Anyone come across and deals as of late? I finally have bought bumpers. and been looking around for a winch and maybe I'm wrong, but the prices seem to have gone up a bit lately. Not surprising I suppose. I have an Engo winch on the wife's JK and it's been fine so far, but hasn't seen a ton of use. Fo rthe TJ I was looking at Warn, Superwinch, and Smittybilt.
Anyone come across any winch deals as of late?
- Thread starter Billy06
- Start date
I'd take Smittybilt off that short list. Smittybilt can't even reliably provide replacement parts for their winches. Someone posted that their Smittybilt had something easily fixable break on their fairly new winch when it was still under warranty. Smittybilt couldn't provide the replacement part so they needed to replace the entire winch. Fat chance of them replacing the entire winch when it fails outside of the warranty. Smittybilt is no longer the good brand name it was when it was still owned by Smitty and his family before he died. Smittybilt no longer makes anything like they did when old man Smitty owned it, it's all imported from China now.
Personally I'd go for a Warn which has a strong line of US manufactured winches. Even all Superwinch winches are made in China now.
A wench is far more useful. Mine has even gotten me out of legal troubles.
A wench is far more useful. Mine has even gotten me out of legal troubles.
Having lockers just about puts a winch out of commission for getting yourself out of a bind, but a wench is far more useful.
Not in my case lol. Even with f/r lockers I still need a winch line semi-regularly.
Having lockers just about puts a winch out of commission for getting yourself out of a bind,
I'm on the winch here on a great trail called Candy Ass.
Lots of people here run Smittybilt winches, they perform very well and are reliable. You might also consider the Milemarker SEC9.5, it's a good winch. For the money it's difficult to compete with the XRC 9.5 and H20 series in general. There is strong Warn bias here, do yourself a favor and search the internet, ask your friends about first hand stories of winch failures and decide for yourself. Just like Bigfoot, tall tales tend to fade when everybody carries a camera in their pocket. If spending half the money on the winch allows you to use synthetic rope and soft shackles you'll be miles ahead.
Wish we had some Candy Ass here. I should say that winches are a very useful and responsible purchase.
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Bigfoot is real and drives a JK. He also has a Shittybilt winch. I have the pic to prove it.
You might think about why there is a strong Warn bias in various 4x4 forums. Warn's strong reputation for quality and reliability wasn't earned for being known for problems or failures. If you want to like Smittybilt and believe they're the way to go that's your decision.
Having F&R lockers gives you the ability and confidence to get deeper into tougher trails. It also gives you the mental thought hey I got F&R lockers lets give it a try, and then out comes Plan "B"
Having lockers just about puts a winch out of commission for getting yourself out of a bind, a wench is far more useful.
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ejay
TJ Addict
I looked for used Milemarker, Ramsey, and Warn winches. I found a used Warn and fixed it with $60 in parts.
Have six Warn winches, some not even on vehicles. Didn't know they made others. Keep looking, they are out there, but are up some in price for sure.
Whichever direction I go, it will be synthetic rope. Already have the recovery gear, including the soft shackles. I'm not necessarily in a position where I have a budget, but I'm also the type that thinks "just because you can, doesn't mean you should". Like I mentioned I put an Engo winch on the wifes JK about 3 years ago and it's served the Jeep well and it's just about half the cost of the comparable (spec wise) Warn that I'm looking at. A buddy I wheel with also put an Engo on his Jeep and no issues. Also have a guy in the group that runs a Smittybilt and no issues either. It's the whole point of diminishing return and how I can stretch that dollar, if possible. The Smittybilt's I'm looking at are the newer Gen3's and the little digging I've done, there seems to have been some improvements made.
Good time as any to stop buying Chinese knockoffs; next time it is YOUR job, or your kid's. D
Including companies that have their products made in China right?
I have a Warn that I bought used and rebuilt and I would do it again if I found a good used one for a decent price. That said, Matts Recovery has a Harbor Freight winch on his recovery vehicle.......obviously he recovers stuck 4x4s for a living.