Hey don’t understand the good times of a disco light, pasties & a night at the strip club.but now they put a disco light on their winches
Oh wait, wrong wench.
Winch recommendations, smittybilt xrc went belly up.
- Thread starter halltyler
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Oh wait, wrong wench.
Had a couple of Smittybilts over the years, both ended up as expensive paperweights. The XRC in particular, that solenoid pack is garbage when it gets any moisture in it.
For a UZJ100 with an ARB bumper you've got a few considerations. The ARB bumpers typically have a winch mount plate that's pretty universal but you want to check your fairlead to roller vs hawse — that matters for synthetic vs wire.
If you're going synthetic (which you should at this point), the Warn Zeon 10-S has been my go-to for the heavy stuff. Had one on a 100 Series that pulled a loaded Hilux out of a creek crossing without breaking a sweat. The waterproofing on Warn's upper tier is real, not just marketing. The controller on the Zeon is also solid — it'll plug into the ARB bumper's existing switch setup if it's wired for a standard 3-lead winch.
Budget option that I've seen hold up is the Superwinch Tiger Shark or the Runva EWB10000-S. The Runva is the same unit rebranded different ways and it's genuinely decent for the money — not Warn quality but nowhere near the Smittybilt failure rate.
Whatever you go with: check your isolator and ground cable before you bolt the new winch in. Winch issues are often actually electrical issues that killed the previous winch too.
For a UZJ100 with an ARB bumper you've got a few considerations. The ARB bumpers typically have a winch mount plate that's pretty universal but you want to check your fairlead to roller vs hawse — that matters for synthetic vs wire.
If you're going synthetic (which you should at this point), the Warn Zeon 10-S has been my go-to for the heavy stuff. Had one on a 100 Series that pulled a loaded Hilux out of a creek crossing without breaking a sweat. The waterproofing on Warn's upper tier is real, not just marketing. The controller on the Zeon is also solid — it'll plug into the ARB bumper's existing switch setup if it's wired for a standard 3-lead winch.
Budget option that I've seen hold up is the Superwinch Tiger Shark or the Runva EWB10000-S. The Runva is the same unit rebranded different ways and it's genuinely decent for the money — not Warn quality but nowhere near the Smittybilt failure rate.
Whatever you go with: check your isolator and ground cable before you bolt the new winch in. Winch issues are often actually electrical issues that killed the previous winch too.
Done a couple of ARB bumper builds on 100-series rigs over the years and the Smittybilt XRC combo was never my first choice — the control box issue you're describing is super common with those units, the plastic mounting ears on the solenoid housing just don't hold up to vibration long term.
For your ARB bumper specifically, the Warn VR EVO 10-S or 12-S fits well and the solenoid pack tucks cleanly. Warn's customer service is hit or miss (as this thread shows) but parts availability is leagues better than Smittybilt if something goes sideways later. I've also put a Mile Marker on an ARB bumper before — solid unit, less popular but underrated for the money.
One thing worth checking before you buy: pull the connector cover off that XRC solenoid pack and look for a blown inline fuse. They go on those quite often and it's a 5-minute fix if that's all it is. Might save you some cash.
For your ARB bumper specifically, the Warn VR EVO 10-S or 12-S fits well and the solenoid pack tucks cleanly. Warn's customer service is hit or miss (as this thread shows) but parts availability is leagues better than Smittybilt if something goes sideways later. I've also put a Mile Marker on an ARB bumper before — solid unit, less popular but underrated for the money.
One thing worth checking before you buy: pull the connector cover off that XRC solenoid pack and look for a blown inline fuse. They go on those quite often and it's a 5-minute fix if that's all it is. Might save you some cash.