quality winches?

[robert]

Call one of your local towing companies and ask them how much for a 4wd wrecker to come pull you out of a ditch on a dirt road; now assume you can't get a signal to make that call. Suddenly a quality winch starts sounding a lot more affordable, especially when you travel alone (I usually do also). While Warns can and do fail occasionally, they have generally earned their reputation amongst off-roaders- good quality product with good customer service. Just like your vehicle you have to do routine PM on them and heavy gauge battery cables are a good idea. Don't forget you'll need accessories to use it including gloves, shackles, snatch block, etc. Definitely get some quality instructions on how to use one if you have any questions- they can and have caused injury and death.

A Hi-lift will work in a pinch but it's slower and I'd argue more dangerous. There are also quality come-alongs like the Black Rat from Extreme Outback Products.

 

[xjaugie]

All of this talk of Warn, I had the same Ramsey on two different trucks for like fourteen years and it worked great. In fact I think many of the tow trucks use a Ramsey? don't they?

 

[Bennyhana]

Some things I did to my Smittybilt winch were: Disassemble the winch, clean out all the stock grease and repack with new grease. Used RTV to reseal the end cap. I was somewhat surprised to see that my Smittybilt winch came with an Albright switch instead of the normal solenoids. I have a Warn now and looking at it I don't think there is much I could do to it to make it more "reliable" but it is a machine and can fail. The only two winches I have seen fail is a Smittybilt(fried the motor under load) and a Warn 8724(not hooked up) so that was more of an owner fail. I think if you buy a budget winch and upgrade the wiring and solenoids, keep up on some maintenance it should last.

 

[Ramjet]

Just like Robert said, call a tow truck and see how much it will cost to come get you from your favorite spot. I bet it's less thana new winch, but not by much. I think I once read that it was a minimum 450 to get a tow off the WRT, plus parts to fix what you broke trying to get unstuck, and you're better biting the bullet and getting a quality winch from the start. As always, be prepared for the worst, and hope for the best.

 

[robert]

All of this talk of Warn, I had the same Ramsey on two different trucks for like fourteen years and it worked great. In fact I think many of the tow trucks use a Ramsey? don't they?

Ramsey makes a good product too; I've got several friends with Ramseys and they swear by them. Yes, Ramsey has a commercial line and are commonly found on tow trucks.

 

[dfarm]

Most common:

- Faulty Solenoid, but much less now with the Albright Contactor style
- Snapped Cable or Line
- Motor Failure

Are these failures common across all brands, or just the imported winches?

 

[robert]

They can happen with any winch but foreign winches definitely seem to be reported to fail more often. Mud and junk getting in the solenoid box is probably the most common reason for their failure, snapped lines are usually a result of poor maintenance or running across a sharp surface (poor planning/setup), and motor failure is most common with overloading (supposedly can also be caused by poor voltage delivery i.e. too small cables)

 

[dfarm]

What winches aren't foreign, and don't shoot the hell out of $1000?

 

[1911]

What winches aren't foreign, and don't shoot the hell out of $1000?

Second-hand Warn 8274. I bought mine (running) on Craig's List for $300, though I rebuilt it anyway. Parts still readily available.

 

[dfarm]

The only thing that I don't like about that one is the size and the odd shaped packaging. I was planning on doing a "hidden" winch, underneath the radiator and behind the bumper on my xj.

I did see one today on craigslist for 150 though.

 

[bfdiesel]

Looking into used winches make sure there are still parts avaliable to fix/rebuild it. 8274 is very well supported, but it is big and bftank had overheating problems on his expedition with one up in front. For a hidden winch you will want a planetry or worm drive. A ramsey worm drive would be sweet. There are a couple on craigslist around denver, bound to be some up around you too.

 

[onetraveller]

For me it comes down to the reputation and experience of the company manufacturing the winch. Look at who is using these things on a daily basis, tow truck drivers for example, and figure out which ones they buy. Of all the winches available, i know of only 4 companies that have long histories of winch manufacturing and where that is their primary business. Warn, Ramsey, Superwinch, and Milemarker. All of these guys sell to the commercial markets where durability and long term value are king.

Mike

 

[dfarm]

Does anyone recognize this winch? The seller says that its a warn 8000lb, but doesn't know the model number. What would it take to get this thing working again? I'm ok with relocating the solenoids to my engine bay somewhere, as I want to do a hidden install behind the bumper anyways, so the smaller the package, the better.

What do the winch experts think? The asking price is $175

 

[java]

Its not an M8000, they dont have the integrated solenoid boxes.

 

[dfarm]

After looking at some pics, I think it's an xd8000i.