Winch Choice

[DarioCarrera]

No... Im not coming to you guys for advice on what whinch to aquire... so relax. I have been reading a lot in ExPo since I joined (a while back) and recently have begun to participate. I have noticed a couple of things and Im merely curious about it. The mayority of users in ExPo are Americans and Canadians, however I have also noticed that MOST of the winch related discussions in the forums have a WARN tendency. It is curious because I own a Ramsey winch and I know the excelent quality of the winch. From what I have heard there are a couple of other manufacturers in the US that make a Quality product. Here are my questions to you:

Why the tendency? Is the ownership tendency as biased as the number of discussions??? or is it my perception only?
Does Warn make that much a better product that most users choose a wich that is manufactured overseas, shipped, and still outsells the other manufacturers?
is it better marketing from Warn?

 

[BIGdaddy]

If I was using a winch everyday, I'd make a different choice, but since I only use a winch once or twice a year, Harbor Freight's imported chinese winch is my choice. They're very good for the money and have an excellent warranty/reputation among actual owners.

I'm not going to spend 1000 on a piece of equipment I'll only use a few times a year.

Warn's are a great winch, with a long track record. If someone gave me an M8000 as a gift, I absolutely wouldn't complain. Nothing i'd buy for myself, though.

I don't think an overlander should rely on a winch, anyways. I'd rather plan my recoveries around kit that has no moving parts like MaxTrax boards, bridging ladders and shovels/spades.

 

[I Leak Oil]

Marketing, exposure and word of mouth. All powerful tools that Warn has used to target the recreational user.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Yeah, I think it's mostly marketting, but it is backed up with product that is at least as good as their competitors if not better. I have a Superwinch though, so I can say that with non-bias. I bought the SW over a Warn because I felt dollar for dollar, it was a better deal, and I could rely on the SW lifetime warranty.

 

[I Leak Oil]

No doubt that successful long term marketing has to be backed by a quality product which Warn does have. The "others" also have good products but tend to rely on a cult following more than main stream exposure. Seems like that is changing at Ramsey though. A friend of mine has a 10K lb Ramsey worm drive winch which is an absolute beast of a unit!

 

[Eric S.]

Warn has a good reputation and they are plentiful in my area which makes sourcing parts easy too. When forking out the cash for a winch people tend to go with what is known to work instead of risking it with another brand.

 

[DarioCarrera]

No doubt that successful long term marketing has to be backed by a quality product which Warn does have. The "others" also have good products but tend to rely on a cult following more than main stream exposure. Seems like that is changing at Ramsey though. A friend of mine has a 10K lb Ramsey worm drive winch which is an absolute beast of a unit!

Im not sure its changing, but then again I dont live in the US anymore, so I couldn't be sure.

I spent months doing research for my winc, mostly because I dont like being force fed the choice. Warn is extremely popular here too, and here the Warn 8274 has a CULT following, but I understand there is good reason behind it. It is a proven winch. After my months of research I chose the Ramsey RE12000, a worm gear winch. SLOWWWWWWW, but nearly indestructible. The seller in the US couldnt come through, and I ended up aquiring my second choice, the Patriot 15000. And the quality of the product is simply EXCELENT. Which is why I believe if I ever purchase another wich it would also be a Ramsey. I have seen ton of Ramseys here but mostly in tow trucks and in the Venezuelan special edition 71 series Land Cruisers.

A friend of mine has a Mile Marker and he'll swear by it, he told me the US armed forces use Mile marker winches, which I didnt know. Is this true????

A couple of friends have chinese winches and they have done alright but side by side the quality difference can be spotted.

 

[BIGdaddy]

Im not sure its changing, but then again I dont live in the US anymore, so I couldn't be sure.

I spent months doing research for my winc, mostly because I dont like being force fed the choice. Warn is extremely popular here too, and here the Warn 8274 has a CULT following, but I understand there is good reason behind it. It is a proven winch. After my months of research I chose the Ramsey RE12000, a worm gear winch. SLOWWWWWWW, but nearly indestructible. The seller in the US couldnt come through, and I ended up aquiring my second choice, the Patriot 15000. And the quality of the product is simply EXCELENT. Which is why I believe if I ever purchase another wich it would also be a Ramsey. I have seen ton of Ramseys here but mostly in tow trucks and in the Venezuelan special edition 71 series Land Cruisers.

A friend of mine has a Mile Marker and he'll swear by it, he told me the US armed forces use Mile marker winches, which I didnt know. Is this true????

A couple of friends have chinese winches and they have done alright but side by side the quality difference can be spotted.

milemarker HYDRAULIC winches = military.

Not the electric ones.

 

[SAR_Squid79]

The only major leg-up that WARN has (as far as I'm concerned) is a superior warranty. They offer a better warranty and better service/repair support than any other winch manufacturer that I've heard of.
But nobody will convince me that their WARN is better than my Superwinch.

For a lot of people a rose by any other name SHOULD NOT smell as sweet. They want an ARB Bumper, an Ezi-Awn RTT, Nike shoes, and a WARN winch...

 

[Dave Bennett]

I have a Warn M8000. Great reputation and customer service, simple, and I got a good deal on it ($500 shipped IIRC). And, being from the Pacific Northwest I like to support PNW companies

When I worked in the timber industry, many of the HUGE winches we used were made by Ramsey. Says alot to me when I see a brand used in such an extreme application.

I hear good things about T-Max and some others too including Harbor Frieght.

It all boils down to what you like IMO.

 

[DarioCarrera]

milemarker HYDRAULIC winches = military.

Not the electric ones.

You're right, I missed mentioning that little fact.

 

[DirtRoads]

I have been in the market for a winch for, really, a few years. I did more research on the topic than I care to think about. For me, it came down to just a few things
1. If you're stuck in the middle of nowhere and there is only one way home or dangling off a cliff by a steel cable would you rather be stranded with a harbor freight special or something reputable?
2. Parts availability and customer service - everyone I talked to who has dealt with Warn has had nothing but good things to say. I am now in that boat, but i'll get there later.
3. Would I rather buy one winch now and have it forever or have to worry about when the motor will finally burn out and render it a boat anchor.

I decided to go to craigslist and find an old 8274. After countless phone calls over to warn and some parts from the internet, I had a working 8274 for less than 700$. Warn sent me all of the service manuals they had and answered my stupid questions clearly and quickly. It's fast, I never have to worry when i plug the remote in, and if something breaks, I can get help fast. Now, after using a variety of Warn products (XD9000, 8274, 2.5RT) upside down, under water, and over their pull ratings, I am more than happy to have gone the extra mile.

It all comes down to the fact that you get what you pay for. I'm not saying to go out and spend 2K on some brand new warn that you'll use twice a year, but get the best winch you can afford and you won't regret it when you need it.

 

[Nonimouse]

Warn have the marketing power - simple as that

In the real world they tend to be less reliable per capita sold than most

Out of the US they are losing thier hold fast' In Europe the number one winch manufacturer is Ramsey, followed by Superwinch. In the UK it's Superwinch, Warn, then T-max; sadly our Ramsey importer is gready so sales are low. The Chinese manufaturer KingOne has hage sales with the TDS Goldfish - the best all rounder on the world stage. Folk down under like thier T-Max, Premier, Ramsey and Warn...

Take a peek at what Gigglepin have done to the 8274 - for a mere $5k. Fast enough to bump start a diesel 110.

 

[garrett]

milemarker HYDRAULIC winches = military.

Not the electric ones.

FYI

Many of them are hydraulic, but far from all of them are. They put electric Warns on Humvees (on the front, hydr on the rears) and SEALs, Rangers, etc all run electric on their Hiluxes, etc.

 

[DarioCarrera]

The special forces use toyota Hilux????