Fair price for NOS Ramsey "Pro Plus 8000" winch from the 1980's?

mwn

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There's this "Ramsey Pro Plus 8000 winch" listed on my local craigslist for $700:
1681845308010.png


It's described as:
New condition, never used. Only removed from it’s box a few days ago because the box was no longer useful by being in the shed for so long.

Winch is in excellent NEW condition! This winch was very expensive off the shelf.

I contacted the seller requesting more information: when it was purchased, whether they tested it with 12v, etc. I was told that it was purchased new in the 1980's, has never been installed or hooked up to power, and is "equivalent" to the current Ramsey QM8000 (which I haven't been able to verify). The price has moved over the past couple weeks from $1000 down to the current $700, and they don't sound too happy about it ("I hope you can see the value in getting a $2000 winch for this price!"). :rolleyes:

Here's my question: what do you all consider a fair price for this NOS winch? And what inspections or service would you prform (if any) before using it? While I can't find information on this specific model, I know that Ramsey generally makes a quality product. But 40 years is a long time for any piece of equipment to sit around, and when a brand new Warn M8000 sells for a couple hundred more . . . 🤷‍♀️ I'm curious how you all would value this one.
 
There's this "Ramsey Pro Plus 8000 winch" listed on my local craigslist for $700:
View attachment 417530

It's described as:


I contacted the seller requesting more information: when it was purchased, whether they tested it with 12v, etc. I was told that it was purchased new in the 1980's, has never been installed or hooked up to power, and is "equivalent" to the current Ramsey QM8000 (which I haven't been able to verify). The price has moved over the past couple weeks from $1000 down to the current $700, and they don't sound too happy about it ("I hope you can see the value in getting a $2000 winch for this price!"). :rolleyes:

Here's my question: what do you all consider a fair price for this NOS winch? And what inspections or service would you prform (if any) before using it? While I can't find information on this specific model, I know that Ramsey generally makes a quality product. But 40 years is a long time for any piece of equipment to sit around, and when a brand new Warn M8000 sells for a couple hundred more . . . 🤷‍♀️ I'm curious how you all would value this one.

For what they're asking, buy a new Warn. That way you get a warranty and can get parts 10 to 20 years down the road.
 
From this info it's only got a 2.1 HP motor on it.

http://www.off-road.com/aimages/articlestandard/toyota/422005/186576/article.html

IMO it's not worth more than about $400. Doesn't matter what one sells for now. It was only a $700 winch new when it was bought.
I'd move on and either get a new Warn or find a used Warn.

Thank you for that link! That provides some numbers for comparison, at least, which is more than I had. I think the seller wants to have "found gold" in their shed, not sure if they'll come off that current price . . . so, moving on.

For educational purposes (mine), what would you expect from a 40 year old NOS winch? Like, would you expect the grease to still be good? seals? I imagine a vehicle parked for that long and it seems like fluids and "soft" parts would all need attention.
 
Thank you for that link! That provides some numbers for comparison, at least, which is more than I had. I think the seller wants to have "found gold" in their shed, not sure if they'll come off that current price . . . so, moving on.

For educational purposes (mine), what would you expect from a 40 year old NOS winch? Like, would you expect the grease to still be good? seals? I imagine a vehicle parked for that long and it seems like fluids and "soft" parts would all need attention.

My guess is 40 year old NOS winches are going to be a needle in a hay stack. I'd at least replace all the grease in it just for piece of mind. Inspect the motor just to make sure it's all good.

One thing is most older winches are going to have less powerful motors so you'd really want to upgrade/update it.
 
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One thing is most older winches are going to have less powerful motors so you'd really want to upgrade/update it.
Got it. When I looked at the link you'd shared, I saw the HP numbers were all in the 1.8 - 2.1 range for the 8k winches listed. But I didn't compare to the current specs, and I see that a new Warn M8000 is listed at 4.8 HP. Big difference. Thank you!
 
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In this case the NOS part is not really a selling point. Sure it looks really nice. But that is really the only good part. Not like it's a NOS Hurst Jeepster emblem or something sought after.

That being said, I had this model on my old CJ7. It never let me down but was pretty dang slow. It did last for well over a decade.

If you were building some kind of period or throwback CJ it would be cool. Otherwise keep shopping. IMHO
 
Got it. When I looked at the link you'd shared, I saw the HP numbers were all in the 1.8 - 2.1 range for the 8k winches listed. But I didn't compare to the current specs, and I see that a new Warn M8000 is listed at 4.8 HP. Big difference. Thank you!

I'm a HUGE 8274 fan and have ran them on every Jeep I've had in the past 30+ years. But as you've seen even it only had a 2.5 HP motor before. I'm rebuilding my current one with a 6.5 HP motor. But like everything you have to make sure that it can handle the added HP.

There was a Warn 9000i listed locally here last week for $250. Needed a little going thru but it was a good deal.
 
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There was a Warn 9000i listed locally here last week for $250. Needed a little going thru but it was a good deal.

That's more along the lines of what I'm looking for: something I can pick up for a few hundred dollars and rebuild. There's time and expense in that, but also learning and enjoyment. Most of what I see locally is going for more than I want to spend on a project. For example, this XD9000i listed at $750:

1681932458337.png


Granted it's just a picture, but again: at that price a brand-new M8000 seems like a better deal. I'm not in any rush, though. I'll add "winch" to my list of craigslist searches when I'm traveling out of town (surely I'm not the only one who does this?).
 
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