Winch Recommendations

lBasket

lBasket

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I'm looking to buy a winch for my Jeep. I feel like self-recovery gear is a higher priority for me than a lift or other suspension upgrades. I think I've read that an 8,000lb winch is adequate for a TJ, is this correct?

I want to go with Warn because I want something made in the USA, obviously I want a winch that I can rely on. I'm looking at these two winches from 4WP that are in my price range:

https://www.4wheelparts.com/p/warn-vr-evo-8-winch-with-steel-rope-103250/_/R-BCSQ-103250
https://www.4wheelparts.com/p/warn-vr-evo-10-winch-with-steel-rope-103252/_/R-BCSQ-103252
I might shop around for better pricing when the time comes, but those seem reasonably priced to me so far. Are these good choices for my TJ? (4.0, manual, may be loaded with camping gear at times). If yes, which of the two would you choose? If neither of them, what Warn winch would you recommend that is in the same general price range?

I know these come with steel lines and synthetic is preferred, but I only have so much money to spend and will end up changing the line out later when I can afford it.

Any other recommendations or advice on choosing a winch that I might not be thinking about would be appreciated.
 
The VR EVO line of WARN winches are made in China. I'm not saying that as a bad thing, just letting you know. I've had a first gen VR8000 on my Unlimited for about 4-1/2 years now. I've never used for actual recovery, but the other times I have used it, it worked fine.

I feel they are fine, especially if you're on a budget. The 8000 pound one would be fine.
 
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Would this be the equivalent "made in USA" version?

https://www.4wheelparts.com/p/warn-m8000-self-recovery-8000lb-winch-26502/_/R-BCSQ-26502
Around 200$ more... I'd think Warn would still be careful with the QC of their winches regardless of what country they come out of? But I don't want to cheap out and regret it later. Trying to embrace the "Buy once, cry once" mentality. But only if it's really worth it because I am on a budget, haha. Not sure what that extra 200 bucks really buys you.

Looks like 10ft longer cable on the M8000, and the M8000 has a 216.1 ratio while the EVO 8 has 218. Those sound like pretty inconsequential differences though.
 
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The M8000 is a great winch and I'm sure you'll be happy with it. I do believe the M8000 is made in the US and only the VR's are made in China. I'm not positive, but I think the VR's are built with the same quality of parts as the rest of their winches, but they are just assembled in China. I could be wrong though.
 
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On Warn's website it just distinguishes final point of assembly as either China or US for the various winches, which to me implies primarily Chinese components with final assy in USA for the higher end - either to ensure greater QC or marketing, or both. But I've never called to ask, or done any deep digging, just a career in supply chain.

I think you'd be fine with an 8k winch, especially if you're not mud bogging or anything like that where you'd frequently need a full load pull, and even if you do, it can be mitigated with a quality snatch block.

May even want to consider Harbor Freight or Tractor Supply if you're on a budget... I also believe in buy once, but when you say self-recovery is more important than lift or suspension it tells me you're starting off and planning on adventuring solo, and in that case, for how infrequently a winch is used, you may be better off ensuring you have a quality battery, jump pack, survival gear, camping gear, portable air, recovery boards, etc.
 
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RubiconRic said:
On Warn's website it just distinguishes final point of assembly as either China or US for the various winches, which to me implies primarily Chinese components with final assy in USA for the higher end - either to ensure greater QC or marketing, or both. But I've never called to ask, or done any deep digging, just a career in supply chain.
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I'll check out their website to see if there's any other info that pushes me in one direction or the other.

I think you'd be fine with an 8k winch, especially if you're not mud bogging or anything like that where you'd frequently need a full load pull, and even if you do, it can be mitigated with a quality snatch block.
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I live in Colorado, so luckily mud isn't something I deal with often (haven't seen any, yet). So good to know the 8k will do the job.

May even want to consider Harbor Freight or Tractor Supply if you're on a budget... I also believe in buy once, but when you say self-recovery is more important than lift or suspension it tells me you're starting off and planning on adventuring solo, and in that case, for how infrequently a winch is used, you may be better off ensuring you have a quality battery, jump pack, survival gear, camping gear, portable air, recovery boards, etc.
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The HF winches I was originally planning on getting, because the warranty they have is pretty cool. Honestly, if it wasn't for the handouts coming from the gov, I'm not sure I would want to pay for the Warn. But I kinda see it as an opportunity to get something of a high quality that would be otherwise be a bit out of reach. I see that some of the guys on this forum have hung onto the same Warn winch for years across many vehicles which I think makes the extra money worth it.

I'm lucky and inherited some good camping gear from the parents when they bought a camper, so I don't have to worry too much about that. To me a winch feels like the next step in my "safety kit" as I've already got a fire extinguisher, shovel, hatchet, medkit, emergency kit (won this guy from a raffle at work, thanks "safety week"!), and I picked up a Vair 88p recently for air. I have a backpack full of a self-made MRE kit (I think I packed like 5k calories?) and a bunch of extra clothes. I think traction boards would probably be my next step, not sure if others would prioritize them above a winch or not.

You're right that I plan on doing a decent bit of wheeling/camping alone, which is why I'm prioritizing the safety/recovery gear above most anything else but maintenance.
 
Nice, seems like you have a good approach. Not to get too far off-topic, but I'd definitely consider a jump pack if you don't have one (I have a GOOLOO and love it) and also consider a Garmin inReach Mini or similar.
 
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RubiconRic said:
Nice, seems like you have a good approach. Not to get too far off-topic, but I'd definitely consider a jump pack if you don't have one (I have a GOOLOO and love it) and also consider a Garmin inReach Mini or similar.
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Trying to be prepared. I should've been a boy scout!

I never considered a jump pack, that is a good idea. Can never be too careful. I recently bought a battery at AutoZone, Duralast brand. I thought I got a good battery because it has 800CCA, but I am starting to doubt my decision and wishing I had went with a higher quality AGM battery. Maybe a jumper would be a good backup, and make me regret my battery purchase a bit less.

I have done a bit of research into those emergency transponders... They're an awesome idea, but pretty pricey. Here's to hoping I can get the parental units worried enough to pitch in, but I doubt it. They've got some Jeep buddies so I typically let them know the itenerary before I head out, they live near the mountains so their house is normally my jumping off point anyways.
 
Naw, that battery will be fine for your needs, and yes, the jump pack definitely serves as battery insurance. I can't tell you how many times I've used it on myself and others. Don't even carry jumper cables anymore, plus the jump pack doubles as a battery pack for cell phone, etc.
 
Well, the winch showed up today. Looks like it was damaged during shipping though, what a huge bummer.
1616283156195.png

Something punched a hole in the solenoid housing. Let's hope Warn sends me a new one, that would really suck to cough up all the money for this and have to deal with it being broken. My thoughts are that it's no longer waterproof like this, which is not a good thing since it will be wired directly to the battery. Guess I'll see what they say when customer service opens up on Monday.
 
L J said:
I recall the same thing happening and it being taken care of. Was this an Amazon purchase?
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Good to hear. It was, I believe it was from their own amazon storefront though. Seems like it anyways. The link I posted above is the seller I got it from.

Edit: Actually it looks like the supplier is "4Wheel Drive Hardware". Hopefully that doesn't cause issues with getting a replacement.
 
Am I correct in assuming that this hole will make the winch not waterproof, which would mean it doesn't belong on the front of my jeep?
 
lBasket said:
Good to hear. It was, I believe it was from their own amazon storefront though. Seems like it anyways. The link I posted above is the seller I got it from.

Edit: Actually it looks like the supplier is "4Wheel Drive Hardware". Hopefully that doesn't cause issues with getting a replacement.
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4 wheel drive hardware is part of 4 wheel parts. I think they’ll take care of you.
 
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L J said:
@SecondChanceTJ and @taylormade73 both dealt with the same issue and Warn took care of it:

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/is-my-warn-m8000-winch-compromised-thanks-ups.44461/#post-758137
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Awesome! Interesting that they seem to have a hole punched into the exact same place as I did... so good to know it's not a unique case I suppose. Between Warn and 4WP it sounds like I'll be in good shape so that's encouraging! I've got some more painting to do before I get the winch fully put on anyways so not a big deal at all.
 
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Awesome sounds like I'm in good shape then! Yeah, definitely seems to be an issue with the packaging if it keeps happening in the same way, but I guess if anything is going to break that's probably the easiest thing to replace? Based on my friends that work at UPS, not sure any amount of packaging for something that heavy could fully prevent damage so maybe setting it up for the easiest part to replace to break when handled badly is on purpose haha
 
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lBasket said:
Am I correct in assuming that this hole will make the winch not waterproof, which would mean it doesn't belong on the front of my jeep?
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The M8000 isn't a waterproof winch. Plus, if you look at the bottom of the contactor pack, you'll see holes in the metal.
 
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