Any long term reports on Smittybuilt winches???

[ExpoMike]

Hi guys,

Did some searching and a few of you have bought the Smittybuilt winch a year or more ago. Any long term reports having had/used them over the last year?

They have a deal for the Xcr8 with synthetic line and Hawse fairlead for $449 shipped, which seems like a good deal. I am looking at getting a winch soon, so I can put my new bumper on.

Some current opinions would be helpful.

Thanks.

 

[bomar]

For another 10% at 4wheelparts and winchdepot you get a no questions asked type lifetime warranty so it is tough to pass up.

 

[XJINTX]

I bought myself that exact setup for a Christmas gift I also got the warranty... supposedly no questions replace the winch. So even if it does break it'll be replaced.

My friends have had smittybilts for awhile and no issues... especially if patient and use smart techniques.

For the price it's worth the "Warm Fuzzy" of having it... rather than waiting for a more expensive brand. My last truck had a MileMarker and I used it a lot... don't remember useing more than once for myself though Since it's mostly dead weight I liked the synthetic option.

 

[Alaska Mike]

Long term is very subjective, as duration and severity of use as well as environment come into play.

Up here, I haven't been impressed with any of the cheap Chinese winches. They're painfully slow, and as a result eat up a lot of battery capacity on longer pulls. That often results in stops to allow the alternator to "catch up". I see a greater frequency of solenoid failures, and the cable termination can be hit or miss, which becomes more of an issue as corrosion sets in.

Now this is in more of an extreme environment than most people in the Lower 48 ever see. A typical trail ride can require multiple full-pull winch extractions, depending on how the conditions are that day. Water crossings and mud are features on the majority of trails, which add to the strain on the equipment. We use our winches- a lot.

The guys who are most successful with them have taken the time to ensure all of the connections are properly terminated and protected. Some have gone so far as to disassemble and reassemble them, to ensure they were put together and lubricated properly from the factory. Many of them have eventually upgraded the solenoids to a better quality brand- usually after a failure. Some guys swear by them for their bang-for-the-buck performance- espeically those that got their Champion winch on clearnace at Costco.

Again, this is a harsh environment on any electrical equipment. I've literally been in life-or-death situations (mostly due to my own stupidity) where the winch has been the deciding factor. I don't like having doubts about whether or not the winch is going to turn when I hit that button.

If I was in a drier and more temperate climate, I would consider one. Then again, when I lived in the Lower 48 I didn't own a winch and got by primarily with simpler recovery devices and more manual labor. Tugging, digging, and stacking usually got the job done. However, the difference between that Smittybuilt and a basic Warn M8000 about $100, which given my experience makes the Warn the better deal- even without the synthetic line. YMMV.

For the record, I run a Warn 8274-50. When my Land Rover is done, it will transfer from my Jeep after a mild rebuild (preventative maintenance). After nearly 10 years of hard use, I figure it's due a refresh. It wasn't cheap back then, even though it was about $700 less than it is now. I considered it an investment, and still do.

When it comes time to buy another winch (for the Jeep or another vehicle), I will likely weigh my options. My first choice is to find an old 8274 on Craigslist and rebuild it. My second choice is a Warn M8000, which I liked a lot once I cut the cable back to 80'. A premium-line Superwinch or Ramsey will also be in the running. Probably last on the list will be one of the various Chinese winches.

..but they will at least make the list.

As far as the synthetic line goes, I would suggest using a winch cover and keeping the line clean to prevent it from degrading from the sun or chafing- especially if you won't be using it often. Nothing more frustrating than pulling the rope out and having it break- multiple times. Other than being extremely cheap, that's the main reason I haven't converted over yet from steel.

 

[FJLED]

While it is great that they are willing to replace the winch for free, my concern would be the winch failing when I really needed it. A free replacement winch doesn't do you any good if your stuck out on the trail with a broken smittybuilt. Would I really want to replace it with another smittybuilt if it did fail?

Thats just my take on it. I'd rather spend the money on a winch that may be more reliable and better engineered. Warn makes great winches, but another reliable and lesser known competitor is Titan Winches. Duncan truely puts a great deal of engineering behind his winches and would be happy to show you the pluses and minuses compared to Warn. http://titanwinches.com/

 

[XJINTX]

FJLED, I agree that a broken winch does not help in a recovery situation!However, it's probably better than not having had one at all

The OP was asking about experience with this particular brand. Most of us know that better and bigger is probably better but... sometimes the pocketbook wins.

In actuality most of the times I personally have seen a winch break it was due to missuse and operator error. In my military days we had some badarse winches and they broke too.

 

[SilverBullet]

However, the difference between that Smittybuilt and a basic Warn M8000 about $100, which given my experience makes the Warn the better deal- even without the synthetic line.

Where are you finding a Warn m8000 for less than $400.00? The smitty built with steel cable is only $269.00. I have not used one, but seen them apart and many of the parts are stamped "Mile Marker" so this is not a Chinese winch to my knowledge. The Warn "Tabor" series would be comparable.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Where are you finding a Warn m8000 for less than $400.00? The smitty built with steel cable is only $269.00. I have not used one, but seen them apart and many of the parts are stamped "Mile Marker" so this is not a Chinese winch to my knowledge. The Warn "Tabor" series would be comparable.

But 'that' Smittybuilt is $449 ie comparing to the one the OP is considering. I think what Mike is saying (and I agree) is that the Warn M8000 even w/wire is well worth the $90 extra. To me having a synthetic line is not that big of a bonus if any other than weight. Lifetime warranty on the Warn. Warn didn't get a great name because they paid for it, they got a great name because they earned it though solid products and customer service over the years (and my affiliation doesn't go beyond being a satisfied customer for 10 years now)

Oh, and I'm 995% sure the Smittybuilt is Chinese, as is much of Warn Tabor Series (and they come with just a 1yr warranty too)

 

[Alaska Mike]

Smittybuilts and Mile Markers are made in China in the same factory, along with several other brands. Quality control has been pretty bad historically. People have torn apart their winches to find styrofoam, cardboard, sand, plastic, and other substances in the drum grease. Electrical crimps that pull apart with two fingers. Stuff like that.

It all comes down to oversight from the companies that are having their stuff built there, and what they consider acceptable. So far, they are getting them for next to nothing, so they've decided that a relatively high return rate for failures still meets their profit margins.

It's not a bad design, and I haven't seen one fail in a spectacular way yet, but I have seen more than a few just not work.

Like I said, I consider recovery gear an investment. That reminds me, I need to invest in some new straps...

 

[Bennyhana]

I've had my smittybilt XRC8 for about 3 years now. Used it probably 10 times for vehicle recovery. It is basicly a milemarker with different stickers. I had it on my old trooper and it didn't hog that much juice. My set up consisted of a 5yr old Optima red top, stock 55amp alt and the smittybilt. I was able to to do 3 full pulls with about a 5 minute rest between pulls and the e-fan running and it didn't toast anything. I could even respool the 92' of cable w/ no load with the engine off and the battery was still good enough to start.

Biggest complaints:
1. Factory cable sucked. mine was unservicable after 3 standard recoveries. Inner core is actually a manilla rope. The wire was easily damaged by twisting it and it seemed to take a kink very easy.
2. extremely slow. although sometimes it's a good thing.
3. fit and finish...all the exterior bolts and screws rusted the first couple of month. I replaced em all with stainless. the stickers all peeled of after the first rain.

So all in all I think I got my 289.00 out of this winch. It's still working and on the front of my JK. However I probably wont replace it with another smittybilt....

 

[ExpoMike]

I've had my smittybilt XRC8 for about 3 years now. Used it probably 10 times for vehicle recovery. It is basicly a milemarker with different stickers. I had it on my old trooper and it didn't hog that much juice. My set up consisted of a 5yr old Optima red top, stock 55amp alt and the smittybilt. I was able to to do 3 full pulls with about a 5 minute rest between pulls and the e-fan running and it didn't toast anything. I could even respool the 92' of cable w/ no load with the engine off and the battery was still good enough to start.

Biggest complaints:
1. Factory cable sucked. mine was unservicable after 3 standard recoveries. Inner core is actually a manilla rope. The wire was easily damaged by twisting it and it seemed to take a kink very easy.
2. extremely slow. although sometimes it's a good thing.
3. fit and finish...all the exterior bolts and screws rusted the first couple of month. I replaced em all with stainless. the stickers all peeled of after the first rain.

So all in all I think I got my 289.00 out of this winch. It's still working and on the front of my JK. However I probably wont replace it with another smittybilt....

Thanks for the report. This is exactly what I was looking for, actual owner with some long term experience.

I know and understand what everyone is say about the lesser brand winches versus a Warn or Ramsey. The big names have good reps but at the same time I have read on this board and others, problems with these too. Anything mechanical or electrical is prone to failure. Heck, even something as simple as a rock can be prone to failure.

I like the idea of the synthectic line for safety and weight savings. Already adding a bunch of weight to the front of the Cherokee, saving weight is always good in my book. I have a hard time spending $550 for a Warn and then $250 for synthectic line. Way over budget for my use.

The way my new bumper works, I am going to make a winch cover to keep sun and crud off it, for the most part. Should help lifespan some. From what I am hearing/reading, cleaning and repacking good grease, replace some hardware and check electrical crimps/connections, seem to go a long ways to making the Smittybuilt work well.

 

[StumpXJ]

I am on my second Smittybilt winch. I have owned both the old version, and the new version. They are lightyears different. Here is my take:

Old version:

I owned this for 3 full years. Made approximately 40-50 pulls with it, many of them gnarly (buried to the frame, etc) and multiple full pulls. This winch NEVER gave me a lick of trouble.

1. It was VERY slow. this was not always a bad thing.
2. Never had any trouble with excessive amp draw, it is a winch however.
3. All of the bolts, two cross bars, and the engage/disengage handle rusted VERY quickly. I replaced all of the bolts with stainless, and turned the chrome off of the bars in my lathe, then painted the bars and handle with black paint.
4. The stickers.... didnt have a chance, but I didnt really care.
5. The stock cable, while it never gave me trouble, I fairly quickly switched over to Synthetic for obvious (obvious to those who have actually made this switch) reasons.

Lastly, I recently had to replace this winch. About 5 months ago, I was using it to straighten a sign post in my yard. This only took a few hundred pounds of force to do, so it was quite an easy job for the winch. It started acting crazy and making some not-so-pleasant grinding noises it had never made before. I took it off the front of my Jeep, tore it apart and found that the magnets had separated from the inside of the motor can. They had also brken up pretty badly. I needed a new motor. I went to the local 4 Wheel Parts to get a price on a new motor for the old version. they still have plenty of parts for them, but a new motor is $305.00..... or, 5 bucks more than a new winch.

I still have the old winch on the shelf, and will likely fix it one day for another project.

New Version:

I have only made about 6 pulls with this winch, and it has proven thus far to be more powerful, and significantly quicker. The most recent pull was the most usage it has seen. I was on a trail, at about a 25 degree angle uphill, Hilldweller on here was behind me. He was trying to turn around to go back down the hill since our forward movement was blocked by several trees. He could not turn around completely due to a conbination of a tree behind him and a hill in front of him, all the while sliding sideways down the hill. our only course of action was this.

I hooked a tow strap from my rear bumper to his rear bumper (remember, he is sideways/perpendicular to me), and my winch to a tree about 15 feet in front of me and back to my jeep via a snatch block. there was only 20 feet at most of winch line spooled out because of the tree saver, so it was still on its outer most wrap/weakest pull strength.

The goal was to pull myself up the hill, and DRAG sideways Hilldweller's back end up the hill so his front would be pointing down hill.... at the same time. It didnt even strain to do this. it surprised me at how easy it pulled me up, and dragged bill up hill at the same time.

I kept my synthetic from the old winch on here, and use a roadless gear wireless system.

The new winch:

1. Completely different winches. Nothing swaps around from the old version.
2. Much faster line speed fromt he old.
3. Anodized/coated cross bars, no rust. (took only two weeks for the old version to start rusting)
4. Much higher quality bolts, no rust.
5. No rust yet on the handle.
6. Stickers, still as they were when it came out of the box.

I am completely happy with the Smittybilt winch. I know PLENTY of other folks who are also happy, and dont 'know' anyone who is not.

I have read plenty of folks writing without experience with these winches about how bad they are, and have seen plenty of the warn humpers bash on them.

On a side note, I have a basically brand new Warn 8274 that is going on the front of my jeep soon, and the Smittybilt will go on the rear. Why? The warn was free, and the 8274 is the master of all the 8K winches, hands down. That, and line speed.

Just my *experience* with winches...

 

[ExpoMike]

So here is a interesting thing I just noted. I was checking a link from a post on NAXJA, which went to Quadratec's site. They list the standard Smittybuilt (steel cable, roller fairlead) and a Comp version (syn. line, Hawse fairlead). The look very different. Not sure if one is the old style and one the new or there are difference between these two models. Maybe StumpXJ can chime in, since he had both.

Standard model

Comp model

If you notice, the housing, clutch arm and control box are different.

 

[StumpXJ]

The top picture is an old model. The bottom is the newer winch.

The old one is no longer produced or sold. I got the new one as a "standard' winch, and it is the same as the bottom picture, even with the solenoid pack mounted in the middle now ( I already had a syth line and hawse). If you get the standard, you will get the new style winch, with a steel cable and roller fairlead.

If you get the comp version, you get the same new winch, but with a synthetic line and hawse. The winches themselves are all the newer style. that is simply an old stock photo.

When I took my winch up to 4 Wheel parts, they didnt even know what it was since it had been so long since they had seen a old one.

No worries, regardless of which version you get (standard or comp), you WILL get the newer winch, unless wherever you get it from has very old stock.

~ Stump

 

[ExpoMike]

Cool, that is what I was thinking but figured you would know, having had both versions.

Thanks for the confirmation.