Thread: Front Bar

If it is from the manufacturer based in Melbourne then you will probably require the additional winch fitting kit or some of the components. I had the new style _ _ B Deluxe winch bar fitted to my previous Defender. In the winch kit fitting instructions it said that the bottom of the grill would need to be trimmed and a lower grill strengthening plate which was supplied with the kit fitted. There were also spacer plates provided in the kit. That was 8 years ago though. You need to check the dimensions of the winch.

I fitted a Warn 9.5 XP winch but did not fit the spacer or trim the grill as the winch fitted without modification. Even then it was a tight fit. The site says the bar will fit Warn and Magnum winches but mentions no others, although if the size and footprint is similar, other brands should fit.

My 2013 Defender has the older style bar fitted and there is plenty of room to fit with the winch, even with the spacer plates fitted.

I would give the manufacturer another call as not all the reps there know about Defenders and the products.

I have the grill strengthening plate in my shed.

Hope this helps.

Thanks 4 Wheeler , I also have the older style winch bar on a td5 , as you say plenty of room all around , The X9 Super winch comes strait off of that truck , I was surprised I couldn't do a strait change over . The sales man I spoke to didn't know much about Defenders . I asked how do you get to the free spool lever on the Warn winch , when he said from the top , I knew this was outside his product range !!.. Jim ..

Not a problem Jim. Your comment jogged my memory as thinking back, if I had fitted the spacers to the winch on the current Deluxe bar, it would have provided more clearance for the free spool lever but I would have had to cut into the lower grill panel which did not thrill me at all. I rotated the free spool assembly on the winch housing to make operation of the lever easier. You do access the lever from the top but once again it is a tight fit to get to it and operate it. While I like the look of the newest bar, the old style is just easier to live with and offers better clearance in all areas.