Meet "Fat Amy" my Amazon Green 200 Series

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Agree with Rick. Get a smaller winch (read Warn) and save weight and cost for occasional use. Throw a good quality snatch block in your kit for that time when you were "really stuck".
 
Yeah, but here's the thing, the Warn 9.5 with synthetic line is over $1000 more expensive (nearly $1800 with synthetic line). And again, this will only be used occasionally. I just can't justify the cost. I realize the WARN carries alot of weight (literally and figuratively speaking), but that's just too much dough. If @ntsaint and @wngrog are happy with their's I think I would be just as happy with mine.

The cheaper WARNS are made in China (assembled in the US) anyways, so its not like the VR series are going to be any better (certainly not as nice when you compare features)
 
My use so far has been extremely limited, and will likely always be. I was back/forth for a while on getting the Warn, but in the end it boiled down to cost/benefit for me. If I'm being honest, I'm more likely to pull shrubs or winch an ATV out of mud with my winch than i am to need the winch to recover my 100. I just won't put my 100 in those type spots, for a number of reasons. If i ever do, and the winch fails, well them I'm S out of luck. I did do a quick winch test every time i went out last week though, for peace of mind...because I know that i went the cheap route on the winch.
 
I was gung-ho about my Smittybilt XRC-8000... until it failed. It was slow and noisy as hell, but it worked. For several years at least.

If you go the cheap route, buy some spare solenoids at the time of purchase. The cheaper brands are likely not to support their products and make spare parts for long as they tend to make design changes or at least change Chinese suppliers more often.

Solenoids can fail on any winch though - I've had a Warn with bad solenoids.

If I can fix this one, I'll keep using it.
 
The Smitty works still on the 60 but it's a pos.

I'd get a WARN based winch. Does not need to he name brand but that style.

The RAMSEY based worm drive type are annoying as hell. Slow. Loud.
 
@wct49 Well, you know that was always one of my first choices. I am still considering a ComeUp Gen2 SEAL. And the price you quoted me was nice too. If I get you to order it, can you have it shipped to my residence?

Bossman, I don't think 8k will be enough; I don't want to rely on a snatchblock either. The 9.5k would be the minimum for a truck that will be close to 7000# fully equipped. I think I saw somewhere where Slee doesn't put anything less than 9.5k on a 200.
 
Your rig, your money. FYI - my 80 rigged out for AK was 7600# without passengers. I ran an M8000 and never needed a snatch block. Got bad stuck in the river silt one time and had to work it but it got me through. Only other problem I had was when the control box rotated and grounded the power lug. 5 min fix once I figured out what had happened.
 
Just curious. How do you see yourself using this truck? It has been my experience that in most situations requiring a winch, outside of serious mud bogging, the winch really only needs to "help" the truck over whatever obstacle is impeding forward progress. If you accept that, how ofter are you planning on being stuck so badly that you might actually have to take the extra 5 minutes to rig up a snatch block?
 
Bossman said:
Your rig, your money. FYI - my 80 rigged out for AK was 7600# without passengers. I ran an M8000 and never needed a snatch block. Got bad stuck in the river silt one time and had to work it but it got me through. Only other problem I had was when the control box rotated and grounded the power lug. 5 min fix once I figured out what had happened.
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You are making me rethink everything. Ive always thought the more winch the better. Bessie is running a M12000 and its been well used...
 
Oh, I don't disagree on a serious trail rig. Using a snatch block cuts your available line length in half; cuts tecovery speed in half; using it often justifies the extra weight; I even prefer cable to silly string on a trail rig. For AK I was fighting a serious problem with the weight of my rig both for wheeling in AK and for the trailer journey there and back. Ultimately my decision was to go with the M8000, a good snatch block, synthetic rope, and extensions I could add if necessary. It wasn't. And, when I got it back home, the wheeling I was likely to do with it didn't require more than an 8K and the weight savings of the rope made sense to me.

I actually could have mounted the Warn 12,000 from my father in laws F350 for the trip but opted not to. Then again, I hauled a loaded 80 to Moab on a light duty trailer so there is that...
 
Bossman said:
Then again, I hauled a loaded 80 to Moab on a light duty trailer so there is that...
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If you are Bossman you bitch-slap physics.
 
When I bought my Warn 9.5XP it was less than $1K, now they are more like $1400, so I understand your unwillingness to spend the money. What I like most about my Warn is line speed. When you need a winch badly, everyone is stressed out. Loaded line speed makes a difference. I think the only Warn that beats it on speed is the 8274.

Since Fat Amy also a DD, I'd definitely go with synth line to save 50lbs of weight. As Bossman pointed out, in most situations you'll put Amy in will only require a little bump from the winch, you won't need full on "Slee capacity"... at least not until your are doing Slammer or Ingrid's at HSORV.
 
After being around winches that didn't work when needed. I will only buy WARN. It is insurance.....when you need it you better hope you made the right choices b/c you only get one chance.

I mean hell you 2 bucket the paint but you are going to 1/2 bucket the winch? Might as well get Ling Long tires next.
 
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