Which winch would you choose?

[Trollhole]

Well, I've decided against the Mile Marker

Even though it has a better listed pull rating for the money, the reviews I've read have been somewhat hit or miss (not a gamble I'm willing ot take)

The WARN M8K is the least expensive of the bunch by a small margin, but at the cost of 1000lbs. less pullin power than the SuperWinch

The EP9.0 looks to be the best bargain of the bunch with 1000 more lbs. of pull and it also comes with a 20k snatchblock


As for the Tabor line, I contacted Warn and requested a spec sheet for each of Tabors a while back and this is what I got for a reply:





I don't mean to sound skeptical, but have a feeling the specs aren't listed for a reason

Let me make sure I'm correct.

You want a cheap, small, light, winch that is reliable for a big heavy 80 series?

Ain't gonna happen. Make sure you have a good snatch block. Your gonna be using it often.

Save your money and get something with some pulling power.

 

[Trollhole]

LOL

Think she can pull the weight of a loaded 80?

I'd love to have the power of a hydraulic, but they do have their drawbacks as well


1) Price (I'm on a budget here)

2) Engine must be running (not good when you take a dive through a deep watercrossing and shut down on purpose to avoid a hydrolock)

3) No Power Steering (there are times when you need to steer around an object instead of the angle of pull)

4) And as Tired iron would say, they don't work upsidedown

1. Save money
2. If you turn your 80 off in high water because your afraid it is going to hydrolock your gonna be in a world of hurt when the water reaches your ECU.
3. My understanding is you still have power steering when using the winch, at least some.
4. That tired old iron was probably not driving a mostly stock 80 with running boards. You roll that I would think the last thing you would be worried about is if the winch still works.

Stay realistic to what your main objective is for the real world.


Truck looks awesome.

 

[98 SNAKE EATER]

Let me make sure I'm correct.

You want a cheap, small, light, winch that is reliable for a big heavy 80 series?

Ain't gonna happen. Make sure you have a good snatch block. Your gonna be using it often.

Save your money and get something with some pulling power.

As much as I'd like to get a high dollar Warn 12k, it's just not in the budget at this time because it will require a lot more than just the winch (new bumper, heavier springs to handle the load, probably a 2nd battery, etc.)

I know many folks that have been happy with an 8k winch on their 80 and I honestly think it will do just fne for my needs (not everyone here plans to winch themselves up a tree)



Anyhoo, after reading Winches in Hell (Moabjeeper Mag) and seeing how well the Superwinch did against the Warn 9.5xp, I ended up placing an order for the EP9.0




Rick

 

[FJBen]

Warn 12K's are out there for cheap. You just have to watch ebay/craigs/etc.

You can pick up a used one for 4-$600 pretty regularly. I'd rather spend $600ish on a used Warn 12K than 500ish on some new other brands. JMHO.

 

[98 SNAKE EATER]

So it finally showed up on Friday

Picked up a channel mount from HF....

Unfortunately, my plans on mounting it upsidedown to raise the fairlead got shot down when I realized the top of the winch would be hanging down an inch without a protection plate

I didn't want the fairlead to stick out and hang low, so I hacked the channel and welded extension tabs on the rear so I could slide it back and bolt it in place using the factory tow hooks

Then I raised the fairlead an inch and drilled another pair of mounting holes...

After bolting up the mount and winch, I chopped the bumper and added some slit-loom around the edges...

As you can see, the fairlead sits flush with the front of the bumper and doesn't hang below it

 

[98 SNAKE EATER]

Here are some wiring pix:

Started off by disassembling the solenoid box and figuring out which wire did what...

Then I mounted the noid bracket in front of the battery...

Then I mocked up my own set of motor cables using 2Ga. welding cable and gold plated terminals...

Then I drilled a pair of holes for the control switch and a main cut-off keyswitch...

The SuperWinch plug has a 4-pin setup, but the switch itself only has 3-pin, so the black wire isn't used....

Since I had a 4 wire conduit line routed back to the solenoid, I used the extra black wire to make a secondary circuit, so when I add an interior switch, it will also work off the same main keyswitch....

I have two empty OEM switch slots, so I'll be adding a pair of 2-way rocker switches (just like the heater switch shown above the slots) to control the winches (one in front and one out back)

 

[latinoguy]

Nice work, like always. How much did the winch set you back? plus all the other accessories to get to your set up? I need to come back to this thread when the time for me to add a winch to my arb bumper comes...

 

[98 SNAKE EATER]

Nice work, like always. How much did the winch set you back? plus all the other accessories to get to your set up? I need to come back to this thread when the time for me to add a winch to my arb bumper comes...

Thanx

Winch was $539.99 + 9.95 for shipping @ WD (comes with a 20k snatch block)

EP9.0 Winch


Got the Channel mount at Harbor Freight for $39.99

Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices


Got the cutoff keyswitch @ HF a while ago when they were on sale for $1.99, but they're $3.99 right now...

Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices


25ft. of 2Ga. tin-shielded welding wire came out to $27 bucks, but I still have about 7ft. left (Skycraft, local electronics surplus store)

The gold plated ring terminals were 25 cents a pop (Skycraft)

Red and Black glue lined heatshrink were $2.25 each for 4-foot lengths (Skycraft)

Rubber cap was 75 cents @ Ace

Assorted zinc coated bolts/washers/nuts/etc. ran a few bucks @ Ace

The male/female terminals and 10Ga. ring terminals were all leftovers in my toolbox



On a sidenote, I owe it all to Pair_of_Eees as he is the one that gave me the idea in this thread

https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-...-bumper-possible-post2994377.html#post2994377

 

[98 SNAKE EATER]

OK, I didn't think it would bother me at first, but after a couple days of use, I got sick of having to unscrew the bumper vent to gain access to the clutch lever...


So yesterday I pulled it, unscrewed the endcap, unbolted the gear assembly and rotated it 90* to the front

I figured while I had it out, I'd shoot the fairlead bracket with bedliner...

Put everything back together and now I'm able grab the lever (just barely) without having to remove the bumper vent...

Then I made a real silly winching boo boo

I wanted to test the speed of a dry pull from the first layer, so I hooked the cable up to a tree, set it to freespool, then started backing up slowly, waiting to see the painted end of the cable (Superwinch paints 10ft. of cable on both ends)

Unfortunately, I didn't realize much of that is taken up on the first layer, so by the time I actually saw some red from the driver's seat, the cable had already been yanked out of the drum

Since the end was frayed, I sliced off about an inch with a chop saw and rethreaded the drum...

Now, SW's idea to mark the cable was a good one, but I don't think painting was the right way to go about doing it

It's already flaking off making a mess and from what I've read, it will be gone after a bit of use....

So, I decided to make my own marker using some red heatshrink and set it out a good 20ft. so I'll know when to stop from the driver's seat....

Stays put and won't flake off

And even though I have like 4 extra red keys in the glovebox, I decided to tether one to the hand controller just to keep it handy....

 

[alia176]

Snake,

Very nice job. Have you thought about installing a light to illuminate the winch drum for night winching? Since you thought about everything else....

 

[98 SNAKE EATER]

Snake,

Very nice job. Have you thought about installing a light to illuminate the winch drum for night winching? Since you thought about everything else....

Holy crap you read my mind

I was actually look at a flexible LED strip earlier today just for that purpose

 

[alia176]

Holy crap you read my mind

I was actually look at a flexible LED strip earlier today just for that purpose

Yup, that's what I was thinking too.

Damn, great minds and all

Very nice install and one that can be done by many if they took the time to check out your install. The oem bumper offers a very nice approach angle and the hidden winch makes this a very nice, streamlined package.

Since you're now looking into a rear winch too, one can only wonder, what in the HELL are you planning on getting into?

 

[the truck doctor]

Very nice install. You just made me some $$$$$!

 

[98 SNAKE EATER]

Thanx guys


The muck around here is pretty deep and in many cases, a front winch won't do much good, so a rear winch is planned as soon as I build a tire swing


Anyhoo, the flexible light strip I was looking at turned out to be an interior accessory with an external power supply that looked kinda dinky

So I picked up a cheap set of sealed white LED driving lights instead

I decided I only needed one (they're bright for what they are), so I took a few minutes and thunk up some mounting options

Ended up hacking an old license plate frame, zip-tied the light to it, then bolted it up behind the bumper using the factory plate holes and carriage bolts

Then I wired it up to the main cut-off switch


Key Off:

Key On:

Key Off:

Key On:

I'l get some night shots as soon as it gets dark

 

[98 SNAKE EATER]

Couple of crappy nightshots

Definitely BRIGHT

 

[alkarich]

Great thread. Nicely finished, looks like you thought of everything.

 

[PabloVTA]

I'm not FEELIN it..post up a vid wwith the horn tootin too!

I woulda thunk yer Horns coulda blasted you out of that muck noproblem..just a little air down and you'd be good to go?

sweet install.

 

[98 SNAKE EATER]

post up a vid wwith the horn tootin too!

YouTube - HORNBLASTING GONE WIRELESS!!
YouTube - Nathan Airchime K3HA Shop Test

 

[alia176]

Umm, can you replace corrugate plastic piping with perhaps a smooth rubber door edge protector? I think it'd look better....

 

[98 SNAKE EATER]

Umm, can you replace corrugate plastic piping with perhaps a smooth rubber door edge protector? I think it'd look better....

I'm actually waiting on a new roll from my supplier

I used black glue lined door edge trim on my Rhino'd fender flares and it worked out nicely, but when I needed it for the fairlead cutout, I barely had enough leftover to cover half of it (which is why I used the slit loom)