I've had 3 different Badlands winches on three different trucks. No issues with any of them and yes, I used them quite a bit. They aren't the fastest, but they've pulled everything I've ever hooked to them.
Pros and cons on Harbor Freight's 12,000 lbs Bad Land winch (2 Viewers)
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In my opinion, if you have a winch it's wise to practice with it. In that sense, it's like a firearm. If you get into a situation where you need to use your winch, and you haven't ever used it, or it's been 5 years and you've only used it once, you are far more likely to get hurt or hurt someone else than if you had been practicing with it regularly.
I realize this doesn't answer the question about whether to buy a Badlands winch, but many posters here are talking about very infrequent use. I don't use my winch often, either, but I do spool out the line and inspect it every few months, and I try to use it every time I go out wheeling just for practice and to keep it and myself in shape for the next recovery.
It's nerve racking when your buddy's rig looks like it's about to tip and you have to rush to get your line out and set up. In that moment, it's best if the use of the winch and doing so safely is something you are familiar with. There are a ton of great videos on YouTube about safe winch use - not that watching videos is a good substitute for actual use and practice.
My own short take away from my own very limited winch use is: Put on gloves and goggles, slow down, think through what happens in the event the line breaks.
I realize this doesn't answer the question about whether to buy a Badlands winch, but many posters here are talking about very infrequent use. I don't use my winch often, either, but I do spool out the line and inspect it every few months, and I try to use it every time I go out wheeling just for practice and to keep it and myself in shape for the next recovery.
It's nerve racking when your buddy's rig looks like it's about to tip and you have to rush to get your line out and set up. In that moment, it's best if the use of the winch and doing so safely is something you are familiar with. There are a ton of great videos on YouTube about safe winch use - not that watching videos is a good substitute for actual use and practice.
My own short take away from my own very limited winch use is: Put on gloves and goggles, slow down, think through what happens in the event the line breaks.
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The 5% duty cycle on Badlands is a pretty major deterrent for many people.
However, it is also dependent upon the load you are using in relationship to the capacity of the winch.
Pulling 12,000lbs with a 12K winch, you are using it at full capacity therefore that 5% duty cycle will make a huge difference than if pulling half of the weight for more than the time allowed in the 5% duty cycle.
The motor will not get as hot with a lighter load.
In a load free scenario the motor can be on for a long time before it will get hot and require a break. Of course this is the other end of the extreme situations.
However, it is also dependent upon the load you are using in relationship to the capacity of the winch.
Pulling 12,000lbs with a 12K winch, you are using it at full capacity therefore that 5% duty cycle will make a huge difference than if pulling half of the weight for more than the time allowed in the 5% duty cycle.
The motor will not get as hot with a lighter load.
In a load free scenario the motor can be on for a long time before it will get hot and require a break. Of course this is the other end of the extreme situations.
My 90 day warranty still works 10 years later.
Go buy your $1000 winch and park at Starbucks.
Go buy your $1000 winch and park at Starbucks.
You mean your WINCH still works 10 years later? 'Cause the warranty expired 9 yrs. and 9 months ago.
Point being...the manufacturer themselves must not have much confidence in the product.
My winch is a Warn 8274 bought new in 1983 has many hundreds of hours of use on it.
And it is parked on a working Cattle Ranch. We don't wear pink panties or have man buns around here.
I've never set foot inside a Starbucks nor even been on their parking lot.
Thanks for the info, so a sub 6k lb Tundra would be fine, I'd guess.
I ordered it and the wireless controller. 357.56 shipped.
What about synthetic vs the steel it comes with and why are Warn 400+ and there are others for under 100?
Should I get a synthetic and if so where can I get a usable one for less than the cost of the winch?
TIA
What about synthetic vs the steel it comes with and why are Warn 400+ and there are others for under 100?
Should I get a synthetic and if so where can I get a usable one for less than the cost of the winch?
TIA
You mean your WINCH still works 10 years later? 'Cause the warranty expired 9 yrs. and 9 months ago.
Point being...the manufacturer themselves must not have much confidence in the product.
My winch is a Warn 8274 bought new in 1983 has many hundreds of hours of use on it.
And it is parked on a working Cattle Ranch. We don't wear pink panties or have man buns around here.
I've never set foot inside a Starbucks nor even been on their parking lot.
Yes, warns are great winches and have owned them in the past. But just because Harbor Freight winches are “cheap” I’ve yet been stumped with its performance. I am a regular weekend warrior on the trails, which are no fireroads by any means. I use my winch to help save me money from doing stupid stuff like break things and help others in need of my tow service.
And all I can say is this winch works. It’s slow, yes. Sound like a bag of rocks, check. Works every time in need.....YES.
jvazquez53
El Tractor
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Warn 8274 is THE BEST winch hands down! Basic design hasn't changed in over 60 years. Whoever have one, keep it!
This is pretty impressive.
Dude, congratulations. You're obviously the greatest man alive.
Why not go middle of the road with a Smittybilt H20. I got mine a year ago. It was on sale, on a free tax weekend, and with free shipping to the door. If it took a dump my next trip out I’d still get another one as I’ve put it thru it’s paces.
Obviously.
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jvazquez53
El Tractor
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The 8274 was "THE WINCH" when almost no one had a winch, specially now that 90% have them and probably never use them... Even today is as expensive than 40 years ago. Warn 38631 M8274-50 Self-Recovery Winch DAC 12748386315 | eBay
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A buddy and I I've got a Badlands 12000 on a car hauler trailer. so far it's great. It's helped us get a few vehicles on the trailer and it's affordable. I would consider one on a Land cruiser because it's not something I would see myself using everyday but then again this is something that if you need to have it work you want to work 100% of the time so it's a tough decision at the end of the day. So far the Badlands hasn't let us down.
s***tybuilt here, pulled loaded brodozers bury axle deep in sand, different vehicles of different sizes from relatively mild situations. Finally used on myself and pulled the 6000lb pig up 30% slope and out of mud pits deeper than the axles. So far pretty impressed with the power, speed and holding up just fine it seems.
Excellent application for the winch. I'm not bashing anyone's winch as I'm really not a Winch Snob as some might perceive. I'm simply pragmatic. The BadLands winch can/should work great for those using it within the confines of its engineered design.
Now that the winch has been out for awhile and folks have burned up a bunch of them (OPERATOR ERROR) it has been realized that the 5% duty cycle * is something that is best adhered to and the winch is slowly gaining a better reputation.
Now...I have no doubt you can exceed that duty cycle somewhat and still have the winch work. IF your typical expected use allows for 45 seconds of operation and you have the luxury of waiting 15 minutes (cool down time), then you should be fine and it 'should' serve you well. For many folks that is just the ticket. Under those conditions...it remains quite the value.
For those who use a winch infrequently ANY winch might do. So 'application' is key when making a decision to purchase a winch. I rarely use my winch for Self Recovery (though I definitely have). In my case, the winch is used for operations around the Ranch. I NEED 150' cable (and more sometimes), I NEED to be able to winch for minutes at a time and I DON'T need for everyone to be standing around for 15 minutes waiting for it to cool off. But...my needs are different than others.
The warranty is not really that big of deal. My 8274 was bought new and had the standard 1 year warranty. The BadLands has a 90 day warranty and as long as you use it before that expires....you should be able to determine if there are any defects. Some folks will never use their winch before the warranty has expired (and I don't mean just spooling it in and out in your driveway) .
Lastly, some folks (perhaps many) are simply 'accessory' driven. Got to 'fill that hole in the bumper'... and who knows...they might actually have to drag a log off a trail once every 5 years. In which case....buy whatever you like. They will all work for those purposes and there is nothing wrong with that. Most other folks are somewhere in between the two extremes of mild/infrequent use and those who use a winch often (and possibly in severe circumstances).
Bottom line: Choose wisely, consider your worst case scenario for the winch and then purchase accordingly.
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Box Rocket
SILVER Star
There are lots of winch options out there with lots of different price points. Regardless of cost, reliability is priority #1 IMO when it comes to winches. I hear a lot of people justify cheap winches because they think they won't even use it much and they don't run difficult trails so they don't need anything "special". I've seen several situations over the years that happened to people who were just on fire roads, not some difficult trail or deep mud hole. But they had slid off the road just enough to be in a precarious spot with a steep drop to the canyon below. Would have rolled multiple times without a doubt had the truck gone over. These situations are the kind that are more common that one would think. These are the times that can be actual life or death situations. I'm not trying to be over-dramatic but it's reality. A reliable winch to get you back onto a safe position can make the difference between having a good story and having a horrible one that can involve people close to you.
I don't want to find myself suprised by one of those situations and not have complete confidence in my winch. I don't want to wonder if my "cheap" winch is going to work or not, whether it is going to overheat mid pull. I want my winch to work 100% of time time so I'll spend what I need to to get a winch that has the best chance of being that reliable. For me, that's ComeUp or Warn, and that's it.
I don't want to find myself suprised by one of those situations and not have complete confidence in my winch. I don't want to wonder if my "cheap" winch is going to work or not, whether it is going to overheat mid pull. I want my winch to work 100% of time time so I'll spend what I need to to get a winch that has the best chance of being that reliable. For me, that's ComeUp or Warn, and that's it.
