Winch Decisions ??

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conviccted

conviccted

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Mar 14, 2009
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What's the best brand and or Lbs rating winch to buy for a fully armored 80 series with a 4" Slee Off Road lift and 315x 75 tires ? I'm running the ARB front bumper,with Kaymar double swing out rear bumper,white Knuckle sliders.
 
Given the wide availability of 8k+ winches now and the heft of the 80, even empty and stock, I would go at least 10k. We run a 12k. If the winch won't see a lot of use, the HF Badlands 12k gives a whole lot of bang for the buck. If it'll see a lot of use, then investing in a Warn if the budget allows might be considered.

A snatch block rated suitably to the winch capacity is always a good idea, as it'll help when you really get over your head in something.
 
i have run several of them and none have been bad. imo if its something you arent going to use all the time then get whatever you want. i like the HF winch and smittybilt but have run high end warn and ramsey winches also. do you need a fast line speed and aren you going to be winching for hundreds of feet? that is the main thing you pay for.
 
IMO a 12K and I've stalled that out snow wheeling even with a snatch block.

I've got about $700 in my Warn with a new synthetic rope. Found it used on Craigslist. Easy to disassemble and clean up.
 
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Does anyone know of a 12k winch that will fit into a slee shortbus?

Christo mentioned other brands of 12k being the same size as a 9.5xp and "might" fit..
 
I run Warn winches on both of mine, but if I was in the market for new I would take a hard look at Comeup. It's a bizarre name, but after checking one out I was definitely intrigued. If I decide to do a rear winch, I'll probably get in touch with Trail Tailor @reevesci about ordering one. I really like the work he's doing, and though I haven't interacted with him personally, I've been impressed from the sidelines and enjoy supporting mud vendors.
 
I've run several brands over the years and currently have a HF 12K mounted on my son's LX with the Shortbus. I also have a Warn 9.5XP sitting in the box that was previously on one of our Rovers just waiting for a new rig to show up in the barn. None of our vehicles live on the trails so use is very limited. I have had zero failures of any brand personally...knock on wood... but have seen others run into problems with various flavors. While not always true, most have been due to operator error like running outside of duty cycles, no snatch blocks, improper routine maintenance and the like. Loads of opinions out there so finding a winch that matches your usage needs paired with pocket depth ($$$). Understanding the limits and recommended operation of your particular unit is probably the most important part of the use as most have subtle nuances that need to be considered while operating.
 
My ComeUp 9.5rs has been awesome. It has pulled my heavy 80 from a few very bad "stucks". Trail Tailor is a forum supporting vendor that sells them. So does Slee Offroad.
Also I know it fits an ARB bumper. Mine's a bit different since I've modified my bumper but a normal ARB winch bumper will work fine with feet forward mounting, you'll just need to clock the clutch handle 90* and there's instructions for how to do that.
 
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These Chinese winches are junk out of the box. My rig came with an Engl 10k new in the box. Besides sounding like it has gravel in the gear box it jammed up internally after 10 or so pulls. I replaced it with a lightly used Warn HS9500i I found on CL for $450. The warn pulled harder and sounds like a sewing machine in comparison.
 
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milemarker60 said:
I've run several brands over the years and currently have a HF 12K mounted on my son's LX with the Shortbus. I also have a Warn 9.5XP...SNIP... I have had zero failures of any brand personally...knock on wood... but have seen others run into problems with various flavors. While not always true, most have been due to operator error like running outside of duty cycles, no snatch blocks, improper routine maintenance and the like. SNIP
Click to expand...

Yeah, for all the talk of cheap Chinese stuff, a winch is a pretty dumb and tough thing, so it usually takes a human to really mess one up. Milemarker's points are good one's to keep in mind, as they're the sort of thing that will fry a Warn of this style just as they will a T-Maxx clone. Doesn't matter where they are born when they're run by dummies.

ALL planetary winches, by design, are somewhat problematic in terms of dissipating heat. The motor is encased to protect it until it needed, so has little to no ventilation. Moving parts are closely packed together to further help it cook. Users think, "I'll run it a couple of minutes, then rest it..." when it'll be red hot maybe by then.

IME, 30 seconds is a long time to run one, even if unloaded, as cable packing/practices with mine have shown that to be true. CAREFULLY get your hand near one periodically as it runs by stopping it to monitor.

Snatch blocks slow things down more, but significantly lighten the load (cooler, but still don't get in a hurry by forgetting the cooling breaks) and generally make things safer if properly rigged.
 
ComeUp Seal GEN2 9.5s about to find a new home in my 60.

Jason

P1110505.webp
 
greentruck said:
ALL planetary winches, by design, are somewhat problematic in terms of dissipating heat. The motor is encased to protect it until it needed, so has little to no ventilation. Moving parts are closely packed together to further help it cook. Users think, "I'll run it a couple of minutes, then rest it..." when it'll be red hot maybe by then.

IME, 30 seconds is a long time to run one, even if unloaded, as cable packing/practices with mine have shown that to be true. CAREFULLY get your hand near one periodically as it runs by stopping it to monitor.

Snatch blocks slow things down more, but significantly lighten the load (cooler, but still don't get in a hurry by forgetting the cooling breaks) and generally make things safer if properly rigged.
Click to expand...

I was just reading an expedition portal writeup where they mentioned warn's new 12k winch having an air pump under the hood to cool the motor..

Said 12k winch ended up literally breaking in half when the Ramsey winch plate flexed.. And the spool managed to get a large dent because it was loaded with synthetic line (warn says synth on 9.5k or less only).. But still, the positive pressure air cooling seemed like a great idea
 
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Box Rocket said:
My ComeUp 9.5rs has been awesome. It has pulled my heavy 80 from a few very bad "stucks". Trail Tailor is a forum supporting vendor that sells them. So does Slee Offroad.
Also I know it fits an ARB bumper. Mine's a bit different since I've modified my bumper but a normal ARB winch bumper will work fine with feet forward mounting, you'll just need to clock the clutch handle 90* and there's instructions for how to do that.
Click to expand...
It tucks in the ARB bumper real good by the look of yours.
 
FWIW I have a T-Max 10k and it's worked well for me. I like that the solenoid control box is completely separate from the motor. This let's you work on it or bypass a solenoid if one goes out.

I winched myself out of this spot:
Going Nowhere Fast!.webp


Then I had to turn around and winch out the four door jeep wrangler behind me. If you look at the picture, I was hung up pretty good and it required a pretty good winch pull both times to get out without much break in between.

In my opinion, if you wheel hard in an 80 you will probably find yourself stuck sooner or later. Just the fact that a lot of harder trails are being run by rigs with 100 inch wheelbase or less. When you get stuck do you really want to bet your safety on a harbor freight winch? I have my fair share of harbor freight stuff, but my recovery straps and snatch block are ARB and my jack is a real HI Lift jack and not a HF farm jack.

If it's a poser winch by all means, go cheap. Just remember that the winch is there for the occasion when all else fails. You will kick yourself if you saved 300 bucks just to have it not work when needed. I would say 10k is the minimum for an 80, 12k would probably be better.
 
FWIW Harbor Freight have the bandland 12K winch on sale for $299 with a coupon.
 
Buy the very best winch you can afford! Often testing is also critical! Winchs are used when things really go to ####!
I have been running Warn and would highly recomend them. My warns would rather break cable all day long versus just up and quit as some winchs do!
 
go m15000 and don't look back :) figure a fully laden 80 is going to be around 7k. i do a lot of deep snow stuff and i don't want a winch to fail at the wrong time, so i make sure i got plenty of pulling power. my 15000 did a sideways pull when both myself and my buddy were stuck here and it didn't even flinch (and yes, that's the angle of the pull)
DSC02341.webp
 
FWIW, In speaking with Ben @slee, the Comeup SealGen 2 9.5 / RS will fit the ShortBus with "a little finesse". I haven't installed one yet but plan to this spring. Water resistant, synthetic rope, wireless remote, sub $1000.
 
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