one downside would be the loss in cable length by having to route it to the front or back and getting to the lever for freewheel but i bet you could rig up some custom linkage to take care of that

 

yeah, there are a few downsides:

complicated mount
extra cable needed
complicated cable routing
not easily accessible
may not be enough room without a lift kit



but the upsides are:
hidden from thieves
front and rear winching with one winch
better approach and departure angle
ability to use something else to share the pull. example: friend stuck in the mud, you are parked up the hill and a tree sits behind you. you can connect the rear to the tree and the front to buddys truck. now the tree shares half of the pull. and it is pulling you up towards the tree instead of down into the mud with your buddy.

search google for "Foers winch setup" for more info

 

I just completed installing mine. It looks like it was designed to fit in there (well, it was). I used two 1/4" brackets and picked up two existing frame holes (5/8") that I reduced to 1/2". The mount itself is a 1/4" Milemarker jeep mount, a shallow U-channel that is 33.5" long. I even called Milemarker and consulted with them on upside down mounting, and they said it is not a problem. Pictures will follow.
I decided not to mount the unit over the axle, even though it would allow me to keep the spare tire under the bed. The winch is about 10" high and there is more than that between the axle and motion limiters. In other words, the winch could be hit by the differential housing in the extreme case. If one had a lift kit that might not be a problem.
Now I have a winch on the truck that is not hooked up to the hydraulics... well, that is the next step. I am fitting this in between the job and rebuilding my son's Toyota engine that he spun a rod bearing in.
Lance (BTW, how have you been? Its been a long time!), how are you routing the cable forward? I want to avoid using a tube like the Foers setup does, may try ****** blocks if I can't run it in a straight run without rubbing against anything.

 

Just an FYI, this is how I mounted my winch on my truck...I know it's not a hideaway, but it's worked fine for me.
http://www.pavementsucks.com/forums/...323840#1323840

 

im not sure yet, I was planning on running the rope through a small piece of tube somehow. I thought about welding some pulley blocks to the frame also. haven't got that far yet haha. should have my bumpers made soon, then I can figure out the mounts and routing, and the hydraulics too

 

I just got a set of spare hydro lines off of E-bay. Stock Milemarker lines will be too short for mid truck mounting so I want to cut up the spare lines and have a shop swage on the ends of those lines to hose. Need to measure lengths, fittings etc. Looking forward to it but the job and chores so get in the way, makes me crazy.

 

I hear that.
the winch I have uses -10 sized hose, and the pump will probably have a -16 inlet and a -12 or -10 sized pressure line.