Off Roading What winch said the wench. You gotta have both.

[Lynx0849]

I plan to buy a gently used 3500 next year to replace my 13 year old 1500.

I have had a Warn winch on the past two trucks. A 8000 lb one on the '89 and a 9500 lb one on my current '05. They have both been reliable even when used only occasionally.

So, 13 years later I wonder what else is out there that might be good?
The Warn winches seem to be in the upper price ranges and the Harbor Freight ones at the bottom. I worry the the HF ones won't work when I really need it.

Thoughts or experiences?

Thanks

 

[GrantP]

You may find this interesting reading.

http://www.fourwheeler.com/how-to/129-1107-massive-multi-winch-shootout/

 

[phantomusa]

I know the link above said the harbor freight winch died so it wasn't tested
I've been using HF winches for 10 years and have only had two fail one was a 12000 lb winch that gave up after 8 years of being over worked and abused the second one was a 2500 lb that failed outta the box
My current work horse is a 12000 lbs that's mounted on my equipment trailer also have a snatch block that I use with this winch and I have a 5000 lbs on another trailer that been in service for 5 years among my toys i use the 3500 lb winch allot
HF has a bad rap as being a cheap winch I've found the price is cheaper then others but these winches can work if you don't abuse them and work them within their limits and as with any winch a snatch block os a valuable tool to extend the winches capacity

 

[BDaugherty]

I used to be big into off roading and have had extensive experience with all of the commonly available brands. My opinion is that Warn winches are the best and most reliable.

That said, most of the winch performance problems I ever witnessed had more to do with the installer or operator than the winch itself.

 

[Deleted member 995608]

^^ Pretty much. Most winches don't get used enough anyways, and when they are used, they get abused.

 

[CMB]

The thing I found in my winch search that I found interesting was the duty cycle rating. The lower price range winches need to cool for a long time for only a short time of use. Secondly consider the type of line you will be using. If synthetic rope is your preference then you may want a winch with the brake outside the drum. I've never seen it happen but the claim is that drum brakes generate a lot of heat which can damage the synthetic line. Thirdly consider the environment in which the winch will be used. Check the water proof rating.

I was dead set on a Waren then found a really good deal on a Superwinch Talon series (12.5iSR). Yes, it's made in China but most are these days. I've only owned it a short while but so far so good.

If you really want to get picky, make a phone call into the customer service department before you buy the winch. Just to talk to them and get a feel for what you will go though if you need to make a warranty claim. Customer service means a lot in my book.

Cheers

 

[TFucili]

My default is Warn. Not a good comparison, but I also had a rollback that had a Ramsey 2-speed, hydraulic driven winch that worked excellent.