Winches? (1 Viewer)

[tgreco]

I'm sure this is going to be a crap shoot, but the world of winches and internet reviews are pretty daunting. I've got a little money to spend and trying to figure out where it is best spent. I currently have an old (late '80s) Ramsey REP8000 that is in need of some TLC, which largely consists of new cable and some lube. If I'm going to replace the cable, I'll probably go synthetic which looks to be ~ $200-300 depending. The other option would be to get a new cheaper winch - I've been looking at the SmittyBuilt XRC9.5k Gen 2 which retails at $299.

My question to the board is how do the cheaper (SmittyBuilt, Mile Marker, SuperWinch, etc) winches perform long-term. Overall, my preference is for reliability over speed knowing that I'm going to sacrifice one or the other with a cheap winch. The general internet consensus is go Warn, but I'd rather just rehab my winch before dropping $600-1000.

For what it's worth, it will be going on a relatively light Toyota mini truck. I'd be interested to know what everyone else is running, for how long, and any problems that have occurred.

Thanks.

 

[TeddyBoy]

I went with the Smittybilt X20-10K for $399, its water proof and has a wireless winch controller, so far has been a very good choice. they have/had options for synthetic but since I'm not pulling the cable it didn't really matter to me. I did a lot of reading before I purchased and pretty much everything in the sub $500 range is China built, including the Warn winches.

I briefly thought about a Badlands winch but just could not bring myself to do a HF winch, some have luck, other not so.

 

[tgreco]

I went with the Smittybilt X20-10K for $399, its water proof and has a wireless winch controller, so far has been a very good choice. they have/had options for synthetic but since I'm not pulling the cable it didn't really matter to me. I did a lot of reading before I purchased and pretty much everything in the sub $500 range is China built, including the Warn winches.

I briefly thought about a Badlands winch but just could not bring myself to do a HF winch, some have luck, other not so.

Thanks Ted. Your experience seems similar to many of the reviews I've been reading. I also thought about the HF, but there is no way.

 

[jynx]

I have a 1st gen XRC12 on the 80. I haven't used it much, but when I needed it in a pinch at GSMTR a couple years ago it pulled me out of a spot. I did pull it apart and regrease it with some good quality grease. I read alot as well and the original XRC8 got used and abused and there are some vey lengthy threads over on Pirate about the original ones and if they can survive the thrashing over there, then I figure it is good enough for the intermittent usage that I would give it.

Like Ted said, most everything that is in the lower tier is made in China, heck mine actually had "T-MAX" stamped into the inside of the housing, so it was just a re-brand. I have seen a few of them go poof, but they generally seem to preform well. Plus if you have amazon, you can ruin the UPS guys day and have it delivered to your door for free in 2 days.

 

[tgreco]

I have a 1st gen XRC12 on the 80. I haven't used it much, but when I needed it in a pinch at GSMTR a couple years ago it pulled me out of a spot. I did pull it apart and regrease it with some good quality grease. I read alot as well and the original XRC8 got used and abused and there are some vey lengthy threads over on Pirate about the original ones and if they can survive the thrashing over there, then I figure it is good enough for the intermittent usage that I would give it.

Like Ted said, most everything that is in the lower tier is made in China, heck mine actually had "T-MAX" stamped into the inside of the housing, so it was just a re-brand. I have seen a few of them go poof, but they generally seem to preform well. Plus if you have amazon, you can ruin the UPS guys day and have it delivered to your door for free in 2 days.

Thanks for the response @jynx.

Unfortunately, I don't wheel enough either to warrant a work horse of a winch, but this article made me feel a little better about the Smittys:

Massive Multi-Winch Shootout - Four Wheeler Magazine

For others looking, I did come across a winch brand I had never heard of that seems to be on par with Warn but at a slightly lower price point. It is an Australian brand called ComeUp that looks to be trying to establish themselves in the US. Still out of my budget but I would have been tempted if my bank account had a bit more padding.

 

[pillguy]

That is interesting

 

[jynx]

@4xsteve what brand was it that you were telling me about. Was it come up? I was thinking it was a british company, so may be a different one.

 

[wagonteeth]

Check Amazon. I bought an M8000 Warn for $480 with free shipping a few years ago.

 

[pillguy]

Well, thanks to our no inflation economy, that same winch is now $586. But the smittybuuilt is still around $300.

 

[tgreco]

I ended up getting the SmittyBuilt XRC9500 as there was very little apparent difference with the cheaper Warns and other China winches. Also the s***tybuilt has a lifetime mechanical warranty and 3 yr electric. While this won't help if it busts on the trail, it at least gives me a little peace of mind.

I'm no expert, but it sure seems all of the cheap China winches are pretty similar and you have to spend $800 - 1200+ to get a better quality product.

 

[4xsteve]

@4xsteve what brand was it that you were telling me about. Was it come up? I was thinking it was a british company, so may be a different one.

Mine is a Warrior Winch, which I think is the new name for Champion Winches, and is a British military winch. Can't get them but a few places, but they are very fast and have a wireless remote included with most models. I may end up becoming a distributor for them.