Looking at 12,000 lb harbor freight badlands winch. It’s 299 dollars. Anyone had any experience with it. Am I getting what I pay for. Any ideas to upgrade it to make it better?
There's a reason Harbor Freight's winches are so cheap.Honestly it’s the price tag that gets me about Warn.
When your Hazard Fraught winch has failed you, and you need to hire a recovery company to come bail you out, that Warn winch is gonna look real inexpensive.Honestly it’s the price tag that gets me about Warn.
I have a harbor freight 2500lb atv winch I barley trust to lift deer into my truck. Stay away from them for recovery.They have a deal for Smittybilt $260 9000 pounds. I’m gonna get that.
I have a harbor freight 2500lb atv winch I barley trust to lift deer into my truck. Stay away from them for recovery.
Some will chime in and tell you shittybilt winches are terrible, I have the XRC 9.5 Gen2 (i'm assuming that's the one you are looking at), no issues and I've used the crap out of it. Mostly to help pull trees in the direction I want them to fall, a few times when I got stuck alone on the trail. The highlighted part is where I'll be quoted saying I've never had to rely on my winch etc... blah blah.
Like anything else, know how to use it. Spool it under a load before you ever use it for realz (take it all the way out, spool it back in under load).
Get a snatch block and understand how pulleys work etc.
That's just as bad of a decision as a Harbor Freight Tools winch would be. Of the well-known brands of Jeep parts, Smittybilt by far as the worst/most abysmal reputation now. Which is a shame because before old man Smitty died, Smittybilt's name was superb. After he died, investors bought the rights to use the Smittybilt name. Just the name. They import everything from China, Smittybilt hasn't actually manufactured anything since Smitty died. The current owners/managers of Smittybilt have nothing to do with the original Smittybilt company we all loved way back then.They have a deal for Smittybilt $260 9000 pounds. I’m gonna get that.