Winch suggestions

1Blacktj

1Blacktj

TJ Enthusiast
Original poster
Joined
May 29, 2018
Messages
225
Location
Blowing Rock, NC, USA
So I have kept it in the back of my mind for awhile that I want a winch but I need some help figuring out which one. I won't be using it a ton and I would like to obviously pull myself out but also pull another vehicle like an older pickup out. What do yall recommend?
 
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1Blacktj said:
Yea I wasn't gonna skimp out on this one lol I was looking at this one https://www.extremeterrain.com/warn-vr10s-10000-lb-winch-w-synthetic-rope-1.html I was wondering if anyone had that one in particular
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It's really hard to beat a Warn. A huge benefit of Warn's products is they'll always stock parts for their winches, hubs, etc. which is not true of all companies. Smittybilt is strictly an importer and getting replacement parts from them has been shown to be difficult if not impossible. A Smittybilt owner tried to get a replacement solenoid pack for his fairly new winch but they didn't have one to ship him. Because it was still inside its one-year warranty Smittybilt ended up shipping him a replacement winch. That sounds great until you realize they're not going to ship a replacement winch once the warranty expires.
 
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I run a superwinch lp8500. Last I looked they were $300 I think. I've used it a number of times and it has worked each time. A couple of complaints--once the clutch is disengaged it takes a minute to find the sweet spot to get it back engaged. Usually have to spin the spool in order to find it. Also, it is very very slow. It has pulled me up and over a number of obstacles though.

76256
76257
 
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Most of my crew run Warns. For the reason Jerry started. I run an M8000. Have been for about 6 years. I wheel frequently and use it frequently. It has never let me down. We run some offroad events throughout the year. I’ve seen many people with winches from other manufacturers have issues on the trail and then getting parts to address them. Not to say a Warn can’t or won’t have issues, but the numbers are so low from our perspective. And parts are available.
 
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I went with superwinch 9500 with synthetic for 500$. I really wanted the m8000 warn synthetic but couldn’t justify spending the money for it. Have used my winch 1 or 2 times and it worked flawless
 
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You can't go wrong with Warn. I personally run M8000S and M8000 on my two Jeeps. Although in the past I've owned a cpl smaller Superwinches for ATVs and they never failed me.
If you think your life may depend on it, don't skimp, get a quality winch.
HF and smitty are in the same league IMO. You get what you pay for.
 
Milemarker has some great ones too like the SEC95 or SEC8, little more winch for the money than the big red W and not one of the "avoid" brands as far as I know.
 
My WARN vr8-s has never let me down. All weather conditions including standing my TJ on its spare tires to perform a 180deg turn with one grab. Some people like a bigger winch though I have found with proper gear my vr8-s is plenty
 
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I have had the inexpensive super winch and it worked but the "finish" did not last, the spreader bars lost their chrome and 'popcorn" pretty quickly. I then acquired an old Warn XD8000 and soon after an XD9000i, both are virtually the same winch. I like them much better, it appears the amp draw is less with the Warns under load. Both have synthetic winch line on them, the 8000 (the one on my LJ) has masterpull XD superline on it. I really like this rope......
 
FireJeep said:
I have had the inexpensive super winch and it worked but the "finish" did not last, the spreader bars lost their chrome and 'popcorn" pretty quickly. I then acquired an old Warn XD8000 and soon after an XD9000i, both are virtually the same winch. I like them much better, it appears the amp draw is less with the Warns under load. Both have synthetic winch line on them, the 8000 (the one on my LJ) has masterpull XD superline on it. I really like this rope......
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Love using poly
 
One of the biggest differences in less expensive winches vs. the "premium" lines is the material the gears are made from. A friend works in a plant in PA that makes powdered metal parts (think particle board but metal instead of sawdust), Warn visited their plant 10-15 years ago at their request. Once Warn saw how the process was accomplished they declined their request as a supplier. Fast forward to 5 years ago (give or take) and Warn now has some less expensive winches to compete with Smittybilt and the like.....I would venture a guess that they use powdered metal gears as opposed to the machined gears in their "premium" lines...... The issue, I think, is in the powdered metal being able to withstand shock loads and repeated stress, but others on here probably know better than I.......
 
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