thoughts on Amazon winches? (1 Viewer)

[wakesetter]

In my never ending quest to be frugal, I was looking at the winches that Amazon offers, there are several brands that look almost identical, but have different details. like the rope colors. Most of the 9500 lb winches are around $300. They claim to be waterproof, and the reviews are mostly good, although I really don't trust Amazon reviews.

Any thoughts or experiences with these winches? I was also looking at the Quadratech winches. I mostly want a winch for getting out of sticky situations while out hunting solo, or maybe pulling a hog out of a lower area, not aggressive rock crawling etc. not that it really makes a difference I guess.

So any thoughts on these bargain winches? A total waste of money? While I am frugal, I don't like to waste money in the attempt to save it either.

Amazon product ASIN B08C9MVS95

 

[wakesetter]

Did a little more reading and found a couple of threads that say they are pretty much rebranded Badlands from HF. Still looking for feedback if anyone has tried one.

 

[John McVicker]

Have no experience with this winch...BUT...it says the rope is 18m long...which is very short, about 56 ft.

 

[wakesetter]

Have no experience with this winch...BUT...it says the rope is 18m long...which is very short, about 56 ft.

I have a rope I can swap out, the reviews say these ropes fray pretty easily anyway.

 

[MountaineerLC]

If I was going to buy a cheap winch I'd go with a Harbor Freight before I'd buy one of the many "unknown" Amazon winches. The HF winches are relatively know quantities and generally have a good reputation, all things considered.

 

[LINUS]

How about cruising the local CL & getting a used Warn?

That’s my default answer to the ‘save money’ business, bonus it you can rebuild & actually get parts/service on old Warns.

Smartest Money IMO.

 

[John McVicker]

^^^
This is excellent advice.

 

[CPACruiser]

I picked up the Rough Country 9500S for 350 this weekend, seems pretty good for the money to be honest. Specs are solid. Other being made in China...

 

[ducktapeguy]

If you need a winch now and want to buy new, the HF winches all seem to get really good reviews. For most people’s needs they would work just as good as anything. But if you aren’t in a rush and don’t mind rebuilding or refurbishing I’d search the classifieds for a used winch like Linus suggested. You can find some really great deals. I’ve bought HF winches for $40, a warn M8000 for $80 W/mounting plate, both of them in working condition. I did tear them open just to inspect the re-grease the gear train, but neither of them needed any additional work. You just have to be really patient and wait for a deal.

 

[Zjohnsonua]

When you need a winch, it needs to work. You're already in a pickle. Do your future self a favor and buy a second hand Warn or Ramsey.

 

[LINUS]

When you need a winch, it needs to work. You're already in a pickle. Do your future self a favor and buy a second hand Warn or Ramsey.

Bingo.

Buying Warn new or used - isn’t like buying a who-zit for the brand.

Warn’s stuff works, at minimum buy one used & grease & seal, inspect the solenoid if older & grease the ring terminals — done deal. Re-grease in ~5-7yrs.

Heck, my Zeon & Provantage were NIB closeouts / bulk ordering mistake I paid 1/2 retail $$.

- beyond that, I just don’t get why people will drop ~$2K on tires with a known 5yr life but not blink.

The winch is there when the tires aren’t enough or even worse situation.

 

[Zjohnsonua]

beyond that, I just don’t get why people will drop ~$2K on tires with a known 5yr life but not blink.

I can't get over how many people don't understand that tires have that age limit.

 

[wakesetter]

I can't get over how many people don't understand that tires have that age limit.

That's why I just bought 4 new 315 tires for $890 OTD last week. I only drive the cruiser about 5k miles per year, if that.

 

[LINUS]

I can't get over how many people don't understand that tires have that age limit.

Total tangent topic, but 100% riding the same ship.

Ozone & UV don’t kill treadwear, they eat the sidewalls & all.


......Just not a fact some choose to learn, and why I buy sticky gumballs I hope I wear before the 5yr mark.

——— Story I posted some 3-4mo back:

I had some small crapbox ‘panic brake’ behind me on I-5 in stop -n- go traffic (dry pavement, sunny day) -a few months back:

me on ~6mo old BFG MT3’s & him on IDK what rubber.

Tundra + 6” lift + 37’s = not small.
I was fully stomping the wide pedal, $75K+ fresh Caddy in front of me doing damn near the same.

Crapbox saw my bumper/drop-hitch/brake lights & put it 18” up the Jersey barrier destroying his bumperskin & I swear lower control arm the way that tire went.

His cocked bumperskin was at a full stop up the barrier right beside my rear tire. He skidded so much I watched him in the rearview mirror/ RR cab glass dropped to hear it & see it.

He was fully disabled as a car from where he stopped.

I just drove away - no contact, no accident.
(Yes, I called the WSP to confirm my legal choice/leaving other car)

High-milage tires are a scam if you don’t really do 25-35K yearly.

 

[ChaseTruck]

Have no experience with this winch...BUT...it says the rope is 18m long...which is very short, about 56 ft.

I've actually cut the rope on my Ramsey 9.5 back to 50 ft. Reason is that I've been mostly doing short pulls to get off or over rocks, and with the short rope I'm closer to the drum when winching. I do carry two rope extensions, though, and I know I will need to reset if I have to do a long pull.
Can't comment on Amazon winches; the HF12k on our '93 has worked when called upon, but basically hasn't seen any action.

 

[LINUS]

I've actually cut the rope on my Ramsey 9.5 back to 50 ft. Reason is that I've been mostly doing short pulls to get off or over rocks, and with the short rope I'm closer to the drum when winching. I do carry two rope extensions, though, and I know I will need to reset if I have to do a long pull.
Can't comment on Amazon winches; the HF12k on our '93 has worked when called upon, but basically hasn't seen any action.

I‘m the exact opposite - winching I’m never in a hurry so I always set a single compound both for slower line speed & greater pull/less strain on the motor & planetary gears.

We all carry that gear anyhow, and a compound setup keeps the 1st 5ft of your rope out of the dirt/faster wear - and a single compound is really quick to set up once you have done it once.

It becomes muscle memory like your favorite 4-5 fishing knots - but faster.
Took me a good 20 tries to snell a egg loop -hook.

:::If::: I ever got a HF or Amazon winch with ~50-75’ of line, I’d always set it up as a compound pull to reduce strain on those winches - I’ve no clue if you can get parts for either of those vendor winches, so when you kill one - AFAIK it’s a boat anchor.

- just my $.02


:edited my crappy spelling:

 

[ChaseTruck]

I‘m the exact opposite - winching I’m never in a hurry so I always set a single compound both for slower line speed & greater pull/less strain on the motor & planetary gears.

We all carry that gear anyhow, and a compound setup keeps the 1st 5ft of your rope out of the dirt/faster wear - and a single compound is really quit to set up once you have done it once.

:::If::: I ever got a HF or Amazon winch with ~50-75’ of line, I’d always set it up as a compound pull to reduce strain on those winches - I’ve no clue if you can get parts for either of those vendor winches, so when you kill one - AFAIK it’s a boat anchor.

- just my $.02

The HF12k was a 'not-fully-committed-to-wheeling-the-80-in-Louisiana-but-best-to-have-something-in-the-front-just-in-case' purchase... now that the '80 lives in AZ and sees more trails, I'd probably go in a different direction.

The Ramsey REP 9.5 was a budget winch from a reputable supplier for my K5 at a time ('06?) when funds were more limited, and it has always worked when called upon.

The '40 has an 8274, and the LX has a M8000; both used. None of those have seen action yet. Both with original solenoid sets;I have contactors on the shelf, just haven't gotten around to installing those.

 

[Godwin]

When you need a winch, it needs to work. You're already in a pickle. Do your future self a favor and buy a second hand Warn or Ramsey.

Exactly. The times I've needed a winch I wanted a brand that had a reliable reputation and cost became irrelevant.

 

[Godwin]

Bingo.

Buying Warn new or used - isn’t like buying a who-zit for the brand.

Warn’s stuff works, at minimum buy one used & grease & seal, inspect the solenoid if older & grease the ring terminals — done deal. Re-grease in ~5-7yrs.

Find a used Warn and rebuild it. This will provide an opportunity to have essentially a good-as-new winch for less money, perhaps improve upon the original with an upgraded motor, and gain an insight on how the winch works. In the last few months I've rebuilt 2 older Warn 8274s for much less than the cost of one new one.

 

[raoulduke101]

I'm fairly certain this is the same basic winch that has been rebranded with slight cosmetic changes by many different Australian suppliers, including Ironman, Ridge Ryder, Carbon, and Runva. If you look closely at the electrical connections and basic design, they all appear to be essentially the same winch. In fact, it appears the Harbor Freight Apex [Edit: Badlands, not Apex] winches might be from the same supplier.

Lots of Aussies use these winches, and they appear to hold up really well. If you search Youtube for winch installation videos, you'll find lots of Aussies installing and testing these winches. Here are a couple examples: