Heavy Duty Winch Recommendations - Please!

[Vance Vanz]

Hi all,

I posted this question on my build thread, but I thought I would also post it here in the Recovery section to see if it gets any more input.

I was planning on running two Warn 16.5TI-S winches on my build. I will be in the 15-17,000lb weight range, when wet/fully loaded, and was also planning on using a snatch block during recovery when possible.

I just talked with Warn a week or so ago and I was informed that the already out of stock for the past 6-7 months Warn 16.5TI-S winch, will now be out of stock until May of 2023. Does anyone have recommendations on a comparable brand/model (electric not pneumatic) recovery winch? Any recommendation coming from a product that you own and have used in the field would also be greatly appreciated.

I know there is a thread on the portal related to similar size winches, but I think it is a bit dated now.

Any support would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[Josie'slandcruiser]

You could look for a used Husky 10 or 12K electric winch. These are worm drive units that were made/sold by Superwinch (don't think they have been sold in a few years.)

There are a few other brands of worm drive electric winches out there (Ramsey, etc.) Worm drive winches used to be common on tow trucks.

Of course if you are really going to be winching " a lot" a PTO (power take off) mechanical winch is awesome.

Good uck with your vehicle build!

 

[billiebob]

As above, Ramsey makes incredible winches, the focus on the commercial sector but the yare the best... period.

 

[Rovertrader]

PM sent for Husky Superwinch…

 

[Metcalf]

I haven't used the larger versions, but some of the most impressive winches I have worked with lately have been from Come-up Winch.
I believe it is an offshoot with some of the old engineers from Superwinch.

COMEUP INDUSTRIES INC. | Manufacturer of Premium Winches and Hoists

Founded in 1975, COMEUP is a professional manufacturer and technically leading company in winches and famous for its COMEUP brand. Winch Expert and Manufacturer, Winch Supplier. Taiwan winch, material handling and lifting equipment,,Taiwan hoist, Hoist, electric hoist, Winch, Winch manufacturer,

www.comeupwinch.com

I'm a big fan of their external ( to the drum ) brakes on the low profile winches when using synthetic rigging.

They have offerings up to 20k lbs in the recreational line and 50k lbs in their Industrial lineup.

 

[I Leak Oil]

Husky 12 is a great winch but very SLOOOWWWW......and not made any longer (haven't been for a while now).
I'd be leery of an electric winch that has a heavier capacity than 10-12K. If I needed one in the 16K range I'd be looking at a PTO (if your vehicle has the ability to power one) or a hydraulic unit.

if you have to have an electric, the Husky 12, an old MegaWinch or a hopped up Warn 8274 might work best.

Just my opinion.

 

[IdaSHO]

I went with a Smittybuilt x20 15,500lb winch for our truck.
Waterproof, wireless controls, remote mount solenoid pack, etc.

I've done one self recovery with it so far (our truck and camper weighs in at about 12k)
Most of its use has been dragging downed trees out the the woods on our property.
So far so good. With a snatch block, I've yet to find its limit.
Im currently on the hunt for a fast idle control for our superduty (2012 6.2)
as the weakest link by far is the amount of juice available.

 

[Vance Vanz]

You could look for a used Husky 10 or 12K electric winch. These are worm drive units that were made/sold by Superwinch (don't think they have been sold in a few years.)

There are a few other brands of worm drive electric winches out there (Ramsey, etc.) Worm drive winches used to be common on tow trucks.

Of course if you are really going to be winching " a lot" a PTO (power take off) mechanical winch is awesome.

Good uck with your vehicle build!

Thanks for the information Josie'slandcruiser.

I will check out the the different MFG's and types of winches you have noted. The PTO's may be a bit much for me/my application. I'm not looking to do that much winching or get to complex with the set up.

Thanks, the build is coming along slowly but surely!

 

[Vance Vanz]

As above, Ramsey makes incredible winches, the focus on the commercial sector but the yare the best... period.

Thanks for the additional recommendation on Ramsey billiebob.

I'm checking out their lineup now.

 

[Vance Vanz]

I haven't used the larger versions, but some of the most impressive winches I have worked with lately have been from Come-up Winch.
I believe it is an offshoot with some of the old engineers from Superwinch.

COMEUP INDUSTRIES INC. | Manufacturer of Premium Winches and Hoists

Founded in 1975, COMEUP is a professional manufacturer and technically leading company in winches and famous for its COMEUP brand. Winch Expert and Manufacturer, Winch Supplier. Taiwan winch, material handling and lifting equipment,,Taiwan hoist, Hoist, electric hoist, Winch, Winch manufacturer,

www.comeupwinch.com

I'm a big fan of their external ( to the drum ) brakes on the low profile winches when using synthetic rigging.

They have offerings up to 20k lbs in the recreational line and 50k lbs in their Industrial lineup.

Thanks for the recommendation Metcalf.

They have a large selection in the 12-20K range.

 

[Vance Vanz]

Husky 12 is a great winch but very SLOOOWWWW......and not made any longer (haven't been for a while now).
I'd be leery of an electric winch that has a heavier capacity than 10-12K. If I needed one in the 16K range I'd be looking at a PTO (if your vehicle has the ability to power one) or a hydraulic unit.

if you have to have an electric, the Husky 12, an old MegaWinch or a hopped up Warn 8274 might work best.

Just my opinion.

Thanks for the input I Leak Oil.

Unfortunately a PTO or hydraulic winch are not options for my rig/build.

It seems like Husky-Superwinch/Ramsey, Warn, etc. in the 10-12K pull capacity are what several people are recommending. Would you, or anyone else, mind elaborating on why an electric winch over a 10-12K rating may not be a good option? You had mentioned you would be leery over this rating for an electric winch.

The SMITTYBILT X20 GEN2 17.5K - 97517 or COMEUP Seal Gen2 16.5rs or 20.0rs could be options for electric winches with higher pull capacities. I just want to make sure that I'm not missing something.

Is it just primarily a matter of the additional power needed for these higher pull capacity electric winches? I will have a 810ah lithium battery bank for the house side of the build and was planning on powering the winches from this battery bank as opposed to the truck-like many other expedition builds have done.

Thanks again and I look forward to hearing what you/others think.

 

[Vance Vanz]

I went with a Smittybuilt x20 15,500lb winch for our truck.
Waterproof, wireless controls, remote mount solenoid pack, etc.

I've done one self recovery with it so far (our truck and camper weighs in at about 12k)
Most of its use has been dragging downed trees out the the woods on our property.
So far so good. With a snatch block, I've yet to find its limit.
Im currently on the hunt for a fast idle control for our superduty (2012 6.2)
as the weakest link by far is the amount of juice available.

Thanks for the response IdaSHO.

The SMITTYBILT X20 GEN2 17.5K - 97517 seem to be getting good reviews and it is a higher pull capacity winch I am considering. Given that they are around $800, as opposed to $2,250-$3,500 for other brands in the same pull capacity, I wan't sure how they would perform/hold up.

As noted in the reply and additional question for (I Leak Oil), I was planning on wiring them to the house battery bank to solve the needed juice issue.

 

[IdaSHO]

They do seem to be holding up, according to reviews. If you go with a smitty, I do suggest tearing it apart for inspection and a regrease. The first one I was shipped had a burned up motor winding. I dug into it as the box looked repacked and the winch had evidence of being used. Glad I did. Replacement was shipped without issues. Though I did have trouble trusting it without a complete tear down, though Id have trouble with any import winch out if the box without inspection.

But they do seem very well built. And when reassembled I repacked mine with quality synthetic grease. Good to go.

 

[Kingsize24]

Not sure if you are okay going Aussie for your wenches. But Sherpa has a 12v 20K winch that works incredibly well in both cable and SYN line models. They are generally in stock, and ship free to the US.

 

[Vance Vanz]

They do seem to be holding up, according to reviews. If you go with a smitty, I do suggest tearing it apart for inspection and a regrease. The first one I was shipped had a burned up motor winding. I dug into it as the box looked repacked and the winch had evidence of being used. Glad I did. Replacement was shipped without issues. Though I did have trouble trusting it without a complete tear down, though Id have trouble with any import winch out if the box without inspection.

But they do seem very well built. And when reassembled I repacked mine with quality synthetic grease. Good to go.

Thanks for the additional info IdaSHO.