Which Winch? (1 Viewer)

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I had a bad experience with an M10000 which couldn't pull me out of a nasty spot in a very remote desert location so I've just fitted the Warn 16.5 to the same ARB bar you have....Fits well.
If they made a 20,000lb winch I would have fitted that.....

Really, you can't have too much winch although note that ARB only rate that bar up to a winch capacity of 10,000.
 
Thanks Jason.
Your picture is worth a thousand words, looks like a spot I would put my self in.

Actually Warn is built in Oregon and about 10 miles from my house, so shipping is Nada.
 
Buy the biggest you can afford, Warn is the only way to go as far as we are concerned. Whatever OTHER winch you are looking at, you'll compare to a Warn. Might as well get a Warn....

The VR series is a great entry level winch if you'll only need it occasionally, maybe once a year?

Get something bigger, more expensive if you want something to use and abuse for years to come!

We just exchanged our VR10000 for a M12000! :doh:
 
After reading this I think I'm gonna go with this.
 
whereischadjones said:
Oops! Sorry.
Click to expand...

No Worries. Like I said, I wish they had it, because I plan to order some sliders from there near the end of February. Would be great to get both at the same time. I have to get my dual battery setup done first so that I have plenty of power to run it/
 
Ya I like the VR-S series with the 3/8" synthetic line. But the experts at ARB who know their stuff say no to the Hawse fairlead. Surprised the roller fairlead was designed as to be a mechanical integrity piece of the bumper but that's what it is.

From ARB;

Your bumper was originally designed for a large frame Warn winch (M12,000) and fitting a small frame winch like the VR10000 is possible, but you’ll need to space the winch back from the mounting face to gain the needed motor clearance for the smaller model. I would expect a ½ spacer or similar will be needed. I would also suggest running Delrin (nylon) rollers in a roller fairlead as the front of that bumper uses a traditional roller fairlead support that is integral to the structural integrity of the winch mount itself. Hawse fairleads do not fit well and offer zero reinforcement to work with the bumper design.
 
greentruck said:
No matter how good a warranty is, you're not gonna be able to make a claim on it out there in Stucksville.:p
Click to expand...

EXACTLY I really do not get the "get a cheap winch with a warranty" point of view. I would rather pay more for a winch brand that is proven. So what if they will fix it for free, you are still stuck in the woods with a broken winch!!!! These things do not break sitting in the driveway.

Guys here bragging how many times they had a winch fixed under warranty. Both my Warn and Viper are going strong without 1 repair on either. The Warn also gets used on the trailer all the time.

Just my OPINION
 
Slow and steady all day long..

Depends on the type of wheeling you will see the majority of the time... but I love my 10,500lbs hydraulic. I had it on a Land Rover for 11 years.. took it off and bolted it onto the FZJ 80 and it still runs great.

http://milemarker.com/products/hydraulic-winches/hi-series#v12

Obvious drawback is the truck has to be running. But the benefits are you never have to let it cool and it will pull all day.
 
JonesysOffroad said:
Whatever OTHER winch you are looking at, you'll compare to a Warn.
Click to expand...

Ever wonder why that is? A good marketing campaign. A good marketing campaign can give the illusion of it being the "best" product in the market while all other brands are inferior. Warn has become a household brand in the offroad world. Not because it's better than others, but because it's the only name you hear. The Warn brand in the offroad market is what Samsung is to electronics.

Winches all come from the same place and they all have the same basic technology and components. The difference is people equate "quality" with a higher price and pretty casings. There is a lot of feedback and winch tests to prove this is not the case anymore. You don't have to spend double or triple to get a reliable winch. What you're paying for is the name brand, nothing more. This is no different than designer clothes and shoes.
 
Have you considered going with front and rear winches?

After having my Superwinch EP9.0 winch for a few years, I've found my biggest issue was not with the pulling power of the winch itself, but the winch position :hmm:

winchplatenitelight4.JPG



It seemed that whenever I got myself into trouble, a rear mounted winch would've helped me more, so I eventually mounted a Husky 10 out back :)

winchnoidinstall9.JPG



If given the choice, with the amount of money needed to get a Warn 12k, I would prefer to get a pair of smaller winches and a couple of snatch blocks :cool:


Yes, an M12 will most definitely have more pulling power, but keep in mind that an M12 running at full capacity will eat up a ton of juice, so plan on a dual batt setup if you don't have one already :meh:

Add the extra weight of an M12, a big bumper to support it, an extra battery and sure enough you'll have to get HD coils to keep your front end from sagging :doh:
 
Like most others in this thread have said...go big! At least 12k lbs. When I bought my M8000, I thought that would be plenty, and if it wasnt I could always hook up a snatch block and double my pulling power. In maybe 90% of situations..that would work but after burying my wifes 100 in a snow bank (thought I could break through) the M8000 on my 80 really struggled pulling her out. It was freezing cold, snowing, and my fingers were really numb so hooking up a snatch block was out, plus she was pretty pissed and wanted out ASAP. What took 20 min with the 8000 would have been 5 minutes or less with a larger winch. Needless to say...I think the M8000 might get mounted to the rear bumper and a new 12000 is going up front.
 
NCFJ said:
EXACTLY I really do not get the "get a cheap winch with a warranty" point of view. I would rather pay more for a winch brand that is proven. So what if they will fix it for free, you are still stuck in the woods with a broken winch!!!! These things do not break sitting in the driveway.

Guys here bragging how many times they had a winch fixed under warranty. Both my Warn and Viper are going strong without 1 repair on either. The Warn also gets used on the trailer all the time.

Just my OPINION
Click to expand...

True, don't go on warranty or price alone.

On the other hand, a winch is a simple thing. Getting it right isn't rocket science, just good basic engineering. How else did the HF Badlands winch manage to do so well in recent winch-to-winch comparisons? It's not because the Chinese have some new winch technology, just are able to execute building a winch effectively.

My comment was really more about operator error, specifically being careful to not overheat planetary gear design winches. Doesn't matter how fancy a price, how good a warranty, or how well-made, if you spool it into a bubbling mass of smoking alloy, it's gonna break.
 
WillT said:
Ya I like the VR-S series with the 3/8" synthetic line. But the experts at ARB who know their stuff say no to the Hawse fairlead. Surprised the roller fairlead was designed as to be a mechanical integrity piece of the bumper but that's what it is.

From ARB;

Your bumper was originally designed for a large frame Warn winch (M12,000) and fitting a small frame winch like the VR10000 is possible, but you’ll need to space the winch back from the mounting face to gain the needed motor clearance for the smaller model. I would expect a ½ spacer or similar will be needed. I would also suggest running Delrin (nylon) rollers in a roller fairlead as the front of that bumper uses a traditional roller fairlead support that is integral to the structural integrity of the winch mount itself. Hawse fairleads do not fit well and offer zero reinforcement to work with the bumper design.
Click to expand...


Another update from ARB Tech. These guys are really great, honest and responsive.




The VR is a decent winch really, the issue is these bumpers were designed so long ago that they were originally spec’d with the old large frame M10K (now the M12) due to the weight of a fully loaded cruiser. That spacer setup is pretty much needed with any of the small frame Warn winches so unless you go all the way to an M12,000 you be in the same boat. As for the fairlead support those are a bit of an old design as well when everything ran steel and rollers were preferred. If it were me I’d run the VR and make some spacers as needed then swap to nylon rollers like the ones at the link below.






http://www.4wheelparts.com/Durable-Polyurethane-Fairlead-Rope-Rollers-for-Synthetic-Rope.aspx?t_pn=dayku70054re&utm_source=google&utm_medium=froogle&utm_campaign=product&emlprox=out&ppcfon=1&gclid=CKbrwa7tiL0CFa07MgodzkQA7Q
 
I bought a Ruff Country RS12000S from a guy on ebay called thewinchmaster.
It is 12k, 6hp motor, 85ft. 3/8 synthetic line, wired and remote controls, hawse fairlead, and all mounting hardware NEW for 375 shipped. It's the best deal I have found for a 12k winch with synthetic line shipped.

Now to me it looks just like the Engo winches out there and is probably made in the same plant. Would I have liked a Warn 12k winch? Yes, was the cost difference worth it to me? Not at all for the type of wheeling I do. I'm not wheeling where I'm going to die from the elements or have to walk a hundred miles to get back to civilization.
 
CruiserDave said:
I bought a Ruff Country RS12000S from a guy on ebay called thewinchmaster.
It is 12k, 6hp motor, 85ft. 3/8 synthetic line, wired and remote controls, hawse fairlead, and all mounting hardware NEW for 375 shipped. It's the best deal I have found for a 12k winch with synthetic line shipped.

Now to me it looks just like the Engo winches out there and is probably made in the same plant. Would I have liked a Warn 12k winch? Yes, was the cost difference worth it to me? Not at all for the type of wheeling I do. I'm not wheeling where I'm going to die from the elements or have to walk a hundred miles to get back to civilization.
Click to expand...

Damn, that is the best price I have heard of especially with the synthetic line included. Might have to look him up.
:)
 
Yeah it really was the best price I could find. I was skeptical at first thinking it would be defective or something, but it works perfect and has given me no problems at all. I'm happy with the purchase.
 
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