Topic: Winch throwdown/opinions

[aw12345]

If you are serious about winching and want decent line speed, it's either a Warn or a Super winch the Warn 8000 or 9000 winches are good and take a lot of abuse same goes for the EPI 9500 Super Winch, I have seen both of those used and abused over and over. Either one will serve your needs for a very long time to come. Anything else will probably do just in a terribly slow fashion.

[Jeffy]

after a chat with Warn, i think i'm leaning towards the VR line. I was thinking of getting the XD9000, with the 80 dollar rebate that would bring me under $1000. After my talk with warn they pretty much told me that was a serious duty winch almost at the competition level. overkill for what i need. In the 4 yrs ive owned the jeep, ive been winched twice..every other time ive gotten out with tow straps. Friends who have gone with me have not been so lucky and have had to even use a tow truck to get out. I go wheeling about once a month (maybe more now that i will have the winch) and i haven't been stuck often. I need something that will be reliable in the occasional use. THe XD boasts fast line speed and other bells and whistles that i dont really need..and its not a 10k winch. As long as this VR winch is better than a Smittybuilt i think it will be a safe bet. At least thats where im leaning.

Free shipping + $80 rebate

http://www.amazon.com/WARN-86255-VR10000-000-Winch/dp/B004UJ2ZA0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=industrial&qid=1304548045&sr=8-2

[stan98tj]

Free shipping + $80 rebate

http://www.amazon.com/WARN-86255-VR10000-000-Winch/dp/B004UJ2ZA0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=industrial&qid=1304548045&sr=8-2

yup warn is running the $80 rebate.
it's going to come down between the Warn VR10000 and the superwinch epi9.0.
The VR is new, and is as the warn rep put it "value winch." but it has the 10000lb capacity that i want.
Superwinch sports a submersible solenoid (may hold up to weather better), lower amp draws, also the drum is set up better to accept synth line as it doesnt heat up. But, it's 9000lb capacity and i wanted at least 9500. BUT, is this particular winch BETTER than the VR given the VR is the "value" brand?
also, line speed doesnt matter much, as a matter of fact the VR has half the speed the warn M series has.

[Jeffy]

yup warn is running the $80 rebate.
it's going to come down between the Warn VR10000 and the superwinch epi9.0.
The VR is new, and is as the warn rep put it "value winch." but it has the 10000lb capacity that i want.
Superwinch sports a submersible solenoid (may hold up to weather better), lower amp draws, also the drum is set up better to accept synth line as it doesnt heat up. But, it's 9000lb capacity and i wanted at least 9500. BUT, is this particular winch BETTER than the VR given the VR is the "value" brand?
also, line speed doesnt matter much, as a matter of fact the VR has half the speed the warn M series has.

I doubt it matters.  Submersible solenoids don't really mean much.  Like I said before solenoids are robust and can and do work underwater.  I'd choose Warn though as I have dealt with them many times over the years with Customer Service issues/questions and they have never let me down.

The line speeds don't mean that much to most people.  The M and XD series have the newer 4.3/4.5HP motors.  The Tabor used the 2.x motors from the 80's.  Actually, I'm not sure what they are actually rated now as both Ramsey and Warn changed how they rated motors so they could boost their numbers artificially.  I'm sure the VR's are using the older motors as well since they're focusing on price rather then hyping line speed.

[sharpxmen]

got this in the email yesterday with h/f cupons, anyone used one of these

http://www.harborfreight.com/12000-lb-electric-winch-with-automatic-brake-68142.html

it's $599 on sale for $549 but sometimes they give out 20% off coupons which would bring it to about $480. Don't have any experience with them though so not sure what's the quality.

6HP motor
16.4 ft/min at 0 lbs (low compared to others)
14 ft/min at 2000 lbs (and from here seems the same as the superwinch ones)
5 ft/min at 12000 lbs
3/8 galvanized steel 100' cable
duty cycle sucks at 5% at max load (i wonder what others are listed at).

[Jeffy]

got this in the email yesterday with h/f cupons, anyone used one of these

http://www.harborfreight.com/12000-lb-electric-winch-with-automatic-brake-68142.html

it's $599 on sale for $549 but sometimes they give out 20% off coupons which would bring it to about $480. Don't have any experience with them though so not sure what's the quality.

6HP motor
16.4 ft/min at 0 lbs (low compared to others)
14 ft/min at 2000 lbs (and from here seems the same as the superwinch ones)
5 ft/min at 12000 lbs
3/8 galvanized steel 100' cable
duty cycle sucks at 5% at max load (i wonder what others are listed at).

Another Chinese made winch.  Looks like what used to be th3 T-Rex that was marketed from Australia but was in fact from China.  Can't see spending $549 when you can get a Warn VR, Tabor or M8000.

[sharpxmen]

Another Chinese made winch.  Looks like what used to be th3 T-Rex that was marketed from Australia but was in fact from China.  Can't see spending $549 when you can get a Warn VR, Tabor or M8000.

def made in China, no doubt about it (harborfreight). are the value ones from warn made in US? (just out of curiosity, not saying one way or the other).

what's the duty cycle on the warns, 5% on the h/f one seems low to me although it is a 6HP motor but if you use it for 45 seconds you need to let it rest for 14 minutes or something like that (according to the manual).

[Jeffy]

def made in China, no doubt about it (harborfreight). are the value ones from warn made in US? (just out of curiosity, not saying one way or the other).

what's the duty cycle on the warns, 5% on the h/f one seems low to me although it is a 6HP motor but if you use it for 45 seconds you need to let it rest for 14 minutes or something like that (according to the manual).

They are assembled in the US but parts are worldwide.

Not sure on the duty cycle.

[stan98tj]

i went with the 10000lb Warn. i bought an RC plate cause it was a good price and i THINK it will allow me to retain my grill guard which uses the holes where the TJs above bumper hooks went (my hooks are welded to the frame). If it doesnt allow me to retain my grill guard, i suppose ill be shopping for a new bumper such as the ARB winch bumper, which will negate the need for a winch plate...hence the reason for the affordable plate.

[Jeffy]

i went with the 10000lb Warn. i bought an RC plate cause it was a good price and i THINK it will allow me to retain my grill guard which uses the holes where the TJs above bumper hooks went (my hooks are welded to the frame). If it doesnt allow me to retain my grill guard, i suppose ill be shopping for a new bumper such as the ARB winch bumper, which will negate the need for a winch plate...hence the reason for the affordable plate.

Why not cut your tow hooks off?  It's not really recommended to weld tow hooks on anyway.

[stan98tj]

Why not cut your tow hooks off?  It's not really recommended to weld tow hooks on anyway.

i dont need to cut the tow hooks off. they are welded under the bumper, to the frame. the welds are pretty beefy, im not concerned with them. The hooks that mount from the factory are mounted above (on top) of the bumper and use the 2(per hook) holes in the bumper. This is where my grill guard is mounted and i believe the winch plate also will use these...but im hoping i will still be able to keep my brush guard..RC says they provide longer bolts.

[stan98tj]

couldnt keep my brush guard AND i LOST 1/4" of clearance. My front springs are so mushy feeling, slightest weight has the bumper plunging. Im gonna call RC and see if they advise switching to the 6cyl springs. They originally advised running a larger coil spacer, but i am already running a 3/4" spacer on there. Im afraid that if i run a larger spacer,although it may lift up the jeep and level it, the added compression on the coil spring will result in poorer performance. Im planning on running a 1" body lift to get a little better clearance for my 33s.

[jfrabat]

superwinch has a great reputation. they ran them on most (if not all) the land rovers during the Camel Trophy series...and they def got abused.

I abuse mine often, and it has always pulled me out...

One other note on synthetic line; if you use it in mud, mud will get between the strains, and will pretty much act as a saw in the long term.  I have seen 2 of them fail so far because they were not cleaned up after usage in the mud.  I have yet to see a cable one break (call me lucky, I guess, as I DO NOT want to be around when one of those breaks!), but then again, the synthetic were not dangerous at all when the broke (it simply dropped to the floor, and the rig got pulled back into the mud).  Of course, if you were going up a ledge or something, I am sure it woul dbe no fun to have that one break!

couldnt keep my brush guard AND i LOST 1/4" of clearance. My front springs are so mushy feeling, slightest weight has the bumper plunging. Im gonna call RC and see if they advise switching to the 6cyl springs. They originally advised running a larger coil spacer, but i am already running a 3/4" spacer on there. Im afraid that if i run a larger spacer,although it may lift up the jeep and level it, the added compression on the coil spring will result in poorer performance. Im planning on running a 1" body lift to get a little better clearance for my 33s.

I would go to the 6 cyl springs; that would compensate for the increase eight...

[stan98tj]

this is what it looks like now with winch and body lift. You can spot the gap between rock rail and tub now. When i get home in Oct im gonna have to fix the t-case shifting issue.

 
the gap...and no the rake isnt that bad, the parking spot is inclined upwards towards the curb.