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Winch suggestions

5K views 39 replies 28 participants last post by  RMSpiel 
#1 ·
Wanting a winch for my 97 TJ. Have low budget so would love to hear opinions.
 
#2 ·
For basics you want a min of 8k lb winch. Lots of options out there.. I am guessing with low budget we are talking under $500? You can save some money with steel cable vs the syth line. Some names to look at are Warn, Ramsey, Smittybilt, superwinch, quadratec, rugged ridge the list goes on and on.. Also Don't forget about a recovery kit.. here is a review I did on one for the forum: WranglerForum.com: Product Overview: Quadratec Winch Accessory Kit:
 
#4 ·
An Engo can be had for relatively cheap. I dont have a winch so I cannot comment personally, but lots of folks seem to like theirs. Fourwheeler magazine did a shootout with 8 different winches. Engo was 4th place, and Warn (get ready for this), got 1st. The shootout was 4 years ago so take it for what its worth. But just something else to look at.
 
#5 ·
Do you want a winch or need a winch?

I would recommend a 8000# winch for a TJ

If you want one (cosmetics, peace of mind in emergency) - get a new cheaper model like the Quadratec line.
If you need a winch (because you've gotten stuck before or something) get a used good brand name model like Warn.

I assume you have already addressed things like lockers and tires? A winch is great, but if you compare $/hours of use they are very expensive when you can get a come-along, but if you start outfitting your jeep with a winch first, you'll use it to get out of trouble tires and/or lockers will handle readily.

Just my $.02
 
#22 ·
Do you want a winch or need a winch?
^^ This is perhaps the most important consideration in this entire thread. What is your motivation, OP? If you want to look good while cruising Main Street, then buy whatever cheap thing looks pretty. On the other hand, if you're counting on it to save your bacon when you're miles from cell phone coverage, then spend accordingly.

{rant}

In this hobby, we routinely spend +/- $10,000 just to buy our Jeeps. After that, we spend thousands of dollars more on lift kits, plus big tires and new wheels, locking differentials, bumpers and rocker guards, fancy tops, and on and on and on. And then when it comes time to buy an item that can genuinely save your life in a catastrophe, suddenly everybody is too cheap to spend an extra two or three hundred bucks on a durable, proven, high-quality winch. "Sure, I've already spent eighteen grand on my Jeep to date... but there is just no way I can scrape up an extra three Benjamins for a Warn." Really? Really??? It baffles me.

{/rant}

A winch that you can afford is 100% more capable of saving you than the one you're still saving up for. (First rule of winch retrieval is to have a winch)
On the flip side, relying on your equipment to save you--and then having that equipment fail when you need it--will reduce your capability to zero in an instant. Even worse is the following financial sting of having to buy another winch to replace your dead one, and that has happened to multiple members of this forum.

Yes, some guys here have bought cheap winches and claim to have years of successful usage with them. Others report on-trail failures in a short period of time... and don't go blabbing on about warranty coverage, because a warranty isn't going to airlift you off the Rubicon Trail when your broken winch can't get you back on your tires, or pull you off an obstacle, etc.


OP: quality costs money. It always has, and it always will (unless I miss my guess). Spend according to your personal comfort level. If you're on a tight budget, a Warn M8000 (even a shiny new one) is a fabulous value.
 
#6 ·
We have a few budget Winches to choose from. The Barricade winches we have are lower cost but still work really well from my experience and reviews. Let me know if you see anything you like and I'll get you a quote!

-Ryan
 
#9 ·
I got a SmittyBilt 10,000bls Winch for around $700. I've used it for two winters in Fairbanks, AK and it worked great self recovered my JK twice and about ~15 stranded snow bound vehicles over the past two winters. Never had an issue with it and it came with the rope not the cable. So it would be cheaper for cable version and I would get the 8000 lbs for your TJ
 
#12 ·
I'm not sure I need a winch. I'm pretty careful about not getting into trouble. However, when you need one it's too late check Amazon. Eons ago when the earth was cooling I had a 12,000 lb. on a Toyota. It seems like overkill on my JKU for intermittent use. I'm thinking a 8,500 to 10,000 lb. unit. Rather than leave it installed I'd mount it on a plate and 2" bar to fit into my 2" hitch receiver if I ever needed it. Comments?
 
#17 ·
I have the Smittybilt X20-8 (8000 lb) winch. Its the first gen that I bought ~ 5 years ago when they first came out. Works great. Probably used about a dozen times, usually for helping someone else get unstuck. I went with this series because of the line speed comparison (faster than most, especially the XRC-series). The warranty is really good as well.

A lot of people knock Smittybilt, but my experience has been very positive. Only issue I had was the wired remote came apart (pins separated from wire). After 5-years use, I think that's acceptable. A replacement was only $25.
 
#20 ·
I have a Warn VR8000 and I've only had to use it once, but I bought it used for $275 only used once, so essentially brand new. I've heard great things about Superwinch and Engo, as a lower priced but good quality winch. Warn is the best of the best, but also are a premium. The Superwinch LP8500 can be found for $299.99 and is similar to the VR8000.
 
#25 ·
I want a winch and I would love to have a warn but I just can't justify it. Honestly, if I could afford lockers I would skip the winch, but an inexpensive winch is just going to hold me over until I can afford lockers. I fully expect to use a winch maybe once a year. I want it for when I am out in the timber, alone, doing work on my deer stands or retrieving a deer. There are times when I may need to go through a lot of snow or on some slippery slopes in the mud. It is those times that I want a winch just in case I get in a jam. If I had lockers, I would be more confidant in those situations. My other big thing I am leaning towards an inexpensive one is because of the amount of salt they drop on the roads around here. I don't want to spend over $800 on a winch and have the salt make it crap out in a few years.
 
#26 ·
It is those times that I want a winch just in case I get in a jam. If I had lockers, I would be more confidant in those situations.
I thought that too....hence why I got lockers before a winch, but in all honesty, lockers just get you in MORE trouble, doubling the necessity for a winch if/when things go sour (now you're stuck so far back those without lockers can't come help you)

It use to piss me off seeing these people harp on brands other than WARN and the fanboy flames they'd pour out, talking about "life or death situations" as if your winch could be compared to a Redhawk 454 casull in grizzly bear territory or something. But the more I read, the more "I bought an "X" brand winch that failed, and decided to buy a warn" enough to make the decision to NOT pay twice for the right product first.


"Buy Once, Cry Once"
 
#28 ·
Can't help you there...in fact, you're absolutely right, no one has produced a "northern/midwest cancer proof" alloy based product, so I got nothing for you....other than to say; move to the south :happyyes:
 
#37 ·
I found that a lot of the used Warn winches in my area were still 3-400 bucks and they looked like crap. A lot of the times the cable looked like a rats nest or they were missing parts and covered in corrosion. Id rather have a new Smittybilt for the same price if that's the limit of my budget. The smittybilt has a lifetime warranty and most places include a free cover. The Warranty is great, just make sure you have a backup plan if it fails on the trail. If I found a good clean used Warn at a New Smittybilt price I would have jumped on it too though!
 
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