which winch for a guy who doesn't like winches?

[cruiseroutfit]

Yes it is hard to find winch failure and severed limb accidents yet is that reason to be careless and throw safety out the window? I must be getting old and more reserved because I still would not use a hand winch or come along if you paid me but that is just me...

Never once have I said to disregard safety, quite the opposite I teach 100% winch safety in all scenarios. Anticipate load, outcome, rigging, etc. You should come take my recovery class. While I don't generally cover the use of a hand winch, I have and use one... We have one packed in our rigs now... Might get some use in the next day or two? 100% chance our electric winches will be used where a strap wouldn't be appropriate.

 

[Badger]

Like I said I liked my winch setup especially when I lived back in Jersey and it was more a mud rig. I could hook the winch up in the rear ,leave it there all day, it didn't get in the way like it would on the front, and most times you wanted to go backward not forward since it only got deeper. Being out here it was nice to have the extra approach angle and stubby bumper for your average trails. When I knew I was going to be on a harder trail I would slap it on the front before hand so if it was needed it was there. Being on the front and on harder trails sometimes made it a pain since I no longer had that stubby bumper but a huge chunk of winch hanging out there.

As you can see on the back I had it perfect for departure angle. If you draw a line from the rear of the tire on the ground to the spare tire it's close to spot on. Up front it usually got in the way for climbs like eagles nest. I learned to wiggle my way onto it with it on but others I might have to take it off put it on top of the climb, get the front end up on the climb and either get out to put it back on to use it or have somebody else put it on for me while I stayed in the vehicle.

So to restate what I said in my earlier post. If your just going to be a casual user and only want the winch here and there then a removable winch might just be for you. Expect to be frustrated at some point though, winches are heavy and not something you want to take on and off to many times. It will get in the way at some point whether it be that little extra space you want in the bed or approach angle lost. I have seen some home made setups that were actually pretty cool and made the winch sit on the bumper more like a traditional bumper/winch setup. So some fore thought might help there if you design your own. Like with mine if it was on the front it got in the way on climbs. On the back it was good on departure but if I wanted to open the gate I had to remove the winch, swing the tire out, then open the trunk. The one time I tipped my Xj I got lucky. I had left my winch on the front. If it had been in the truck I would have been screwed. I hadn't fully thought it out and the receiver was in just the right place that I could not slide the winch fully out of the receiver unless the trunk was open. When I tipped the trunk was right up against a ledge and I wouldn't have been able to open it. This is one of the reason I will be doing two hard mounted winches in the future project.

 

[O'neal]

I'm not sure what to say in this thread LOL!

 

[gijohn40]

I have a ramsey that was on my expedition many years ago.... I used it many times to pull cars off the side of the road during winter months when I lived in Wyoming... I even pulled a semi that had backed into a snow drift and was stuck... they come in handy for more then you can think... I currently am working on getting it mounted to my LJ...

With a good sort of recovery gear a winch will get you out of many tough situations...

 

[Spork]

If I were Steve and decided to go with the receiver style winch mount, I would have a piece of receiver hitch mounted somewhere on your bed/cage. You could throw a lock around it to keep it from walking off and it wouldn't be rolling around.

 

[sixstringsteve]

Yeah, that's how id store it too.

 

[Badger]

That's what I forgot to post a picture of...lol

I had a locking hitch pin for it while it was in the trunk.

 

[sixstringsteve]

I like it.

 

[skippy]

Steve you need to check out the trail gear winch very compact and has a lot of cool features and very reasonably priced.

 

[thenag]

Personally, Warn is the only winch I'll own.

food for thought

http://www.fourwheeler.com/techarticles/129_1107_massive_multi_winch_shootout/viewall.html

It seems more and more Warn is not as good as it used to be. (although some how the Warn winch was not functional after the test and still won... )

Smitty Built is probably what you should get
Engo's are pretty damn good
Recon's have been out for while and it is hard to find many people that have had issues with them. And Truckandwinch.com seems to be pretty good about servicing them.

Ok lets see. I had a huge 12,500 pierce on the front of my bronco. I had it one two receivers, on centered and one off to the side. I tucked it into the grill so it didn't stick out much. I didn't want to give up the cargo room for a winch like Badger did. (actually seeing badger's xj made me not want to put a winch in the back) As for wiring I put a big connector up front and made a 30ft extension cable so I could run it in the back or in someone elses receiver. (also made jumper cables to plug into the plug so I don't have to pop the hod to jump somebody...) And I still have yet to see an 11 inch Hawse style fairlead other than the one I made...

ok pics



I was able to have the ability to move it to the rear, but not give up cargo space or have to worry about lugging a 120+ winch around when my vehicle was stuck. (unless I needed it in the rear...) If you get creative it won't kill your approach angle, it will just slightly hinder it. On the Bronco the bumper came up 4 inches so my approach at my tires got better. I had leafs up front and the winch was about even with the front leafs.

I have a really nice winch bumper on the xj and even with all the lift I have the thing sticks out enough to be an issue on Eagles Nest.

nathan
99 xj, need to buy a smitty built, and it will be hard mounted to the front...

 

[kellerexpress]

Lots of good info in this thread, I'll just add one thing. Whatever winch you get I would recommend getting a synthetic line instead of steel cable. They are strong as steel, and safer since they don't store energy like a steel cable when it breaks. Synthetic lines are also way lighter, which would be a huge plus if you plan on having a winch in a cradle that you will have haul around and move by hand.

 

[jentzschman]

Why do you get a butt load of post whenever you start a thread steve?

My .02: I have a smittybilt XRC8 (8k rating with steel line) that I have used multiple times and worked great. I have even used it to hook up to some large tree stumps to pull them out.

Cost me 300 bucks and has served me well.

 

[sixstringsteve]

Why do you get a butt load of post whenever you start a thread steve?

Because people know I could use all the help I can get.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Anything can fail, but Warn's lifetime warranty has made a beleiver of me. And with a major authorized Warn repair facility here (there) in SLC, its a no brainer for me personally. That is not to say there are not plenty of other options that are well suited to the needs of others. I use my winches a fair amount and have seen others fail under similar tasks. I'll use the vehicles I'm in right now as an example again, literally driving around the world through some of the most remote tracks in existence... When it was time to outfit them they got Warn's Different uses and users will dictate different needs.

 

[SpeedyVic]

Lots of good info in this thread, I'll just add one thing. Whatever winch you get I would recommend getting a synthetic line instead of steel cable. They are strong as steel, and safer since they don't store energy like a steel cable when it breaks. Synthetic lines are also way lighter, which would be a huge plus if you plan on having a winch in a cradle that you will have haul around and move by hand.

Since we are already talking about it, I'm looking to get a synthetic line for a Warn 8000 winch. Anyone have a good low priced source they can recommend?

 

[DaveB]

In all my off road adventures I have only used a winch to pull myself out once, I am usually pulling someone else out. If I didn't have a winch I would have had to dig out for many hours (in the snow busting drifts). I did have to use a snatch block once to get my son in law out of quick sand which stalled my winch without it. My winches are all Warn, 8274, M8000 and M10000. I have had no problems with any of them. On my last one I discussed cable vs rope with my friend who services and sells them and he brought up one problem with the ropes that I hadn't thought of which is that the sun decays them over time. I would think that a winch cover would fix that issue.

 

[N-Smooth]

i'm not a big fan of winches and have been fine wheeling for the last decade without one. i hate how big and heavy they are because i care about my rig being low (with good approach and departure angles) and light-ish. i never wheel alone and i always have a strap with me. i keep it readily accessible when on the trail- typically it's in a bag hanging behind my seat so that it's not too hard to get to if my rig gets sideways. i've accidentally left it in the back before and had to crawl around inside and dig it out and it was not a fun time. imagine doing that with a winch that you have mounted inside. i also have a come-along that i keep under my seat and i've never used it. most of the time all i need on the trail is a tug from one of my friend's rigs or even a couple of us pulling on a strap.

that being said, i'd never try to talk someone out of a winch. i just disagree with the "get a winch and you'll never get stuck" attitude that some people have. i don't like to think about how many people there are out there that have winches and have no idea how to operate them properly/safely. i also think that hi-lifts are sketchy. i think of them as weapons as much as a tools and treat mine like it's a loaded gun.

 

[lhracing]

I have the Smittybilt Comp-Series XRC-10 with the synthetic rope and have been very pleased with it. I have only used it 5 or 6 times but seems to work great. I do like the synthetic rope over the steel cable.

 

[DAA]

Steve, for your purposes as you describe them, I think I'd go with the smallest, lightest, most easily stored and deployed option that has a reasonable chance of actually being useful. Of the options presented, personally, if I were you, I'd go with that Wyeth-Scott unit. It's not as capable as the ARB, but it looks like a lot less fuss to store and deploy.

I almost always wheel alone. Often far away from any hope of a cell signal, often in spots where it could easily be weeks before anyone else drives by. Often when it's either cold enough out or dry enough to kill. So I don't consider a winch as optional for me. Mine has really saved me significant physical suffering and money (the Pull Pal has payed for itself too). And I've used my winch to recover other vehicles in situations where a strap wouldn't have cut it (turning a Jeep back over etc.). But, considering the weight and the cost of a winch and a Pull Pal, I really wish I didn't need them and wouldn't have them if I thought I could get away without. I think you can probably get away without.

- DAA

 

[OldGeezer]

Warn for me. I had a Ramsey before and wore it out. Since installing lockers it doesn't get used as much but I still wouldn't go any where without it. I mostly go alone and even with others I dont want to be relying on them to get me out of a bind. It gets mostly used for clearing downed trees and rocks that totally block the trail. I like that when I come to an obstacle I just might give it a try that I wouldn't even consider otherwise. I dont like when I come across some 10,000 pound truck stuck up to the frame rails that they think I can get them out. Their truck makes a damn fine anchor for my light weight Jeep. Of course they dont believe you and insist you show them.