[EATandJEEP]

So I've been trying to educate myself on winches by
reading the forums.
What's the consensus on winch size?
I have a JKU about average weight.
8000lbs enough?
I talked to Warn and they said that was pushing it.
I'm leaning towards a Quadratec winch at the moment.
Looking at the Q9500is & Q11500is.

 

[NotARubicon!]

I have a JKU and just bought my winch last week.. Went with a 10K .. Warn Zeon 10S ..
8k would be pushing it.

 

[JTPhoto JK]

So I've been trying to educate myself on winches by reading the forums. What's the consensus on winch size? I have a JKU about average weight. 8000lbs enough? I talked to Warn and they said that was pushing it. I'm leaning towards a Quadratec winch at the moment. Looking at the Q9500is & Q11500is.

I went with 12K for a JKU on 37s.

 

[chasemccl]

I'm looking at 12k for my jku. It's probably a little overkill but I'd rather have the extra and not need it. You could probably get away with 10k I personally wouldnt go anything below 10

 

[EATandJEEP]

Thanks for the quick replies.
I was really liking the Q9500is Stealth.
I wish they offered the Stealth package
In the Q11500is. The black Hawse and
Blacked out housing in appealing to me.

 

[Shadow_Grey]

What about the Tuff STuff 4x4 winches??? Any experiences...good or bad?

Tuff Stuff 4x4 Performance Winches | Tuff Stuff Xtreme Winch

I have been thinking something like this one...Tuff Stuff Xtreme H2O 10,500lb Winch With Synthetic Rope - Tuff Stuff 4x4 | Tuff Stuff Winches, Lighting and Off Road Accessories

 

[HawaiiMark]

The 12K plus winches have thicker lines so they have to have to be shorter. You can usually get 100' at 10K and maybe 75' at 12K. Just another thing to consider. Also the line speed tends to be a little slower too.

 

[guncrazy72]

The Warn 9.5 would be a great choice for a JKU. Im a Warn person all the way though!

 

[Comanche Scott]

When you look at the winches look at the ratings per "wrap", some fall off really quick.

The Warn M8000 is a beast for an 8K winch. Having used one, I'd have no issue running it on any rig under 6K lbs.
Other than it, a 9.5 (pretty much anybodies) would probably be a great choice.

With that said, I'm running a first Gen Smittybilt XRC8-Comp on a 4,800lbs rig, and while it runs slow, gets hot and pulls high amperage, it is still working. Just not an "all day" work dog.
So an 8K can work, depending on your specific definition of "work".

 

[tarpon4me]

I've got a Quadratec 9000SI with synthetic rope. I've had Warn, great winches. But the old Qtec is holding strong and used it a dozen or so times in the going on two years i've had it. Add a snatch block with two points and you'll get a little more grunt too.

 

[adamsesq]

I went through that and settled on the Smittybilt X2O 10k. I believe in the 2x vehicle weight rating as a good rule of thumb and viewed this as a minimum for my JKU. As others have said the ratings are based on the last wrap closest to the drum. Since you are normally winching with only a single wrap or two off the drum your usable ratings are generally lower than the ratings. Single line pulls have always worked for me but I've felt like I was close to maxing out the winch a couple of times. I probably ought to be not so lazy and double every pull...

 

[Knockabout]

Have a superwinch 9.5 with synthetic line. Never a problem, even when pulling my tractor out.

 

[9Mike2]

I went with the Quad 11500, because of the price(Thanks Rick) and I love to have a buffer zone with a loaded down JKU. Try the first time you make a pull in sucking mud, that is were I learned about using air blown in under the vehicle to break suction......

 

[mcgee10]

When you look at the winches look at the ratings per "wrap", some fall off really quick.

The Warn M8000 is a beast for an 8K winch. Having used one, I'd have no issue running it on any rig under 6K lbs.
Other than it, a 9.5 (pretty much anybodies) would probably be a great choice.

With that said, I'm running a first Gen Smittybilt XRC8-Comp on a 4,800lbs rig, and while it runs slow, gets hot and pulls high amperage, it is still working. Just not an "all day" work dog.
So an 8K can work, depending on your specific definition of "work".

I use the same winch 3rd jeep and I keep coming back to M8000 with a block I have pull a F-350 out. What I like best is as many times as I have submerged it it still works every time. If I have a nickel for ever winch I have seen that gets submerged and never works. The cheap one this happens a lot.

 

[68RR]

I went with a M8000-S myself. I'm glad to see so many positive reviews on it.

 

[Pumping4Jane]

Sorry to hijack but...there are current mail in rebates on all Warn winches purchased between Feb 1 and March 31. Rebates range anywhere between $75.00 to $150.00. Check the website. Good time purchase.

 

[Gunner]

I bought the Warn Zeon 10s Platinum because of the bigger gears and stronger drum. But it was very a close winner over the 9.5CTi's which has more pull when there are more wraps on the drum.

 

[GSSP]

The Warn 9.5 would be a great choice for a JKU. Im a Warn person all the way though!

Yes

 

[Comanche Scott]

The Warn 9.5 would be a great choice for a JKU. Im a Warn person all the way though!

I have a 9.5cti with wire rope (over 120' of rope ) on the JK. Of all the recreational winches I've used over the years, it is my favorite.
Will run all day long, quiet and smooth. Very confidence inspiring, except for the very fast line speed.

It's fast, and took a bit to get used to the speed. Once I got used to it, that fast speed made smoother pulls where pulled vehicle provides assistance.
During pulls like that the rope tension can change dramatically as the vehicle grabs and loses traction. Or at the end of the pull when the driver pulls forward under their own power too fast.
When the winch can keep up with that change in tension, it not only spools better (real important with synthetic), but the winching vehicle stays more stable.
Sometimes finding a spot to anchor the winching vehicle can be tough, especially in big rocks. I've had to do tie-offs before, and that's always a bit nervy.

The down side to that speed is on really technical pulls, I still find myself "bumping" the controller to slow it down, and that can raise it's own problems when the stuck vehicle is off balance. I'm getting pretty smooth with it, but I've done a lot of practice pulls. Someone with faster reflexes would do better than me, I'm sure.

The reason I bought it, was an amazing good deal through a Chrysler dealer. Otherwise, I'd be the proud owner of the M8000.

 

[zx6r]

my warn 8s has never let me down yet and it pulls plenty hard for any application i will be putting it through and have put it through