ironman monster winch

Hi guys,

I'm wondering if anyone has experience with this brand. It's from Australia and apparently has distributors in the states. I can't find much online about it. Expecting to clear more felled trees (western oregon) than navigate up extreme trails.

 

That’s more expensive than other proven readily available winches in the US, and if you’re tying to pull around down trees, you’re probably better off with steel cable I’d you don’t want to have to carry around a choker for dragging the trees

 

I carry a chain. More versatile than a cable choker.

 

I have the Ironman4x4 suspension system, it has been solid. While that is clearly different than your inquiry item, I would expect their quality to extend to their other products.

Their refrigerators have great reviews as well, again I know that's different but the point is that they seem to have well built stuff.

I would not be hesitant to try it out based on the quality of the rest of Ironman4x4's stock personally. It does carry a price tag on the higher end of what a lot of winches in that range do though.

At 600$ you could get the 12,000 lb Badland APEX, or the ZXR 12,000 for 400$ from Harbor Freight.
Those both have (maybe oddly) fantastic reviews and ratings.

Or many Smittybilt winches under 600$ like the X20 or XRC series that also have fantastic reviews.

I have seen professional off road recovery companies running them.
I'll look for a link to their chennels.

EDIT: Here's one of those chennels -
https://www.youtube.com/c/MattsOffRoadRecovery

 

I would suggest it you want an inexpensive proven winch look into the APEX/ Badland 10-12k winches... for the money the APEX comes well equipped. the badlands 12k steel cable winch is $399. and my understanding of the return policy at harbor freight unless it shows abuse, they will take return of almost anything, especially if you get their extended warranty on it. worth it IMO, and you can exchange for a replacement right there if yours does break (doubtful)..

 

Iron man is the second biggest off-road company in Australia you don’t get that big by making a bunch of shit products


FYI OP they are in Wilsonville but I heard a rumor they are trying to move to a bigger building in Tualatin

 

I agree, they know what they're doing.

I have been looking into this winch too, they're out of stock right now though. Comparing to the other contenders in that price range.
They have top notch customer service as well, I know first hand. So if you ever had an issue with it they'll sort it out no problem.

 

I’m sure some people would like to debate you about their customer service. There are some people that have had issues with the CS when ordering and waiting for their foam cell pro kits

 

I guess I just had good luck then
I did get the nitro gas kit though, not as popular so it's usually in stock. Hopefully they'll get that issue sorted out.

 

i went with the ironman winch. haven't used it so far other than to tighten the spool. i like the wireless remote option. Thanks, everyone, for the feedback.

 

@taco kai curious where you installed the control box for the winch? I have mine installed and am struggling with 2 things. 1) where you put the box and have it clean and 2) the ground bolt on the bottom of the winch engine - I have near zero room so I can either a) ground elsewhere or b) remove bumper, finagle the grounds to that bolt and c) re-install bumper.

Mine is all mounted up at the moment and I hope to fully connect once I get the box mounted in a solid location. I'm thinking about moving the horn or putting it above the wiring and building a little bracket to hold it in place, but would love to see where you and any others mounted the box.

 

I’ve got a 3rd gen, so not sure my solution will work perfectly for you. Figured the box wasn’t that heavy, so I used bolts and sheet metal screws to attach it to the plastic flange on the inside of the grill. I don’t recall issues with the ground. Mine is mounted on a Victory Blitz bumper. Been there over a year now. No issues.

 

thanks for the post. I think you have a lot more room in that grill area. My bumper is much closer so the box wouldn't fit that way. I ended up mounting it vertically in about the same spot tucked right up next to the headlight. I had to create a bracket that ties it in. I'm all good now, but will be cleaning it up next time I remove the bumper (which I'm n to looking forward to ).

 

Why do they call it a Monster winch? It's only rated for 9500lbs. Ya need a 12K Harbor Freight Apex to be more of a monster than that.