Show us your winches (not your wives)

ok. Remember, you asked.

 

I sure did. I was hoping for a few more personal impressions but it seems like Warn has done an amazing job capturing most of the market. I appreciate the comments either way, in the end it wasnt enough to sway me to spend double the money. I'll post my winch on here when I get everything installed and update for others if something does go wrong. .

 

I personally have seen or heard about 3 Warn motor failures when the winch was needed most within our group here in Colorado. All were related not needing the winch for some time and then when needed the motor had quit. Also one solenoid going out. Every single one was a Warn.

Could be a coincidence sure. But the numbers keep stacking up.

 

You can always throw that high point at someone. From my experience that is the only way a high point will hurt someone. Good winch analogy...

 

so after 3-ish years with my winch, it's about time to replace the line, out of the countless pulls I've made on the winch, I can count on one hand, how many have been straight pulls with light to no line pressure on the hawse. this has resulted in deterioration of the line over time from friction.

starting the search now for a very durable winch line to replace this one with. I can buy one premade, or I can go directly to a company like plasma or amsteel and splice my own. not preferring one vs the other at this point.

Master pull has actually caught my attention for durability, as one version of their lines is fully shielded, much like the dock lines or sheets that are used on boats.



not so much concerned on their strengths, as most of the manufacturers are within a very close range for given line diameters.

so for those of you who have owned multiple brands of synthetic line, or have used/inspected different types on other folks rigs, what do you believe is the most durable synthetic line? go

 

the thing with line that has a braided casing is this:

it's the core diameter that provides the strength.

Then the casing provides protection. But it increases total line diameter.

And only so much line fits on the spool. So if you go with a shielded line, you end up with a shorter one.

That may be a good tradeoff for you, I dunno.

Also, most snatchblocks are for 5/16 or 3/8. So a line with a braided casing may not fit through it.

 

I'm fine cutting 20 feet out of my total line length to accommodate the larger diameter. Already planning on splicing the pristine sections of my current line into extensions, so length won't be an issue.

I'll have to check what diameters my snatch blocks can handle. Good point and thank you for the input.

 

I don't doubt they have failed in the field. Having a number of off road vehicles, and having logged many miles on trails, I have thankfully not seen any winch fail.
I can google Warn/Smittybuilt/Superwich failure and find it but, I am comfortable buying Warn products because of their success and my experience.
I also use ARB recovery straps. Yep, they are expensive and there are cheaper ones available and am sure they will successfully assist a recovery much like the ARB's but, I am one not to go cheap in recovery gear. It is one of the most important links in our sport and hobby and I will continue to spend the extra money.

Budget can be a key a factor and if it is the crux of the buying process than so be it but, if not, than many including myself will lean towards quality and successful history over saving money(Much like the Toyota's we drive )

 

For recovery I use both ARB straps and Bubba rope. The Bubba rope is far superior for tugging someone out since it's a true kinetic design. The Bubba also costs more. Sticking with one brand isn't always the best idea. If no one ever tries something different, how will you know if something works well or not?

 

I always wanted to get my hands on a Bubba rope and try it. I have the assorted ARB straps and a Viking tree saver. I think the Bubba would be good for snow bashing.

 

I got to use my 7/8" bubba rope on a recent 9 day trip down to southern Utah. Came around a sharp corner in Canyonlands NP and saw two fellas in a 2wd GMC Envoy stuck in the soft sand/dirt having failed to negotiate the corner in the dark. About 5 minutes of digging with the shovel to clear a little path for the wheels and a quick yank with the rope and they were free. Worked perfectly!

 

I think you will get many years of use out of the SBilt. They seem to be getting a good rep out there
I also love Bubba....rope. The best out there imo.

 

Have you considered switching to a roller fairlead? Should put a lot less stress on the line during angled pulls. I've got Daystar poly rollers and they seem to work great. Come in black and red too so you're not stuck with silver/chrome (if that matters to you)




Unrelated: my Superwinch ep9.0 has experienced so issues lately with pulling power. Could it be that my battery is undersized? It's a gold series from Advance Auto 640cca. Should I look into a dual battery set-up? Or possibly it's that they have been short pulls ~25' and I didn't pay out enough line to get max pulling power? Also, could the extreme cold temps lately affect the efficiency of the motor, ie frozen grease?

 

My winch won't power out. Who makes a good replacement contactor?

 

What brand winch? I would think most companies are now making single replacements whether updating to a contactor from solonoids or just replacement due to failure.

 

I'm wondering if the newer warns that have the solenoids externally mounted are causing problems since they are exposed in the elements. Mine is an older warn all integraded, never had any problems

 

My motor failure was my fault. There are specific instructions mentioning feet forward mounting, I didn't read that part. So my motor filled up with water and rusted out everything on the insides. That reminds me I have to change it back to mount in the Addicted bumper.

 

Yeap I have been thinking about that. Need to re-clock the motor for feet down with the new bumper.

 

Recon 10,500lb. I'm pretty sure all these Chinese winches are the same.

 

lol. In that case, maybe just stick with the cheaper ones. I suspect a Warn or Superwinch will be double/triple the amount
I am not sure of your set up but, may not be able to fit the new one in your current control box, I would find a protected place to mount it and go to NAPA to find at least 4ga wire to use or 2ga if you want a bit better amp protection.