Maximus-3 is a small company out of Detroit Michigan. That’s right there are people who are still making quality products in Detroit. So don’t let what the media feeds you about the city being dead fool you, the city isn’t dead and with folks like these making quality components it never will be.
Maximus-3 specializes in Jeep JK components with the bulk of their work focusing on the special edition packages like the MW3 and 10A. (The 10A became the X, and is now the Hard Rock.) Each item is designed to complement the special edition MOPAR accessories like they are factory items.
So what did we receive to test?
We received their X hoop, light brackets, winch plate, vacuum pump relocation bracket, fairlead centering plate, trim plates, and hook anchor. We also got their license plate relocation bracket. Unfortunately we live in Maryland where a front plate is mandatory. Oh, I almost forgot, we also got a set of their d-rings with Hi-Lift mount point. Talk about a robust piece of material they built.
How did it mount?
I would love to tell you it went on without any issues, that it was “Like Butter” or any other wonderful descriptor of complete ease. That would be a lie. It wasn’t the components fault, they are built very well but unfortunately vehicles are not made with the same tolerances as aftermarket parts. Things don’t always fit without a little help. We are really fortunate that our JK is still pretty new and the parts aren’t welded on by years of grime and rust.
Disassembly was pretty straight forward. Drop the bumper and the skid plate and voila you are headed to the installation process.
There are a lot of steps with this many pieces and I am not going to cover each and every one of them . It would be boring and not really all that helpful so we will hit the major highlights.
The idea behind the Maximus-3 parts is to integrate everything they make into your special edition pieces. You did pay all that money to Jeep for them afterall. The winch plate is a robust and very strong piece, there is a vacuum pump relocation bracket that bolts directly to the plate. This is necessary to clear the larger body winches like the Warn Zeon 10-S Platinum we installed. If you use a smaller body winch like the Smittybilt XRC series you won’t need to do this.
As with most installs you temporarily install damn near every bolt before you tighten it. This always allows you to move things around to make it fit later during assembly.
Once the plate is on and held in place with the temporary bolts you can mount the winch. This is super straight forward. There are two mounting patterns on the plate, one for offset body winches and one for center body like ours. Install the 4 bolts, once again leaving them loose, and move on to the next steps.
Since we have the optional D-Rings we installed those with the longer bolts provided from Maximus-3 to hold the winch and the plates in place.
Those brackets on either side are for the X hoop. (Note: The D-Rings require additional cuts to the bumper.)
In order to install the centered winch setup the bumper needs a new front opening. Jeep designed the 10A bumper to accept an offset winch, so you need to widen the rope opening to accommodate the change. Nothing a hole saw and a cut off wheel can’t handle. Now that those changes are made we can move on to the next steps.
Assembly time!
Now you reverse the process with a couple minor changes. Once you get the bumper in place and start bolting it back together you will notice that choosing that wide body winch made life a little more complicated than you meant it to. The inner bumper bolts require a thin wall socket and some swivels to get into the tight space. This is also why leaving the bolts loose comes in handy, so you can slide the winch a bit to gain access.
Remember those brackets on the left and right? That’s where the X hoop attaches. Using the bolts provided and two of the original delete plate bolts it gets mounted to the brackets and then tightened to the frame. This gives it excellent support. I would not use it as a tow point, it would be handy for lights, carrying a jack, or other items that are lighter weight.
Lastly work your way through tightening every single bolt to specifications. Reinstall the skid plate at this point and use the front three bolts to hold the license plate relocation bracket. Bob’s your Uncle we have a completed front end. Cost for all of the Maximus-3 parts are a bit over $800-900 depending on options and with the new Hi-Lift d-rings.
Tell us in the comments what you think of the setup!
