making the modifications to fit the bumper back on as the camera mount in the bumper will prevent that. First I started by cutting the wince mount on the passenger side support. I right under the bottom of the mount, about to the screw in the middle of my 4.5" grinder. Then I went down at a shallow angle. I had to end up cutting more later, but this got me close. I'll post the pic of it when the bumper on. The partial hole that you see that is cut, is the 3rd hole from the back. That should give a good reference point. The main goal is to clear the plug.



Next, take out the camera, as well as the insert in the middle of the bumper (this is shown in the RRO video. You won't be using the insert anymore). On the back side of the bumper, where the camera mounts, you will need to cut off most of the top of that mount. You will know when you have cut enough when the bumper will fit. Honestly, this is where I gave up on making the camera fit and just wanted to get the bumper on. Turns out, the back part of that bracket really isn't needed for anything. Here is the picture. It's hard to see what is going on, but you can see where the sides meet the bottom of the mount.



Next I put enough of the bumper back on till I would hold itself up. It will be way more flimsy without the insert, but trust me when I say its way stronger then before once all back together. I just started cutting holes in the bumper to make an opening for the lines, as well as the 4 bolts. Don't be afraid to cut more then you need, especially around the bolt/spacer holes. It will make it much, much easer later one, and this also might have been one of the reasons I stripped out some of the bolts. I ended up making them like a inch or more in diameter. It all gets covered up always, so not an issue if you cut too much. This was the before I made all the bolt holes larger.



Also, go ahead and reinstall the camera. Make additional cuts as needed. I was able to get my grinder inside the camera hole to make it slightly larger even with the front bumper on. You will also need to cut off the top left bolt from the sensor itself. Its not a big deal, and the remaining two hold it just fine. I was not able to remove from the front as the front winch plate wraps around part of the cover and I can't get it off without taking off the front plate, so I just found a photo from one of the Mopar parts sites. The photo is upside-down from how it is on the jeep. Also, it won't let me add the phone here, so I'll post it below.

Next bolt up the front plate. Remember what I said about the lock washers? This is where you want to use them. Use the lock washer, and the regular washer. I only used the regular washer, and the bolt on the top left went a tad too far and pushed into the winch. Everything works fine, but I I'm fairly sure I messed up the threads on the bolt, so don't want to risk removing it until I'm ready to clean up the threads. I already have new bolts. The bottom bolt on the same side also cross threaded, so I just got a shorter bolt and cross threaded tight. Its holding up fine. The bolts are softer than the nut, so the nut is probably fine, but I will need to remove it all to clean up the threads, so its staying like it is for now. This is it all bolted up. I also 3d printed a line stopper as the metal hook was digging into the fairlead, and i didn't want to rough it up and cause an issue rubbing on the synthetic line. I've since come back and replaced with a shackle style so non of it will be exposed to the sun.





Finally. Here are some pictures of the final product. This was right after spending a couple days adding led lights and rewiring the ham and cb through an auxbeam. I'm on a slight decline, so it makes the cb antenna look like it is leaning way out. In reality, its only leaning out slightly so that I can open the hood without having to take it off (it is on a quick disconnect though). Last major modification I'm considering is a snorkel. I frequently find myself in much deeper water than I was planning, so it will be a good piece of mind. Since I have a 2019 with the 2L, There are not really any options out there for that either, so I plan to possible 3d print my own, modify one made for another vehicle, or fabricate it out of other various materials.