Electric Winch Info/Experience Repository (1 Viewer)

[LandCruisinMy93]

PREFACE: Many of our Fellow Mud members have owned or currently own winches. Some used to great extent and others, mounted, wound and left unused or used very little. This thread is meant to serve as a resource for those scouring the forum or the internet trying to decide which winch they should get. In a world full of generic rebranded products and extreme Bias/Brand loyalty it becomes difficult to make good purchase decisions. That being said let us try and keep the Bias to a minimum and follow some sort of format.

Winch Brand:
Winch Model:
Rated Capacity:
Years Owned:
Number of times used:
Worst case scenario used: What was the most extreme thing you had to use the winch for

i.e. (Snow wheeling, recovering 70's F250 that went backwards off the road on a steep mountainside that had luckily stopped against a stump but driver and his wheeling buddy both broke their winches trying to recover the truck)

Common Scenario use: What is the most common thing you use your winch for (i.e. Pulling my jeep friends out) <----9.5/10 times this is scenario
Has it ever failed when needed:
Has it ever failed:
What failed:
Customer Service Experience:
Gripes: We will accept feelings here....if you just feel you paid for more than what you got or something like that.

 

[LandCruisinMy93]

Winch Brand: WARN
Winch Model: VR10000
Rated Capacity: 10k
Years Owned: 11
Number of times used: 100+
Worst case scenario used:

Snow wheeling, recovering 70's F250 that went backwards off the road on a steep mountainside that had luckily stopped against a stump but driver and his wheeling buddy both broke their winches trying to recover the truck.

Common Scenario use:

Pulling my jeep friends out) <----9.5/10 times this is scenario

Has it ever failed when needed: No

Has it ever failed: Yes

What failed: 2x solenoids, clutch lever several times

Customer Service Experience: Mediocre and uninspiring but overall I have been able to keep the winch running without sending it in.

Gripes: The supplied roller fairlead got pretty bent up in short order just winching at weird angles, I can't really complain about much else as I was able to buy mine new in box off of a closing shop for $350. It has served me very well for that price.

 

[CharlieS]

Just fyi, there is a winching and recovery forum on mud.

I have a Warn Evo M12s on my 200 and a ComeUp seal 9.5 on my 80. Both work great, 90% recovering others, 10% self recovery. No failures. The ComeUp seems to be made of higher quality materials. I've had excellent customer service from both companies, both of them sending me small parts free of charge that I had expected to pay for (Warn, controller electric dust cap a friend dropped on trail and ComeUp a wire boot that I damaged). Warn did have a recall on the wireless remote function but I don't use it, so no big deal. I hate the way the ComeUp beeps when power is disconnected and reconnected, requiring a remote control synch up (I'd eliminate the wireless remote if I could). But both winch well.

 

[jonheld]

Winch Brand: Warn
Winch Model: M12K
Rated Capacity: 12K
Years Owned: 26 or 27. Who remembers
Number of times used: 100+
Worst case scenario used: 1. Wheeling in the Catskills on a trail that was mostly shale/clay. Rain started and trucks began sliding off the mountain as the oil leached out of the rocks/dirt. Trail became a luge run. People couldn't walk without falling. Had to throw the winch line around the closest tree (no time to think about a tree saver) to keep the truck upright. My truck became the stopping point for the ones behind me. ARB and sliders saved the bodywork. Had to change my underwear shortly afterward.

2. Wheeling in New Hampshire. Little used trail with 2 other trucks with me. When the 3rd truck drove through a dip in the trail, the downhill side of it gave way and he was pinned up against a tree that kept him from barrel rolling down the rest of the mountain. A very slow and very "interesting" recovery ensued with the 2 remaining trucks using all 3 winches and several snatch blocks, straps, etc. Cool heads always prevail.

 

[JoeCova]

Winch Brand: Warn
Winch Model: XD9000i, XD9000i, M12s, M12s
Rated Capacity: 9k, 9k, 12k, 12k
Years Owned: 20, 14, 1, 1
Number of times used: The older 9ks have been used dozens of times a year (~1000+ uses). The new M12s have only been used 3 times.
The 9ks were steel wire, and the M12s are synthetic. The steel wire is the original wire to this day.

Worst case: Dual winches to save a Solid Axle Swapped Tahoe from rolling off a cliff.
Common Scenario: They are used for self recovery while offroading in Colorado and Utah (e.g. Moab)

Zero failures, zero service required, zero parts broken.

 

[Mat Jadamec]

1. Winch Brand: WARN
2. Winch Model: VR w/steel cable
3. Rated Capacity:10K
4. Years Owned: 0
5. Number of times used: 0*
*mechanically installed on TJM bumper with winch mount plate; not electrically connected to battery yet (working up nerve). See 9.
6. Worst case (pending) scenario used: What ever my brother in Maine gets me into, or what I am dumb enough to try at home. Scaring VW Golfs backing up.

7. Common Scenario use: Ditto/See 6. Scaring VW Golfs backing up.
8. Has it ever failed when needed: N/A
9. Has it ever failed: Sort of. See 10.
10. What failed: received with chipped/cracked motor guard cover (jb welded that sucker)
11. Customer Service Experience: Nuetral. Rebate paid for other stuff & shipped model with remote controller. See 10 & 5.
12. Gripes: Received with chipped motor cover/ no idea if it works yet. See 5*.

 

[Box Rocket]

Winch Brand: Warn
Winch Model: 8274-50 (Steel Cable)
Rated Capacity: 8000lb
Years Owned: 7
Number of times used: Dozens
rubi_flex-1 by Adam Tolman, on Flickr

Worst case: I had this winch on my FJ40 and there's a reason it's regarded as one of the worlds best. Worst case for me was probably winching myself and another 40 up the 15' vertical waterfall at the end of Helldorado in Moab. Single line pull for both rigs pulling the entire rig vertically but because of the anchor point was also pulling into the wall. The winch worked great and never struggled.

Common Scenario: a few recoveries like above on difficult trails, majority of recoveries of other vehicles that slid off the road in the winter.

Zero Failures, zero repairs.
JA08cover by Adam Tolman, on Flickr



Winch Brand: ComeUp
Winch Model: Seal Gen2 9.5rs (Synthetic Rope)
Rated Capacity: 9500
Years Owned: 10
Number of times used: Dozens
IMG_2218 by Adam Tolman, on Flickr

Worst Case: Winched 17 different rigs up the waterfall on GoldBarRim in Moab during Cruise Moab. Wasn't a particularly difficult pull but the challege was with the time involved and number of rigs that needed winching, one after another without much time between.

Common Scenario: Only used for self recovery a couple times but winched dozens of other rigs most often from MUD or Snow.

Zero Failures, Zero repairs. This winch was used on my Tacoma for a few years, then my 80 for several years, and is now on my son's minitruck.
IMG_0725 by Adam Tolman, on Flickr

IMG_0714 by Adam Tolman, on Flickr

IMG_6910 by Adam Tolman, on Flickr



Winch Brand: ComeUp
Winch Model: Solo 12.5rs
Rated Capacity: 12,500lbs
Years Owned: 4
Number of times used: 3-4
IMG_7031 by Adam Tolman, on Flickr

Worst Case: Hasn't been used heavily yet but most difficult so far was multiple full line pulls through deep snow across a mountain meadow. Again, the pull itself wasn't difficult but the repeated used over about 30 minutes was a good workout.

Common Scenario: Most often used for minor recoveries to get through a trail obstacle.

Zero Failures, Zero repairs. This is currently on my 80 and replaced my old ComeUp Seal Gen2 9.5rs mentioned above.
NYD Snowrun 2021 by Adam Tolman, on Flickr

IMG_6967 by Adam Tolman, on Flickr

I've owned a couple other Warn winches (M8000) and while I've had good luck with Warn, The ComeUp winches I've had have had more use and have been flawless without a single hiccup. In fact, in most cases I prefer ComeUp to Warn. Reliability and quality has been just as good if not better.

 

[jsnow]

Winch Brand: Comeup
Winch Model: Seal Gen2 9.5
Rated Capacity: 9500
Years Owned: 7
Number of times used: 100+
Worst case scenario used: What was the most extreme thing you had to use the winch for
I use this winch for years and used it hundreds of times to pull myself, and others out when snow wheeling.

Common Scenario use: What is the most common thing you use your winch for? Pulling myself out of snow when stuck.
Has it ever failed when needed: No
Has it ever failed: No
What failed:
Customer Service Experience: Stellar

Winch Brand: Comeup
Winch Model: SOLO 12.5
Rated Capacity: 12.5K
Years Owned: 1.5
Number of times used: 50+
Worst case scenario used: What was the most extreme thing you had to use the winch for? Again, snow wheeling. Pulling myself up the mountainside during a blizzard, where I had 20-30 pulls in a 20 hour period.

Common Scenario use: What is the most common thing you use your winch for? Self recovery
Has it ever failed when needed: No
Has it ever failed: No
What failed:
Customer Service Experience: Stellar