winch questions

[4.0B2]

so winch bumper coming soon.. i need something to put on it. i'm a broke college kit... a lot of the jeep guys are now saying TMAXX and milemarkers are good winches. what are yall's person experience with them? i can't afford warn as much as i'd love to... what about superwinch and smittybilt? smittybilt i think has the awesome warranty but i've been told so much bad stuff about them.

should i focus on an 8000 lbs? its an 88 b2, explorer drivetrain

 

[straycat]

XRC. You can buy one on this site for a great deal. 8,000 lb is good...9,000 is better!!!

 

[4.0B2]

the 9000 is slower tho right? lol.. not that it matters.

 

[straycat]

Look at the TRS FAB and Offroad at the top of the site page, just in case you don't know where to look, Bro!!! Good luck and happy winching!!!

 

[4.0B2]

I was thinking superwinch..

Smittybilt winches are well hated by a lot of local guys. Saying they don't last. Not good for more than a couple pulls

 

[straycat]

I was thinking superwinch..

Smittybilt winches are well hated by a lot of local guys. Saying they don't last. Not good for more than a couple pulls

I know a lot of people who use them and they never had any issues with one. For the price..they are the best around unless you want to spend big bucks and use a Warn. Sometimes, local guys are bullies......if you can't run what they run they just love to rib you.....buy want you want, Bro!!!

 

[Little X]

I run a Milemarker 8000. It has worked every time I needed it (knock on wood) but is very slow when there is no tension on the line (like 5 times slower then a Warn). When I'm ready for a second winch I'm going to pick up one from Summit (Click Here). It's a rebadged T-Maxx for less $. That will go on the front and the Milemarker will get moved to the back.
This thread has a lot of good info for winch shopping: Clicky

 

[ozziemo27]

I was thinking superwinch..

Smittybilt winches are well hated by a lot of local guys. Saying they don't last. Not good for more than a couple pulls

I would vote for the XRC8 hands down for the wheeler on a budget. Ask the local-yokels what their issues with them are and see if they can reference some actual first-hand experiences. Had mine on for two winters now. I've only ever had a small problem with the ball bearing in the clutch lever getting a little rusty disabling the clutch lever from moving easily but I fixed that in 20 minutes for free. I would prefer a warn if I were running competitions and needed a fast winch but for going out on the trails with friends, its no speed demon and it works great. I bought mine from 4wd.com and bought a warranty so even if it does break, Its covered. I had to call for the warranty though, I believe it was like $40. The winch itself was around $300. I have heard XRC8s are a re-badged T-Maxx, I believe there is even T-Max printed somewhere internally on the XRC8. There are a few different brands that are in bed together.

 

[straycat]

I would vote for the XRC8 hands down for the wheeler on a budget. Ask the local-yokels what their issues with them are and see if they can reference some actual first-hand experiences. Had mine on for two winters now. I've only ever had a small problem with the ball bearing in the clutch lever getting a little rusty disabling the clutch lever from moving easily but I fixed that in 20 minutes for free. I would prefer a warn if I were running competitions and needed a fast winch but for going out on the trails with friends, its no speed demon and it works great. I bought mine from 4wd.com and bought a warranty so even if it does break, Its covered. I had to call for the warranty though, I believe it was like $40. The winch itself was around $300. I have heard XRC8s are a re-badged T-Maxx, I believe there is even T-Max printed somewhere internally on the XRC8. There are a few different brands that are in bed together.

What he said +2........

 

[Josh40601]

watch craigslist for a used Warn. If you want brand new, go with XRC8. A couple buddies are running them on thier Jeeps, and have been working fine. Not as fast as a warn, but at a 4th of the price, you cant beat them IMO

 

[strvger]

^^ x2. and if you do go with a used one, make sure they demonstrate it fully before giving them your money. that used one may look real good, but if you get it home and it doesn't power up, spool in and out, etc. your out your hard earned cash. also check the cable by having them take off at least 50 ft or more. if it's not in the best shape, negotiate a little more. good luck with the winch!

 

[The_Dealer]

petersons did a test on the harbor freight 8k and the mile marker 8k. same winch from same assembly plant. BUT, for like 20 bucks more u can get a smittybuilt xrc and get the synthetic rope. try www.4x4groupbuys.com for a good price

 

[straycat]

petersons did a test on the harbor freight 8k and the mile marker 8k. same winch from same assembly plant. BUT, for like 20 bucks more u can get a smittybuilt xrc and get the synthetic rope. try www.4x4groupbuys.com for a good price

^^^^^+2 what they said and what I said!!!!

 

[4.0B2]

thanks for the info guys.. the local guys are just warn or bust ppl, i figured that out today. they don't have a real reason why they hate smittybilt other than one guy from the club had one and it only worked for one pull.. EVERYONE else is just saying it b/c of what he said... but even his was warrantied so.... haha.

i wasn't on today b/c i was 3 hours from home working on the bumper, i'm so excited!!! going back in a week to finish it up. the guy's gonna work on it when i'm not there some to so... i've got some special touches in mind that i'm sure some of the 1st gen b2 guys are gonna love

 

[straycat]

thanks for the info guys.. the local guys are just warn or bust ppl, i figured that out today. they don't have a real reason why they hate smittybilt other than one guy from the club had one and it only worked for one pull.. EVERYONE else is just saying it b/c of what he said... but even his was warrantied so.... haha.

i wasn't on today b/c i was 3 hours from home working on the bumper, i'm so excited!!! going back in a week to finish it up. the guy's gonna work on it when i'm not there some to so... i've got some special touches in mind that i'm sure some of the 1st gen b2 guys are gonna love

Post some photos, Bro!!! Looking forard to see how it turns out. I have a portable winch receiver I can use on the front and back of my 2wd Ranger whenever I go out. I use it to remove downed trees on my property and sometimes to pull out a friend.