Front Mount Hitch and Winch Recommendation for 2014 Ford F-150 4x4 with EcoBoost Engine

Updated 01/21/2016 | Published 01/20/2016

Products Featured in This Question

Curt Front Mount Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - 2"

(194)

$314.81

Curt Trailer Hitch Electric Winch Mount Plate

(50)

$146.76

Superwinch Tiger Shark Off-Road Winch - Wire Rope - Roller Fairlead - 9,500 lbs

(26)

$663.99

Question:

Hello, I have a 2014 f150 fx4 with the 3.5 ecoboost engine so it wont let me install a winch without some major modifications. I have seen that some have installed a front receiver hitch then installed the winch to it. Is this really something that would be recommended? The winch is only in the case of emergencies out hunting so its not going to get used alot. Thanks for your response.

asked by: Jim J

Expert Reply:

You can certainly use a front mount hitch with a winch mounting plate to provide a winch at the front of your 2014 Ford F-150.

For a front mount hitch for your truck, I recommend the Curt Front Mount Trailer Hitch # C31068. No drilling is required to install this hitch, but you may need to trim the front air dam and/or front fascia. This hitch offers 9,000 pound capacity for line pull, and a 500 pound vertical load capacity.

I have attached an installation video of this hitch on a 2014 F-150 for you.

The Bulldog Off-Road Winch # BD500601 is the winch I recommend for you. The winch has a rated line pull of 12,000 pounds with a vehicle recovery capacity of 8,000 pounds. This winch should give you plenty of capacity to recover your vehicle. The hand-held remote offers a 12 foot cord, and the wire rope has a 3/8 inch diameter with 125 feet length. This is a great entry-level off-road winch that will work well for you in recovery situations like you mentioned, such as when you are out hunting.

This winch will mount to a hitch mounted winch mounting plate at the front mount hitch. I recommend the Curt Trailer Hitch Electric Winch Mount Plate # C31010. The # BDW10041 will mount to the existing holes in the # C31010 plate. If you would like to add handles to this winch plate, you can do so with part # C31005. With this set-up, you will be limited by the 9,000 pound line pull capacity of the front mount hitch.

If you don't need a winch with as high of a capacity as the # BD500601, you can use the Superwinch Tiger Shark # SW1595200 that has a 6,000 pound vehicle recovery capacity and comes with a more budget-friendly price. This winch is from the same series as the # SW1513200, but offers a lower capacity. You will want to ensure that your vehicle and the cargo you will be carrying do not exceed this capacity. I have attached a review video of this winch for you. This winch will also fit on the # C31010 mounting plate.