Winch

What winch do you guys recommend for a Tacoma in full armor? I would prefer to run synthetic line because of safety and weight concerns. Also, I want low maintenance for the line, so IDK if synthetic line would be better. What do you guys recommend?

 

Yes, synthetic is lighter. I got a 10k because on group buy it was not that much more than the 9k.

 

Which one?

 

Got an Engo. 10000S not a bad choice for a budget winch. Added a Blue Seas switch for isolation.

 

Nice!

 

Smittybuilt 9500 steel rope........cause I'm frugal (cheap)

Kind of a no brainer for $270....Added ARB bumper at the same time..

Did splurge on this winch shackle.....no rattle.....

 

Warn VR12s. Warn reliability. Great warranty too. Synthetic line.

VR series is foreign made, and a little less expensive than the Zeon's. Still has same level of quality, and Warn is Johnny on the spot with the warranty IF you ever need it. I have a pair of VR12s's. One has been used quite a bit with zero issues.

A number of friends have Smittybilts. They ALL go on and on about how Smittybilt is so quick to replace up to entire winches under warranty. 5 people I know bought broken/disabled Smittybilts for pennies and replaced broken parts via warranty. I'm thinking that's as much an indication of a high failure rate. So far, 5 Warns spread over 42 years, I've had ONE warranty claim, 30+ years ago, to replace a solenoid. When I went to Warn over that, they sent me the entire set of 4 solenoids, no questions asked. Beyond that, never a need for further warranty claims in spite of hard use.

 

Smitty X2O 10K Synthetic. synthetic is great due to weight, but also can do field repairs / splice line if needed

https://amzn.to/2YrO3qb

 

My first recommendation would be to load up your truck with all your gear then go weigh it. Then you'll really know what you need winch wise. My buddy (who's a jeeper ) bout a shitty-bilt and has nothing but problems with it. First off, The hardware he got to mount his control box sheared off simply using a small ratchet and then he borrowed my dremel for a few weeks trying to get that bolt out. They supplied him with some crap-tastic hardware from the factory. He was then having some sort of electrical problems with it and now I'm pretty sure it's just there for added weight and looks.

I'll be getting a WARN. If you just look at the difference in their websites, Smitty builds all sorts of stuff, Warn pretty much just makes winches, recovery gear and some other replacement parts. I say that to say, Warn is dedicated to their craft, They make winches.. that's pretty much what they're known for, they stand behind their products and are made in the U.S.A. Smitty on the other hand, we found a made in china sticker on my friend's winch during install.

The other and last point, is how often will you be using it as well as how much are you going to rely on it right? If you want it as extra insurance, go all out and spend some cash. If it's just a once and a while type thing, or you wheel with a lot of friends... Use their duty cycle up!


Good luck and let us know what you come back with.

 

I cannot recommend this winch enough. It has performed flawlessly for me. You can get it just about anywhere for sub-$500, I got mine on eBay but Amazon has them as well. Pick up a thimble as well from factor 55 and you will be set for a very long time. You will have to cut and re-splice the rope when installing the thimble so go ahead an remove about 20-25' of the rope as well. This will get your rope length down to about 60-70 ft. It comes with way too much rope on it and removing the extra will get your working strength for the winch in a much better window for operation.

 

Warn VR10 here. I went steel line. I'm a cheap bastard. Got it on sale at 4wheelparts for like $575.

Use this to calculate what winch you need (minimum):
https://www.roundforge.com/articles/what-size-winch-do-i-need/

Hint, it will be *at least* an 8K. Go bigger if you can.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both line types. People often forget that synth line degrades over time (whether or not you use it) and needs to be replaced fairly regularly (every few years I believe). Whereas a steel line will outlast your truck unless you damage it. Synth is lighter, but you can't drag it across the ground. Steel is heavy, but you can pretty much man-handle it and not worry too much about it. Synth is "safer", but really, only for the people who are dumb enough to stand next to a line while pulling.

If you're concerned about the weight, go synth.

 

I just got this.

 

I’ve got a smittybilt xrc 9.5 gen 2 w/ synthetic line. I’ve used it several times without issue it’s has an ip rating as well an really affordable for during an ebay sale for like 350. For the money I’m super happy with it once it goes belly up I’ll get a warn.