What is the best winch for my Jeep Wrangler TJ?

dan lee said:
So if I was to swap out my wire line to a synthetic rope, what brand would you go with? Do you match the LB rating to your winch. If I have a 8000lb winch to I replace the wire with a 8000lb rated synthetic rope?
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Tactical Recovery Equipment, the rope they sell is rated at is rated at 18500lb. I also have cable on my winch and will be switching over to this very soon. I would highly reccoemnd picking up the safety thimble as well at the time of purchase. Here is a link to their synthetic rope.

https://tacticalrecoveryequipment.com/off-road-recovery-products/synthetic-winch-rope-packages/

@Garza the owner & operator of the TRE is an active member of the forum, as is Blaine who develop the products for TRE. Chris & Jerry both wrote reviews on their experience with the products, both very positive.
 
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JamesAndTheSahara said:
Tactical Recovery Equipment, the rope they sell is rated at is rated at 18500lb. I also have cable on my winch and will be switching over to this very soon. I would highly reccoemnd picking up the safety thimble as well at the time of purchase. Here is a link to their synthetic rope.

https://tacticalrecoveryequipment.com/off-road-recovery-products/synthetic-winch-rope-packages/

@Garza the owner & operator of the TRE is an active member of the forum, as is Blaine who develop the products for TRE. Chris & Jerry both wrote reviews on their experience with the products, both very positive.
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X2
 
I am going to pull the trigger on the Havoc on Amazon with synthetic line for $239.00 why? 1) I am a cheap bastard 2) Amazon will let you return anything 3) it will probably never get used...not ashamed to admit but I like the look on the front 4) it is 25lb lighter than a steel wire one and I am putting it and the bumper on by myself. now...If I retire in 5 years and get off flat Long Island to either VT, NH or TN...I would just replace the Wrangler X with a real Rubicon TJ and the story would be different.
 
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cliffish said:
I am going to pull the trigger on the Havoc on Amazon with synthetic line for $239.00 why? 1) I am a cheap bastard 2) Amazon will let you return anything 3) it will probably never get used...not ashamed to admit but I like the look on the front 4) it is 25lb lighter than a steel wire one and I am putting it and the bumper on by myself. now...If I retire in 5 years and get off flat Long Island to either VT, NH or TN...I would just replace the Wrangler X with a real Rubicon TJ and the story would be different.
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Nothing wrong with that. I know several people who use this winch: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JXS3BXI/?tag=wranglerorg-20

They've put it through the ringer and it's still holding up well.
 
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Just personal opinion here, but the best winch for a TJ is the one bolted to the front bumper. The worst winch is the one sitting on the dealers shelf. Beyond that, it's just details and personnel preference. Yes. Some are more reliable than others. Last longer, have better warranties, service organizations, etc., etc. If you can afford to put a high end Warn on, bonus! If you can't, then a Harbor Freight special beats the heck out of walking. (or winching with a HiLift, ask me how I know)
 
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StG58 said:
Just personal opinion here, but the best winch for a TJ is the one bolted to the front bumper. The worst winch is the one sitting on the dealers shelf. Beyond that, it's just details and personnel preference. Yes. Some are more reliable than others. Last longer, have better warranties, service organizations, etc., etc. If you can afford to put a high end Warn on, bonus! If you can't, then a Harbor Freight special beats the heck out of walking. (or winching with a HiLift, ask me how I know)
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Another opinion here, I'd rather have a set of $300.00 MaxTrax & no winch vs a winch that doesn't hold up. At least in mud & beach sand they hold up well. Just another option for those that can't drop $500+ on a winch.
 
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JamesAndTheSahara said:
Another opinion here, I'd rather have a set of $300.00 MaxTrax & no winch vs a winch that doesn't hold up. At least in mud & beach sand they hold up well. Just another option for those that can't drop $500+ on a winch.
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True that. Sometimes a decent shovel and four squares of used carpet (or your floor mats) go a long ways. There are times and places where a good winch is an absolute must. There's lot of winches that die from dis-use and neglect as well. If it's just Jeep jewelry, why have that extra 60 - 100 pounds hanging off the front? My suspicion is that there are a lot of winches out there that are unnecessary even if they get used occasionally. On the other hand, it would be too cool to have a 10,000 pound winch with a pressure washer and an air pump built into it bolted to the front bumper. You could inflate the grand kid's pool toys and pressure wash the driveway! (OK, now I'm just being a smart ass. Sorry)

Edited to add: I think that in many cases the decision making process starts with "What winch?" when it needs to start with "Do I need a winch?". Is the winch buyer trying to solve a problem, or scratch an itch? The same can be said for many TJ upgrades and accessories. Scratching an itch isn't wrong, I just think you have to be honest with yourself about it. Keeps you from getting frustrated in the long run.
 
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StG58 said:
True that. Sometimes a decent shovel and four squares of used carpet (or your floor mats) go a long ways. There are times and places where a good winch is an absolute must. There's lot of winches that die from dis-use and neglect as well. If it's just Jeep jewelry, why have that extra 60 - 100 pounds hanging off the front? My suspicion is that there are a lot of winches out there that are unnecessary even if they get used occasionally. On the other hand, it would be too cool to have a 10,000 pound winch with a pressure washer and an air pump built into it bolted to the front bumper. You could inflate the grand kid's pool toys and pressure wash the driveway! (OK, now I'm just being a smart ass. Sorry)

Edited to add: I think that in many cases the decision making process starts with "What winch?" when it needs to start with "Do I need a winch?". Is the winch buyer trying to solve a problem, or scratch an itch? The same can be said for many TJ upgrades and accessories. Scratching an itch isn't wrong, I just think you have to be honest with yourself about it. Keeps you from getting frustrated in the long run.
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Warn has you half way with their Power Plant winch,
https://www.warn.com/truck/winches/PowerPlant_9.5.jsp

The pressure washer idea would be nifty though, lol!
 
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bobthetj03 said:
Warn has you half way with their Power Plant winch,
https://www.warn.com/truck/winches/PowerPlant_9.5.jsp

The pressure washer idea would be nifty though, lol!
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I saw one someplace. Massive thing, as you can imagine. 10,000# winch, air pump big enough to run air tools (with supplied air tank) and a pressure washer. If I remember correctly, it was too large to fit on the front of the Suburban though, and the whole setup probably weighed in at just slightly less than a small Italian sports car. Cost about as much as well.
 
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EJD said:
Just thought I would point out that there is a (Gen II version) of the Warn VR8000 called the VR8 which hasn't been mentioned. They have upgraded just about everything that was a concern before on the original to make it better. The main upgrade being the switch from Solenoid to an Albright Contactor.

VR8000: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00625F8ZO/?tag=wranglerorg-20
VR8: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M3XLUN3/?tag=wranglerorg-20

Check it out:
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Has anyone on here had any first hand experience with the VR8? I am considering the VR8-S. Seems like a reasonable balance of quality brand and price.

Also considering this Smittybilt raised mount plate which should fit with the stock bumper I’m running and I think woould complement the overall look I’m going for.
 
Creakydoor said:
Has anyone on here had any first hand experience with the VR8? I am considering the VR8-S. Seems like a reasonable balance of quality brand and price.

Also considering this Smittybilt raised mount plate which should fit with the stock bumper I’m running and I think woould complement the overall look I’m going for.
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As with anything Warn, the VR8-S is a good winch and a fine choice. That mount should also work nicely as well!
 
In my wheeling group a number of us have Warns, mine is the 9.5CTI flavor, but the vast majority have the overseas units. I think I have heard of 1 Smittybilt failing, but was covered under warranty. Biggest difference I have seen between mine and the overseas variants is line speed both no load and under load, and decibels emitted by the motor. Mine is noticeably quieter.

OP has some awesome points, solid winch for the price. I'll be honest, I'll likely never use the 9.5CTI for long duty cycles in thick mud where the thermometric indicator comes in handy. The VR8000 (At the time) would have suited me just fine, but bought the 9.5CTI over the VR8000 solely because of looks and attention to detail. I like the look of the integrated control pack over the drum. Zeon looks to be the best of both worlds.
 
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TuffJeeper said:
In my wheeling group a number of us have Warns, mine is the 9.5CTI flavor, but the vast majority have the overseas units. I think I have heard of 1 Smittybilt failing, but was covered under warranty. Biggest difference I have seen between mine and the overseas variants is line speed both no load and under load, and decibels emitted by the motor. Mine is noticeably quieter.

OP has some awesome points, solid winch for the price. I'll be honest, I'll likely never use the 9.5CTI for long duty cycles in thick mud where the thermometric indicator comes in handy. The VR8000 (At the time) would have suited me just fine, but bought the 9.5CTI over the VR8000 solely because of looks and attention to detail. I like the look of the integrated control pack over the drum. Zeon looks to be the best of both worlds.
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Those look like great winches, but definitely more than I’m looking to spend and more then I need right now since I’m relatively modest in my off-road adventures at this point. That’s one thing I liked about the VR8s. Good brand and reasonable price.
 
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I've never had a winch on anything I've owned, but wouldn't you need to install a second battery for it? And if so, where would be mounted?

Thinking about a winch for those "just in case" moments. Like if I stick my old Farmall Cub tractor in a muddy spot.
 
Willys LJ said:
I've never had a winch on anything I've owned, but wouldn't you need to install a second battery for it? And if so, where would be mounted?

Thinking about a winch for those "just in case" moments. Like if I stick my old Farmall Cub tractor in a muddy spot.
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Nope... no need for a 2nd battery, just one good one.

Oh! and you have great taste in Jeeps
 
Willys LJ said:
I've never had a winch on anything I've owned, but wouldn't you need to install a second battery for it? And if so, where would be mounted?

Thinking about a winch for those "just in case" moments. Like if I stick my old Farmall Cub tractor in a muddy spot.
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As above, you just need a single good quality heavy-duty battery for even tough winching situations. An AGM type battery is a good and more rugged choice, the closer you can get to 800-850 CCA's the better. The one brand of AGM battery I would avoid is Optima whose quality took a major nose dive several years ago after they were purchased and had their manufacturing line moved down to Mexico.
 
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