Opinions on these winches...

[ExpoMike]

So I am looking to buy a winch but at the same time the money tree has not popped up in my back yard, so cost is somewhat an issue. This is going on a Cherokee.

4 Wheel Parts has some listed that look to be in my price range so I want to get some opinions on these models. For reference, this is main for personal recovery if I am out alone. Mostly expedition type driving, not trail crawling, if it makes a difference.

Smittybilt XRC-8, 8,000 lb, $300
Mile Marker MX8, 8,000 lb, $400
Warn M8000, 8,000 lb, $550 (pushing price limits)

Thoughts?

 

[HMR]

Warn M8000, 8,000 lb, $550 (pushing price limits)

Save yourself some money and buy it here.

 

[Alaska Mike]

You can check the older threads on the various winches here. It reallt depends on how much you require a winch and the environment you use it in. From what I understand, the Smittybuilt and MileMarker are made in the same factory, and are pretty much the same winch. I do know that they are dog slow and may have some quality control/reliability issues.

I prefer Warn M8000. I've had one and the build quality is very good. Parts availability is excellent, and I've yet to have a failure not attributed to my own stupidity. Superwinch also makes an excellent winch, but I always seem to fall back to Warn. The 8274 is my "price is no option 8000lb winch", and it's one thing I will keep if I sell my Jeep.

 

[IntrepidXJ]

Like I said on NAXJA.....M8000

 

[kjp98TJ]

Save yourself some money and buy it here.

interesting the roller and 20' more cable is 150 bucks cheaper than hawse and 20' less cable...and it's cheaper than the M6000.....

 

[kodiak1232003]

i come from a different school of thought, and purchased a chicago electric winch from harbor freight. here's why:

A. i've recovered vehicles for a long time using manual tools, primarily a shovel, a hi-lift, a pair of sand ladders, and some rock stacking, so i'm not relying on my winch(nor should you) to be my "AAA card".

B. I'll probably use my winch 2 times a year, if that. I'm a pretty smart driver, with a close to stock rig, going on trails that aren't that hard.

C. I have a 3 year "you break it, you bring it back" plan with HF, that i know they're good for...people say "well whats HF gonna do for you when it breaks out int the middle of BFE"....See "A".

D. HF winches have been abused enough to give them "good bang for the buck" standing, and thats good enough for me.

Just another perspective, as i said.

 

[Alaska Mike]

As I said, it really depends on YOUR needs.

Is the winch something you're going to keep for years (decades), moving from vehicle to vehicle? Then I would certainly invest in the Warn. If you're in mud country, where extractions can be long and painful, get the Warn. If you're in a situation where you're truly depending on the winch to keep you safe (I have), get the Warn. If you use the winch frequently (like almost every time you go out), get the Warn.

If you will use the winch infrequently and live in a dry region, look at the cheaper options. I'd give the same advice if the winch will move on when you sell the vehicle.

I hate buying the same piece of equipment multiple times. I did upgrade from the M8000 to the 8274 years ago for line speed and cable length reasons, but I never had a bit of trouble with the M8000. Scott's lightweight M8000 build is a great way to reduce impact on the vehicle while enhancing the capability of the winch.

I would say 100' of cable on a M8000 is a bit much. It has to be spooled almost perfectly to fit. The standard 80' is much easier to deal with in the field.

 

[Alaska Mike]

As kodiak1232003 mentioned, there are a few basics you need to know how to use. Sand ladders may not be practical everywhere (and winches, for that matter), but high-lift jacks, shovels, straps, d-rings, and a little something between the ears are universal extraction tools.

For the record, while I have no practical use for sand ladders, I'm still slightly tempted to get a pair for the Rover just for the look. Expedition bling!!!

 

[toyrunner95]

as i see it, they are all good winches. i have a warn x8000i and it runs like a champ, even under water and mud.

personally i wouldent buy a smitty built, they go in and out of buisness like every other year. yes they are always on the market, but they closed their doors for the 5th time in 2006 then re opened in 2007. i think they keep going bankrupt. anyway.

i like warn. they have a great warrenty and they can be fixed on the trail. ive done it.

harbor freight is good, my buddy has one and it always works. but it has an irritatingly slow line recovery speed. you might as well leave the line un spooled.

t max is a POS. dont buy one.

superwinch is on and off decent. some are great and work forever, others wont work new, its really hit and miss.

warn has another brand called tabor, they are cheaper than warn but they dont have the warrenty. but they work.

mile marker is dependable, i havent used one but the military does. so i dunno

its up to you man, its all on cost.

think of it this way, do you really want to cheap out on the one thing that is almost a garunteed recovery? u may be in the middle of no where and you dont want it to crap out.

 

[robert j. yates]

Save yourself some money and buy it here.

Thats a pretty damn good price. I bought an M8000 probably 7 years ago and it ran me about $450 back then.

 

[ExpoMike]

Hearing the opinions here and on NAXJA, plus some added research, it looks like it would be money well spent on the Warn. The link above is about the best price I have seen anywhere. Just need to talk the wife into it now.

 

[kodiak1232003]

Hearing the opinions here and on NAXJA, plus some added research, it looks like it would be money well spent on the Warn. The link above is about the best price I have seen anywhere. Just need to talk the wife into it now.

posted in the general section, too:

just an update, i attempted a recovery on the side of the freeway today in downtown San Diego of all places....

I pulled over, on the onramp by mission center road, as i saw a black 2wd frontier grill deep in a bush down the hill. the driver was apparently forced off the road and onto the iceplant/shrubbery embankment. Damage as it would turn out, appeared to be one holed/shredded front right tire(tree branch, i pulled it out..lol) and a cracked front air dam.


Well, i attached my 8k harbor frieght winch to her rear axle(no obstructions, no tow points, i figured it was the best option) with a tree strap and told her to put it straight and put it in neutral.

With, my wife looking a bit nervous (winch's first trial run) i started spooling in, w/ hood up and me/her behind doors. Darn it if that winch didn't start pulling this frontier up a 30ft hill/3-4% grade like it was nothing.

As I said this was an attempted recovery, due to the fact that there was a light pole that the truck wanted to slide against on its down hill side. My wife and I did some Seattle pushups to get her moving forward again with her tires pointing uphill to stay clear of the pole and .

I suceeded in getting her free of the tree/bush she was lodged into, and getting her a bit straighter, but w/o a suitable tow point in the front(just a valance/plastik bumper) I decided to call it a day.

just as i was leaving, CHP pulled up and I felt like I could leave the situation with her truck at least a bit more accessible by a tow truck w/ the right equipment for a frontal pull up the enbankment


All this was on the way to Sea World. We had a great time once we finally got there..haha!!

 

[Willman]

Save yourself some money and buy it here.

That is a sweet deal!

This what i got!

 

[oldcj5guy]

I thought HF winches were pretty much Ramsey winches under a different skin.

I caught a lot of flack here in Denver last year because of my refusal to pull people out with my winch after the big snow. Saw no use in dragging a honda 20 feet so it could get stuck in the middle of the road 50ft later.

I went years without a winch and managed to self recover during all that time so I didn't feel that I needed to hang the most expensive one I could afford on the front of my rig.

 

[calamaridog]

I caught a lot of flack here in Denver last year because of my refusal to pull people out with my winch after the big snow. Saw no use in dragging a honda 20 feet so it could get stuck in the middle of the road 50ft later.

Random people stuck in snow banks expect you to haul them out? How presumptive of them. Do they offer to sign a waiver first