Warn M8000 vs. VR8000

Thanks for the info, @Ahoragi, that's kind of what I've been hearing about the Mile Marker winches. Good to hear it from someone on here as well.

Edited to add: That picture looks like the border between the puckerbrush and the thule-berries! Nice shot...
 
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I also have the VR8000 (As long as its a Warn, I don't care what it is) if its worth anything? But if money is no option then the M8000 is clearly the better option! Or, how about a Zeon 12-S?? :D
 
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I wheel with a few guys that run the VR's. Two have had nothing but problems, the third has used/abused his, and it hasn't failed him yet. One of the guys had his first failure right after he installed it, unspooled it, and went to respool it. Got about half the line on, and it died.

Honestly, I'd wait and try to find an M8274. Here they are very hard to find though. I know guys with two or three of them, in various states of "working". Guys tend to horde them, lol. I have seen them outwork 10 and 12k winches though, and they are FAST!!
 
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I wheel with a few guys that run the VR's. Two have had nothing but problems, the third has used/abused his, and it hasn't failed him yet. One of the guys had his first failure right after he installed it, unspooled it, and went to respool it. Got about half the line on, and it died.

Honestly, I'd wait and try to find an M8274. Here they are very hard to find though. I know guys with two or three of them, in various states of "working". Guys tend to horde them, lol. I have seen them outwork 10 and 12k winches though, and they are FAST!!

Holy crap. Those are $1,900 brand new? Are they used for logging or something????


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I wheel with a few guys that run the VR's. Two have had nothing but problems, the third has used/abused his, and it hasn't failed him yet. One of the guys had his first failure right after he installed it, unspooled it, and went to respool it. Got about half the line on, and it died.

Honestly, I'd wait and try to find an M8274. Here they are very hard to find though. I know guys with two or three of them, in various states of "working". Guys tend to horde them, lol. I have seen them outwork 10 and 12k winches though, and they are FAST!!

That sounds like a Smittybilt. Are you sure it's not a Warn??? [emoji28]

(That makes me nervous to know that I have the same one they have...)


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I wheel with a few guys that run the VR's. Two have had nothing but problems, the third has used/abused his, and it hasn't failed him yet. One of the guys had his first failure right after he installed it, unspooled it, and went to respool it. Got about half the line on, and it died.

Honestly, I'd wait and try to find an M8274. Here they are very hard to find though. I know guys with two or three of them, in various states of "working". Guys tend to horde them, lol. I have seen them outwork 10 and 12k winches though, and they are FAST!!

Ahh, the Warn M8274. I know one of those guys. He's letting me use his shop for my gear / locker install. I don't know how many he has sitting around in various stages of disrepair, but it's a bunch of them. Since he does repair work on logging equipment on the side to fund his tractor addiction, he's always running across an old crummy parked dead behind a machinery shed with a Warn M8274 on the front. He just politely asks if he can have it and the answer is usually yes. Those things are truly legendary in the woods with people who work out there.

Probably going with a Warn M8000, and trusting that the new Chinese motor doesn't die on me in the near future. One tip that I got from a faller in the local area on winch cable. Don't bother spending money on a winch with synthetic line already on it. Replace the wire with synthetic after it's installed. Jerry mentioned this to me earlier as well. I was told to just go to the local logging rigging supply and show them the winch, tell them what you're doing with it and they will set you right up with a custom synthetic winch line for really cheap. They usually have the line in stock in various sizes on big reels, the fittings in bins and the splicing only takes about a half hour or less. And those guys do that day in and day out.
 
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Thanks for the info, @Ahoragi, that's kind of what I've been hearing about the Mile Marker winches. Good to hear it from someone on here as well.

Edited to add: That picture looks like the border between the puckerbrush and the thule-berries! Nice shot...

LOL thanks. That wasn't me driving either. It was the lady.

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One thing to note, not all drums are able to take the synthetic line. It winds tighter than steel, and can crush the drum. I'm not sure how common this is, or if it applies to Warn winches, or just the cheap winches. Could be something worth looking into though. Or maybe that's an old wives tale, lol.
 
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I've never heard of anyone actually crushing a drum with synthetic line, but it is something to consider. I've also heard that heat buildup in the drum from the brake is not all that good for synthetic line either, but again I've never actually seen it happen or heard a first hand account. I have seen it happen on a capstan on a tow boat once. The deck hand was an idiot and let the line slip way too much while winching a barge off the beach. That line was pretty crisp when he got done. Very expensive mistake.

There's a lot of myths floating around in the off road world. That's why I come here, to get a straight answer. Between here and buddies who work in the woods, the path to righteousness off road becomes pretty clear.