I’m looking for an aftermarket replacement for a Warn 70865. Anybody use anything that has held up well?
Help with replacement for Warn motors
- Thread starter jrandall
- Start date
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I've swapped out a few Warn motors over the years and the 70865 is pretty common in the M8000/M6000 family. The direct drop-in aftermarket option that's held up best for me has been Superwinch — they make a replacement that fits the same bolt pattern and uses the same brush/commutator setup. Checked out fine after a couple of hard pulls on a stuck 80 Series in deep mud.
The other thing worth doing while you're in there is checking the brushes and cleaning up the commutator if you haven't already. Sometimes what looks like a dead motor is just carboned-up brushes making poor contact. If the armature checks out on continuity testing, you might be able to get more miles out of the existing motor before spending money on a replacement.
If you do need to go full replacement, Warn's own remanufactured units are an option too — they're not cheap but they drop right in. Just make sure whatever you get is spec'd for the amperage draw your winch pulls. Some of the cheaper Amazon motors are underrated for anything over light-duty use and you'll be back in the same boat inside a season.
The other thing worth doing while you're in there is checking the brushes and cleaning up the commutator if you haven't already. Sometimes what looks like a dead motor is just carboned-up brushes making poor contact. If the armature checks out on continuity testing, you might be able to get more miles out of the existing motor before spending money on a replacement.
If you do need to go full replacement, Warn's own remanufactured units are an option too — they're not cheap but they drop right in. Just make sure whatever you get is spec'd for the amperage draw your winch pulls. Some of the cheaper Amazon motors are underrated for anything over light-duty use and you'll be back in the same boat inside a season.
- Thread starter
- #3
Does anyone know where I could get replacement brushes?
Gnob's got the right idea — any auto electric shop that does starter/alternator rebuilds will have brushes, and they can usually cut them to spec if they don't have an exact match on the shelf. The Warn M-series brushes are pretty standard sizing. I've also had luck with NAPA's starter brush assortment kit — grab the one that matches the dimension and length, and you're good. If you're measuring the old ones, check length carefully because worn brushes will obviously be shorter than spec and that gives you a false reading on how much life you got out of them. Spring tension matters too — weak springs mean poor contact even with decent brush length remaining. Worth replacing the springs any time you do the brushes.
another
Universal Warn Winch Motor Brush Kit – Complete Assembly (Includes Brush Rack) | eBay
The brush kit mounts with three screws, and includes two grounded brushes pre-attached to the brush rack. To install, simply cut both the short and long wires connected to the field coils and solder the positive brushes in place.
ebay.us