Harbor Freight Winches

[80t0ylc]

I will gladly pay the difference for a 8274-50 for the 78 FPM thats FEET PER MINUTE of free line speed.

Thanks, Aaron, for your valuable contribution in both HF winch threads. Now, do you have any specific examples of Badland winches breaking or maybe, working fine that hasn't already been posted? I think most of us are aware of the 8274's reputation and performance superiority. BTW, that's more valuable info in your sig line.

 

[woody]

can't touch an 8274-50 for speed...or weight...or for the fact that it fits in a rare few aftermarket bumpers

That said, I love both of mine...they are currently $1600

I toured Harbor Freight's quality control office in Los Angeles on Tuesday...impressive. They have one of those $30k phazer dealios that you hold onto metal, push a button, and it tells you the properties.

They have a Rockwell hardness tool...And a ton of other cool tools....and a team of people testing, comparing, retesting, etc on their newest products.

Sri is the manager there, and he took a call from a CUSTOMER in Colorado who had questions about one of their products. A CUSTOMER, not a store manager, etc. Stores are authorized to give his direct number if they have questions or issues.

They had a Badland Winches 3000 that had been salt-bath tested for a years worth of salt...still worked fine...and another 3000 that had been sitting underwater in a fish tank for 3 months...they ran that one for me.

They WILL be testing one or two after letting them sit in wet sand and/or mud for a month or two...I recommended that test


Mine was an early one and the controller has sporadic issues... apparently, the wires inside were cut a bit short and were twisted, creating a possible bad connection if the cord is stretched. They've corrected the issue at manufacturing and current stock should be updated.

 

[Frankencruiser]

Great info. Thanks. What kind of current do these draw? Are the drums strong enough to run synthetic line?

 

[80t0ylc]

Great info. Thanks. What kind of current do these draw? Are the drums strong enough to run synthetic line?

According to the book that came with my Badland 12k, the 1st layer(wrap) wire rope amp draw and line speed extremes for

6k:

0 load: 18.1 fpm; 80 amps
6k load: 8.2 fpm; 225 amps

9k:

0 load: 19.7 fpm; 75 amps
6k load: 8 fpm; 238 amps
9k load: 6 fpm; 312 amps

12k:

0 load: 16.4 fpm; 72 amps
6k load: 9.1 fpm; 198 amps
10k load: 6.1 fpm; 281 amps
12k load: 5 fpm; 320 amps


Can't answer the drum/synthetic line question but the phone # for technical questions is 1-800-444-3353

 

[Frankencruiser]

Perfect I couldn't find that online. It looks like maybe the 9 and 12k have the same motor but a different gearbox? Just trying to decide if I would be better off with a 9k and a snatch block or a 12 k. It seems like in most situations 9k would be plenty, and with low loads might have a little better line speed.

 

[80t0ylc]

Perfect I couldn't find that online. It looks like maybe the 9 and 12k have the same motor but a different gearbox? Just trying to decide if I would be better off with a 9k and a snatch block or a 12 k. It seems like in most situations 9k would be plenty, and with low loads might have a little better line speed.

Close, but they're different motors. The 9k has a 5.5 HP motor and the 12k is a 6 HP. Timing for me, on the 12k was a blessing from above. I was in need of a winch for the 80 'cause I had pulled the 8k Ramsey off and put it on my Mini knowing it was of marginal size for the 80 and it was perfect for the Mini. I browse this section of MUD quite frequently and saw this thread and the prices quoted. Checked my mailer from HF and sure enough, the 12k was in there for $299! I was in Portland the next week and stopped by the HF store on NE Hogan Rd. in Gresham and got the last 12k in the store. They had plenty of 6k's and 9k's left. At that time, if you brought in the coupon, the 12k was actually $50 less than the 9k with a coupon! Go figure - it was OK with me cause with the weight of the 80, you need the beef if your in a jam. For me, line speed is not an issue. The faster no load speeds and slightly faster load speeds of other winches may be important to some folks, but as long as the winch performs reliably to its rating, that's what's important to me.

 

[ERG80]

Close, but they're different motors. The 9k has a 5.5 HP motor and the 12k is a 6 HP. Timing for me, on the 12k was a blessing from above. I was in need a winch for the 80 'cause I had pulled the 8k Ramsey off and put it on my Mini knowing it was of marginal size for the 80 and it was perfect for the Mini. I browse this section of MUD quite frequently and saw this thread and the prices quoted. Checked my mailer from HF and sure enough, the 12k was in there for $299! I was in Portland the next week and stopped by the HF store on NE Hogan Rd. in Gresham and got the last 12k in the store. They had plenty of 6k's and 9k's left. At that time, if you brought in the coupon, the 12k was actually $50 less than the 9k with a coupon! Go figure - it was OK with me cause with the weight of the 80, you need the beef if your in a jam. For me, line speed is not an issue. The faster no load speeds and slightly faster load speeds of other winches may be important to some folks, but as long as the winch performs reliably to its rating, that's what's important to me.

$299? wow!
was it a typical mailer or part of the preferred club? Ive never seen that price for an HF 12k.

 

[80t0ylc]

$299? wow!
was it a typical mailer or part of the preferred club? Ive never seen that price for an HF 12k.

Yup, typical mailer. Check out post #5 on the 1st page of this thread:

I just got a Harbor freight mailer yesterday. Badlands 12000 lb. winch $299.00 on sale.

This was back at the beginning of September. I saw that post and remember thinking - no way! Dug out my mailer and saw the section for their winches, but the 12k wasn't with the others! Furiously rummaged through the rest of the pages of the mailer and found it lurking on the 2nd page, all by itself. Well, this has got to be a mis-print! Going into the store I kinda half expected to get excuses that it was an error. I was so jazzed, I pulled the trigger on a 2 yr replacement (extended warranty) policy for another $50. Figured it would be worth it if I fried it in a tug while it was still new. So I have a 12k with a 2 yr guarantee for $350. I also liked what I was hearing from Woody's experiences near the beginning of this thread. All in all, I think that was what helped me to decide to take the chance.

 

[ERG80]

Yup, typical mailer. Check out post #5 on the 1st page of this thread:


This was back at the beginning of September. I saw that post and remember thinking - no way! Dug out my mailer and saw the section for their winches, but the 12k wasn't with the others! Furiously rummaged through the rest of the pages of the mailer and found it lurking on the 2nd page, all by itself. Well, this has got to be a mis-print! Going into the store I kinda half expected to get excuses that it was an error. I was so jazzed, I pulled the trigger on a 2 yr replacement (extended warranty) policy for another $50. Figured it would be worth it if I fried it in a tug while it was still new. So I have a 12k with a 2 yr guarantee for $350. I also liked what I was hearing from Woody's experiences near the beginning of this thread. All in all, I think that was what helped me to decide to take the chance.

Im only signed up for emails from HF but it sounds like I need to get the mailers too.

Thanks.

 

[ERG80]

It arrived yesterday. Here are some initial pictures.

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I am curious how the fairlead will fit in the ARB. I would love for an exact fit but my guess is I'll maybe have to drill. Hopefully not.

Shack, have you had a chance to install it?

 

[shack]

Shack, have you had a chance to install it?

I haven't had time yet. This weekend is shot too. I have off thurs and fri for thanksgiving so I am going to try to take care of it over the 4 day weekend. Based on previous posts here I'm assuming I am going to need those spacers as well.

I did check the fairlead fit and it does fit in the ARB designated spot nicely. I'm hoping the longer bolts that came with my bumper will fit through the fairlead. I'll be sure to post up when I get it on and any hang ups in between .

 

[ERG80]

I haven't had time yet. This weekend is shot too. I have off thurs and fri for thanksgiving so I am going to try to take care of it over the 4 day weekend. Based on previous posts here I'm assuming I am going to need those spacers as well.

I did check the fairlead fit and it does fit in the ARB designated spot nicely. I'm hoping the longer bolts that came with my bumper will fit through the fairlead. I'll be sure to post up when I get it on and any hang ups in between .

looking forward to it.

 

[80t0ylc]

........ Based on previous posts here I'm assuming I am going to need those spacers as well........

Got mine at a local welding shop. Had them cut from some s*c*r*a*p 1" stock. They said $15 would cover it, so I gave them a $20 and asked them to drill holes centered through the spacers so I didn't wear out my pitiful drill bits. I'd recommend that you paint them before you install. Mine are starting to rust, which is no big problem, but might as well keep the rust demons from getting a foothold.

........I did check the fairlead fit and it does fit in the ARB designated spot nicely. I'm hoping the longer bolts that came with my bumper will fit through the fairlead. I'll be sure to post up when I get it on and any hang ups in between .

Glad to hear it! If the holes line up between the fairlead and bumper, that's half the battle. Never checked the fit on the HF supplied fairlead on my ARB since I already had the Warn fairlead. I'm sure those long bolts supplied by ARB will fit. IIRC, they also supplied Nylock nuts, Remember to just cinch them tight enough to see threads past the nylon. Make sure that your vertical rollers spin freely. Good luck!

 

[shack]

Here are pictures of my install. I had to remove the solenoid brackets and drill new holes in order to mount it where I did. My friends and I debated other spots for mounting and this was the easiest to do with the tools we had.

All I have remaining to do is replace the bolts that mount the solenoid pack to the brackets so that they do not interfere with the cable when it is in use. Right now the bolts are touching the cable just a tad. So I will take the cover off the pack, pull the bracket bolts off, replace with new flat or curved bolts and put them in reverse so that the nut is on the inside of the pack.

The fairlead required drilling to line up with the ARB for both the fairlead bolt mount and the 2 top bolts of the winch.

 

[80t0ylc]

Here are pictures of my install. I had to remove the solenoid brackets and drill new holes in order to mount it where I did. My friends and I debated other spots for mounting and this was the easiest to do with the tools we had.

All I have remaining to do is replace the bolts that mount the solenoid pack to the brackets so that they do not interfere with the cable when it is in use. Right now the bolts are touching the cable just a tad. So I will take the cover off the pack, pull the bracket bolts off, replace with new flat or curved bolts and put them in reverse so that the nut is on the inside of the pack.......

Not a bad idea using some large nuts as spacers, but the clearance between your grill and solenoid pack looks like a bad idea, IMHO. Yeah, you'll not want to use your winch until you get those bolts out of the way. Wire rope does not always stack up neat & even under load - 2nd reason I don't like that location (even with factory brackets that encourage it). Lastly, the wires seemed to be unnecessarily exposed underneath, IMO, when mounted there. I lucked out where mine is mounted - it just works. The wire length and dressing the wires, to keep them neat and protected, turned out better than I first expected. And the connector for the remote is very accessible.
Top view, directly over solenoid pack:

Some more top view pix:

Look at the space between grill and winch with out the pack on the winch:

Some bottom view of wire routing

............The fairlead required drilling to line up with the ARB for both the fairlead bolt mount and the 2 top bolts of the winch.

You don't need those bolts just above the bottom winch bolts on your fairlead. The winch bolts plus the long roller bolts are fine to hold and support your fairlead. I can't recall if my Warn fairlead came with those lower holes pre-drilled. It's been 10 yrs since it was first mounted. Take your time and think this out. You want an installation that will serve you well and not be a hassle when you go to use it.

 

[shack]

Tom I agree with you on the clearence of the wires based on my mount location. I'm probably going to redesign it at some point especially when I add a second battery down the road. I also still need to zip tie everything up nicely. The picture where you can see the space between the pack and the solenioid is somewhat deceiving because their is a lot more then it appears to show.

I may end up moving it up to the grill like you did. I like the idea of it just being at a higher location in general. You can't beat this site for ideas when it comes to projects on these rigs. That's why I love looking at what other people have done. My buddy who helped me had the idea of moving the pack inside the engine bay(to the space between the battery and headlight), removing the controller connection, sealing that hole on the solenoid and then mounting the winch control input somewhere on the bumper via drilling of course. So that is another idea we were throwing around.

 

[80t0ylc]

Yeah Shack, I like the idea myself, of locating the solenoid pack in the engine bay or even behind the grill. Be more protected and more out of the elements. Didn't want to mod the wiring yet. Maybe a project for the future. I agree about this forum being a great resource for help and ideas!

 

[Rwhat]

I need to relocate my solenoid box. Any idea what size wire gauge its running?

 

[80t0ylc]

I need to relocate my solenoid box. Any idea what size wire gauge its running?

According to my Badland operator's guide, the 9K and 12K winches use 3.5 gauge for the battery cables and the solenoid cables look to be the same. Didn't know they made wire gauges in between. Might be metric instead of AWG. IMHO, I'd drop down to straight 3 gauge or the next larger gauge size.

BTW, the 6K winch specs are also in this manual and it uses 5 gauge.

 

[ERG80]

Shack, 80t0ylc, or anyone with an 80 series and ARB with Harbor Freight 12k.I recently got a wrecked ARB and because of the damage Ive cut the side wings off. Currently its just the middle winch cradle. I'm wondering how much of it i can trim off to move the whole cradle back and still be able to fit a winch.