Winches?

[kshack11]

I have a 98 ranger 4.0L V6 with a 3"BL and 31" tires, and i have been doing quite a bit of muddin. I've gotten stuck but the last time was a mess. A F250 powerstroke tryed to pull me out and did but got stuck in the process because he's stupid and doesnt know how to mud. but to get to the point im now interested in getting a winch instead of having to depend on my buddies. so what kind of winch would be good? and really how much weight should it be able to handle?

 

[Foxracin]

Smittybilt 8000. $300 new. Cant beat it. No problems at all from mine.

 

[caveman_joey]

The research i've done in the past says you should get one that can handle 3 times the rolling weight of your rig. So an 8000lb should do the job and if you use a pulley block for a double line pull it pretty much doubles the capacity of the wench.

 

[ozziemo27]

You can't go wrong with a smittybuilt XRC8, thats what I'm running on my 99, I bought it from 4wd.com (jeepwhore site) and i got their lifetime warranty for it for like 40 bucks. Saved my ass about 3 times out back in the woods. Great Winch!

 

[kris97ranger]

You can't go wrong with a smittybuilt XRC8, thats what I'm running on my 99, I bought it from 4wd.com (jeepwhore site) and i got their lifetime warranty for it for like 40 bucks. Saved my ass about 3 times out back in the woods. Great Winch!

you do mean the warrenty was 40 bucks right?
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[Will]

Don't buy a slow winch. And DO buy a sealed solenoids model. I think the Superwinch EPi 9.0 is the best value out there. Very fast, can leave it exposed year round for years on end without worries, inexpensive. This is my third winch. The first two were slow--the first just burned itself up from relentless churning at its amazing 13fpm speed. The second died from weather, I think. It just never worked right unless it was blow-dried with a perm and manicure. It was slow when it did work right. SO I spend $600-shipped for an EPi9.0 and it's been hanging off the front end of my truck for 4 or 5 years and is just great. The cheapo $300 winches are 13fpm. This one is 47fpm. I love the speed. I used to wrap the excess cable around the winch mount so I could get the hell off of the trail after I had spent 15 minutes recovering myself while people with good winches offered to haul me out so they could clear the trail.

 

[ozziemo27]

you do mean the warrenty was 40 bucks right?

Yea, like 260 + 40 bucks for the warranty. Solenoid, motor, winch cable is all covered in case they break.

Don't buy a slow winch. And DO buy a sealed solenoids model. I think the Superwinch EPi 9.0 is the best value out there. Very fast, can leave it exposed year round for years on end without worries, inexpensive. This is my third winch. The first two were slow--the first just burned itself up from relentless churning at its amazing 13fpm speed. The second died from weather, I think. It just never worked right unless it was blow-dried with a perm and manicure. It was slow when it did work right. SO I spend $600-shipped for an EPi9.0 and it's been hanging off the front end of my truck for 4 or 5 years and is just great. The cheapo $300 winches are 13fpm. This one is 47fpm. I love the speed. I used to wrap the excess cable around the winch mount so I could get the hell off of the trail after I had spent 15 minutes recovering myself while people with good winches offered to haul me out so they could clear the trail.

Theres nothing wrong with a slow winch. Especially when you only use every once and a while like some people. If anything burns up, its covered, so that isn't a factor for me. Frankly, it all depends on the application and how often you use it. If you go muddin/wheelin once a week or whatever, the extra few mintues it takes to get yourself unstuck isn't going to kill you especially if you're on a budget like alot of us. Again, theres nothing wrong with a slow winch.

 

[Foxracin]

A slow winch beats not having a winch when you need on.

 

[Capt Jay]

I have a slow winch and it has saved me a few times and I hate it. As Will said they are frustrating. If you can't afford a good winch (Warn etc.) a cheap model will be better than nothing. That being said, save up and buy one that doesn't suck. Mine will over heat and stop running. You then have to wait ten minuets for it to cool before you can use it again. That sucks when your 7/8th out of the mud hole and have to wait for your winch. Or it gets you out and you've got 40 feet of cable out and it over heats when your winding the cable back in (which takes forever) and it stops working. You have to wrap the cable around the winch and wait until you get back to camp to wind the cable back in.

 

[Black_Splash]

So which one would be the best bang for the buck? I can't afford the top of the line either but I do want a good one.

 

[Scotty J.]

One more for the Smittybilt XRC8, I have one, haven't used it all that much but when I have needed it, it did what I needed.

 

[joshnlsn]

I think the smittybuilt XRC8 is the best bang for the buck. I use one and a few people i wheel with have them and they work fine.

 

[Will]

The two cheap ones I had were a Harbor Freight ($300) and a Pilemarker ($300) and they were exactly the same. Wish I would have spent the $600 to begin with. Warns XD9000i is about the same as the Superwinch I mentioned, except a little slower and a lot more expensive. To me the Superwinch is the best for the money.

I could live with slow if it didn't burn itself up. A fast 8000 and a slow 8000 have very different amounts of power. Both motors running at peak power get hot, but the fast winch is done a lot quicker. I mean, if you are only winching a little bit, fine. But grinding away for ten minutes to wind up the cable is tiring. I was at the point where I didn't want to bother to use it because of the pain in the ass factor. I carried an extra cable with 2 hooks on it so i didn't have to unwind very much of the spool.

It really does suck to have a slow winch. It can make the difference between a 30 minute recovery and a 5 minute recovery. There's never like the perfect tree. Sometimes you have to do a lot of moving the cable around--especially if you are trying to recover someone else that has flopped over. Also, momentum plays a part. My winch pulls fast enough that what you are pulling has momentum. A series wound motor pulls differently than the cheaper ones--the harder it pulls, the more current is drawn through the field. A cheap one pulls slow and when it starts to bog down it gets weaker and grinds along even more slowly. A series one gets angry when it loads down. It's the difference between a grazing cow tied to your truck and a cross polar bear. A lot of the time when you are stuck, you aren't really that stuck and just need a little help. In fact, that's the most usual circumstance. Guess what? You have to use ONLY the winch when you have the slow winch. Your truck can't help because the winch is too slow. With a fast, series-wound motor, you can drive and pull at the same time. That's what a recovery winch is for.

Three hundred bucks gets you a piece of shit winch. It's not a vehicle recovery winch. Its halfway to a great winch. It's worth saving up a little longer, or finding a used one, or selling something.

 

[rockwerks]

One more for the Smittybilt XRC8, I have one, haven't used it all that much but when I have needed it, it did what I needed.

Another very happy XRC8 owner, one of the best winches I have owned. not slow not fast but works like a champ. the original ones have permanent magnet motors so pass those by and make sure it says series wound motor

 

[NMB2]

IMO if you're going to buy a winch. It needs to be a warn. You get what you pay for. I personally would get the M8000. (which i have). its stronger and faster than the above posted Superwinch and can be had in the same price range if you shop around. Its also about 40lbs lighter (according the websites specs) Has a stronger motor, higher duty cycle, lower gearing and faster loaded line speed.

My vote is for the Warn8000, I use the crap out of mine and it has never given me a problem in the time ive owned it.