In this thread I'll be documenting the take down and rebuild of a Warn M12000.
Before I begin, I'd like to explain my reasoning for rebuilding a used Warn M12000 vs. simply buying a new Warn, or another much less expensive overseas built brand.
The primary reason why I focused my efforts on a used winch was my desire to rebuild it to gain familiarity with what will become an important part of my vehicle. It also looked like fun.
If I am looking for a used winch, price could be much less of a factor (if I am a smart shopper). Plus there were a few upgrades I wanted to do as part of the rebuild, and that is more cost effective on a used winch vs. buying new and replacing brand new parts.
So now I know I want a used winch, but what brand and size? After doing a ton of research, I couldn't really find anything technical that would sway me one way or another to buy a particular brand. However, one major advantage to Warn is their U.S. based customer service and availability of replacement parts. The only consistent knock to the overseas brands seem to be their customer support. This difference made Warn the platform of choice for my project. Picking a size was the easy part. For my heavy 80 series Land Cruiser (and getting heavier), a 12K winch seemed like the perfect fit. So, off I was to find the ideal Warn M12000.
I had been looking for a long time (several months) to find a used Warn M12000 local to me. Most of the ones I found were slightly used and getting close to the asking price of a new winch , or relatively inexpensive and beat up really bad. One finally came up on Craigslist. Asking price was $450. I confirmed that the winch spooled out and in under power. It also free spooled. I bought it the same day it went up for sale.
I called Warn customer service to identify the year of manufacture from the serial number and date code, and they told me the winch was made in 1993...about 20 years old. If you click on the text under the picture, you can get a larger view and will be able to see the surface wear and some corrosion. As part of the rebuild, all parts, which are reused, will be cleaned and all external parts will be painted.
I'll document the project in multiple posts and probably ask lots of questions along the way.
Before I begin, I'd like to explain my reasoning for rebuilding a used Warn M12000 vs. simply buying a new Warn, or another much less expensive overseas built brand.
The primary reason why I focused my efforts on a used winch was my desire to rebuild it to gain familiarity with what will become an important part of my vehicle. It also looked like fun.
If I am looking for a used winch, price could be much less of a factor (if I am a smart shopper). Plus there were a few upgrades I wanted to do as part of the rebuild, and that is more cost effective on a used winch vs. buying new and replacing brand new parts. So now I know I want a used winch, but what brand and size? After doing a ton of research, I couldn't really find anything technical that would sway me one way or another to buy a particular brand. However, one major advantage to Warn is their U.S. based customer service and availability of replacement parts. The only consistent knock to the overseas brands seem to be their customer support. This difference made Warn the platform of choice for my project. Picking a size was the easy part. For my heavy 80 series Land Cruiser (and getting heavier), a 12K winch seemed like the perfect fit. So, off I was to find the ideal Warn M12000.
I had been looking for a long time (several months) to find a used Warn M12000 local to me. Most of the ones I found were slightly used and getting close to the asking price of a new winch , or relatively inexpensive and beat up really bad. One finally came up on Craigslist. Asking price was $450. I confirmed that the winch spooled out and in under power. It also free spooled. I bought it the same day it went up for sale.
I called Warn customer service to identify the year of manufacture from the serial number and date code, and they told me the winch was made in 1993...about 20 years old. If you click on the text under the picture, you can get a larger view and will be able to see the surface wear and some corrosion. As part of the rebuild, all parts, which are reused, will be cleaned and all external parts will be painted.
I'll document the project in multiple posts and probably ask lots of questions along the way.
