Need Advice About Which Winch To Get For My JKU

[campertramper]

Hi everyone! I could use some winch-purchasing advice from those of you with vastly more experience then me. I have 2011 JKU Rubicon that's built out as a camper with an Ursa Minor top and my primary hobby with it is really just to go camping in remote places in Colorado on the weekends and for other relatively short trip that usually last for a few weeks at most. I'm ready to buy my first winch with absolutely no experience at all winching. I want to get a Warn because of the outstanding warranty and reputation. My JKU currently weights 5300 pounds. I'm concerned about adding unnecessary weight. Here are my questions:

1. Do I really need to get the 10,000 version (10s), or is 8,000 pounds (8s) of pulling power enough? I saw that venture4wd just picked up a Zeon 10S and I noticed that Kramer Junction has a 12. Both of those almost seem like overkill to me - am I crazy?
2. Do I really need the Zeon or is the VR EVO enough? I watched a few videos that persuaded me that the build qualify of the Zeon is superior, but do I really need it? I should mention that I discarded the Platinum option due to the high price.
3. Custom bumpers that integrate the winch and effectively hide it look really cool, but do I actually need one or will I be just fine getting a mounting plate and mounting my winch to my stock bumper? As much as I want a fancy bumper I'm concerned about chewing up my payload unnecessarily. I should also mention that I really like the metal bars that protect the radiator from animal impacts. If I were to get a new bumper I would want to preserve the air bag controls so that they continue to function.
4. If I were to upgrade my bumper, are there any awesome aluminum options or is steel just the way to go? What are your favorites?
5. What about winch accessories? The remote control looks really handy. I was also eyeballing covers, but I'm not sure if they keep out the elements.

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond!

 

[NatersXJ6]

I run an M8000, rarely needed it, but use it for fun occasionally and on the occasions I’ve needed it, it more than paid for itself. If you are willing to take your time and double line when needed, it is sufficient capacity.

As far as bumpers, I opted for a new steel bumper because I liked the look and by the time I added a winch plate it didn’t feel like there was a significant weight penalty. If you are still running a stock bumper and air dam, losing the air dam will probably create a greater mileage penalty than adding a winch.

While I can’t vouch for air bag compatibility, as I haven’t ever set mine off, I am fairly certain that the accelerometers that control the airbags are mounted in the center console. I doubt that there are true compatibility issues associated with bumper changes, only marketing and sales puffery from one of the big names in 4x4 parts. If anything, your airbags might fire somewhat prematurely in lower energy crashes as the crush cans don’t absorb energy.

 

[jadmt]

Vr series are great. There really is no weight difference between an vr8s and vr10s. I tan a vr10s on stock bumper for quite a while. It cuts down on weight and saves money.rockhard4x4 winch plate works great. There are no sensors in the stock bumper as was said the sensor is in the center shift console.with this set up no issue removing the grill for headlight swaps.

 

[jscherb]

3. Custom bumpers that integrate the winch and effectively hide it look really cool, but do I actually need one or will I be just fine getting a mounting plate and mounting my winch to my stock bumper? As much as I want a fancy bumper I'm concerned about chewing up my payload unnecessarily. I should also mention that I really like the metal bars that protect the radiator from animal impacts. If I were to get a new bumper I would want to preserve the air bag controls so that they continue to function.

If you're concerned about weight, a new bumper probably isn't what you want. A simple mounting plate will work just fine, will not be expensive and will add a minimum amount of weight.

You might research winch plates to see if any of them are easily removable. You probably will only need the winch when you're on an expedition, so there's no point in carrying the extra weight of the winch 365 days a year and exposing the winch to the elements every day. Also with a winch installed, it's very difficult to remove the grille, which granted you don't need to do very often but if you need to change a headlight bulb you'll probably have to remove the winch to remove the grille. If you can find an easy-to-install/remove winch plate you can keep the winch in the garage and install it when you're getting ready to leave on an expedition.

I also find that being able to install the winch in the rear receiver of the Jeep can helpful in some recovery situations, so a receiver mounted winch can be a plus for that, and it's also easy to remove when you don't need it for a while.

I've got 3 Jeeps and I wanted to share one winch among all of them and I also wanted to be able to use it on the front or rear of the Jeeps, so I went with a receiver mount. Front receivers are available for the JK and you could leave the receiver in place all the time and just insert the winch when you're heading out on an expedition.

I didn't want to leave a front receiver on all the time so I designed my own front receiver mount that can be installed/removed in about a minute. I did a version for my JKU and a different version for my two 06's, both are quick to install so I leave the mounts and the winch in the garage most of the time and install a mount and the winch on whichever Jeep before I head out on an expedition where I might need a winch. This works great for me; your needs might be different. If what I've done sounds like it might work for you I can post more info and photo of my setup and wiring.

 

[billiebob]

Keep the stock bumper, add a winch plate and an 8K# winch. Definitely the quickest, lightest way to add a winch. Likely the most economical too.

Most 8K# winches are identical to the 10K# versions, the 10K# versions are just geared lower and winch slower.
When I started the standard winch on forestry pickups was the Tulsa 5E.... 5K# electric winch.

 

[shays4me]

I’ve got a used m8000 warn on my current jkur, and had one on my previous Jkur as well. The m8000 or m8 warm winch is 55 pounds with synthetic line added and has been built in the USA for a long, long time. Replacement parts are readily available for the winch and while it’s not up to the prolonged tasks that my 8274 is up to on the cj7 it gets the job done for occasional use. Ive had both custom bumpers and warn which plates setup on my jeeps and while I do like a bumper, the winch plate worked well and weighed less. Be careful if your going with a bumper. On my first Jkur I ran an arb bull bar and that thing was way too heavy for the jeep imo. I’m currently running a mopar steel bumper with a mopar brush bar added on and a bulldog winch plate. I’m happy with this setup and will stick with it unless it gets damaged. The aev bumper is very nice as well and would be my first pic if I were in the market and money wasn’t an issue.
For accessories I have a snatch strap, tree saver, soft and hard shackles, leather gloves and a snatch block. The snatch block is a must have for winching, don’t skip it! I bought one of the new style aluminum spools from overland vehicle systems that weigh a fraction of a standard snatch block. I also have an aluminum warn fairlead which was cheap and saved some weight.
Lastly, you will definitely want a winch cover. I’ve got a warn neoprene cover and it has faded considerably but it’s doing it’s primary job which is to protect the winch and more importantly the rope from the sun. I’m not all that vain about my jeeps so the color fade hasn’t bothered me one bit. Good luck with your selection!

 

[Hegear]

i use a warn 9500 on my Jeep jku and it’s been great. Although I have been in a few situations in Moab where a bigger one would have been nice. Quadratec sonetimes has there own 9000lb winch and bumper combo for less than $900. I put this on my sons jk and have been quite impressed, especially because the current pricing on my warn is $1600.

 

[X-plorenow]

It is recommended to run a winch that can pull 1.5 your vehicle weight. For a stock JK an 8k winch like the Warn M8000 should be fine. Load it with gear and weight and it is recommended to go slightly larger. I run a Comeup 9500 on mine.

But as someone else mentioned, there are additional ways to get more power out of your winch, for example multi line pulls.

But don't over think it, you should be fine which ever way you go.

 

[bluejeep]

milemarker hydraulic - flawless operation thru the years - 10.5k 2 speed

 

[Inline6]

buy the best winch you can afford, but they have gotten really expensive IMHO as of late but that is everything. 8K or larger... I think all my jeep winches are 9Ks, ha. They also only pull at rated strength near the last wrap of the rope. So most of the time doubt we are really using the rated capacity.

There is always the option for the farm jack or come along as a winch, if you don't think you will need one all that often. But I will say, when you need one, the ability to hook it up and work it is priceless.

wireless remotes are nice, I have used mine more for tree removal with the winch than vehicle recovery. I am usually closer to the vehicle when recovering it and there are other people around as well. The idea of my phone as a remote does not interest me at all.

For a winch mounting idea, what I did long ago... I purchased a AEV which mounting plate from the COD bumpers. Then used a 6" piece of aluminum channel for the bumper. Was reasonably priced at the time overall. And to be fair, I liked the look. I did this on two JKUs I had.

later down the road I round a set of take off COD bumpers and modded them to my liking.

 

[campertramper]

Vr series are great. There really is no weight difference between an vr8s and vr10s. I tan a vr10s on stock bumper for quite a while. It cuts down on weight and saves money.rockhard4x4 winch plate works great. There are no sensors in the stock bumper as was said the sensor is in the center shift console.with this set up no issue removing the grill for headlight swaps.
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Thank you so much for your reply - I just ended up purchasing the rockhard 4x4 winch plate as you recommended - it looks like a great option for using the stock bumper. Can't wait for it to arrive.

 

[campertramper]

It is recommended to run a winch that can pull 1.5 your vehicle weight. For a stock JK an 8k winch like the Warn M8000 should be fine. Load it with gear and weight and it is recommended to go slightly larger. I run a Comeup 9500 on mine.

But as someone else mentioned, there are additional ways to get more power out of your winch, for example multi line pulls.

But don't over think it, you should be fine which ever way you go.

I definitely have been overthinking it! Thank you very much for your reply!

 

[campertramper]

Thank you everyone for your replies! Beyond posting here I spoke to Warn and Rock Hard 4x4 by phone and visited the Four Wheel Parts showroom here in Denver to see the winches in person. I also consulted with some folks in my local jeep meetup group and with @venture4wd who helped to persuade me in the direction of the Zeon instead of the VR EVO (thanks Chris!) and @theroadchooseme thinking about winches in this video: (Thanks Dan!)

I ended up ordering the Warn Zeon 10S and a Rock Hard 4x4 Patriot Series winch plate that mounts to my stock front bumper along with a grill guard. I think that this configuration meets my objective of buying the best quality winch that I can afford and saving weight by not getting a fancy steel bumper (as much as I wanted one). I was nearly steered to the VR winch because the salesman at Four Wheel Parts told me that the aftermarket Warn remote control doesn't work with the Zeon - it turned out that he was completely wrong about that. I really liked the aluminum housing of the Zeon and the build quality to me just looked much better than the VR EVO. My hope is to get the aftermarket remote in the future and my next step will of course to get some of the gear - a tree shackle and gloves come to mind. What else do I need?

All of these bits and pieces are now on order and when they arrives I plan on doing the installation myself. Total cost was about 2K. I'm sure that some people will cry out that this was too much and I might agree with them. At the end of the day I wanted to get the best winch I could that would last as long as possible and I could afford it, so I went for it.

Thanks again folks - I really do appreciate all of the input - it really helped to guide my decision making! I love expedition portal!