Winch discussion....what to consider when purchasing

Im buying a winch within the month, and hadn't seen these before, will definitely be looking into them, the synthetic line is a big plus.

 

Sub'd for the info.

Anyone have any thoughts on Mile Marker or Come-Up? Lots of votes here for the US Warn products so far.

 

I'm a firm believer in buy once, cry once... especially after two of the cheap winches failed.

You don't want it to fail you at the wrong time. My next winch is going to be a Warn. With steel line and a cover

 

Ya guess thats where we differ, and probably most customers of badland vs warn. I figure I can save the money for the endless other mods I have planned. If I see a product that does the exact job another one does for half the cost, and the reviews are basically equal (4 stars vs 4.5 stars on average for badlands vs warn), I am always going to plan to save the cash.

That being said if two of them failed on me I may not be buying another, although in my experience if you worked harbor freight customer service long enough they would have given you a replacement for the second one as well.

 

I sold the truck and gave the guy the warranty paperwork with full disclosure.

Don't get me wrong, it worked for a little while and I would trust one for about 6 months. After that, it's a roll of the dice. Look at long term reviews... I bet most are short term. A winch isn't the easiest thing to keep swapping out either. Darn things are heavy. Plus the hassle of having to keep taking it back and talking to 4 different people. Not my cup of tea.

Go ahead and buy one and post up on here after a year or two and let us know how it's going. Just remember, I've had 2 of them...

 

Will customer service bring the new winch to me when I'm stuck 60 miles from BFE in the middle of a winter storm? That's when I really need my winch to work. That's the difference you pay for - reliability.

 

Why steel instead of synthetic line?

 

I subscribe to the buy-once, cry-once philosophy also. I try and buy quality equipment that will last many years / decades to come if it gets looked after....perhaps not absolutely top of the line but definitely mid-high end stuff. In the past when I've cheaped out on stuff it usually just comes back to haunt me later and then I end up buying something better anyhow for as much if not more had I just ponied up in the first place.

 

For me a few things come into play with choosing a winch.....
1. What fits in my mounting space? Some winches are a lot bigger physically than others!
2. Quality/reputation for reliability... When you need it, will it be there for you? Saving a couple $100 probably isnt worth being stranded!
3. Warranty and ability to get replacement parts should they be necessary... if it breaks, is it repairable or does it go in the trash?
4. Line speed. Both no-load speed and full load line speed.... Faster the better! Typically a higher load rated winch will pull faster at a given load than a lower load rated winch. Ex. 6000lbs pulling on an 8000 is slower than 6000lbs on a 10000lb rated winch. There are exceptions to this though, typically cheap winches keep the same HP and just lower gear ratios to get higher capacity(and are then slower)
5. Cost. If there are winches that are all very comparable to the above categories, then cost will be the deciding factor.

All that said, I am a fan of Warn products. Whether it's the very common M8000-S, a XD9000, 9.5XP-S or a Zeon, they are typically very high quality with a good warranty and readily available replacement/rebuild parts. Plus they typically have high line speeds compared to the competition, and are in most cases just a little bit more expensive.

 

Steel, while heavier and thicker, lasts longer and is not affected by UV rays. All I have to do is keep a little oil on it. I also don't have to worry about steel line getting frayed like synthetic of it rubs something.

Synthetic has its advantages sure enough though.

 

My warn 8274 is much older than I am and she has been on more trucks than I have owned so " if you can't kill it keep it "

 

I don't think I would go cheap on a winch. Not something you want to fail you in time of need. You spent the extra money on a reliable Tacoma, may as well spend the money on a reliable piece of equipment. Relying on a cheap winch in the middle of nowhere is like relying on a blow up kayak in shark infested waters.

 

Well I bought my warn 8274 for cheap but rebuild kits are available and easy to do and the design makes for fool proof winching

 

As I said I bought one, I believe it was over two years ago, that I had on my ford ranger, I still have the truck, and the winch,and the winch still works like new So i guess I can say its going great... I have used it plenty of times and never had a single issue. I have a friend that had the 9000lb on his truck for a lot longer than I and he has been very happy with it.

If money isn't an issue than sure might as well buy the winch that cost twice as much, especially if your going to be "60 miles from bfe in a snowstorm"

As for me I will continue to use badland winches until they prove me wrong, I am not using it for competition, or heavy four wheeling where I need it every weekend, just for when I get stuck in some mud or snow as a quicker way out than digging, and it has been a phenomenal investment at ~300$. IF my only option were 500$ plus winches I may or may not have one. At 300 dollars in makes the decision for alot of people who are on the fence.

I figured I would be starting a debate when I suggested a cheaper winch as an alternative.

 

It is at least an alternative to those who are on a budget.

 

Mile Marker is also a nice winch that's been around forever. I picked up an 8,000lb one off a chic that didn't want to put it on her jeep for $75. I believe the rule of thumb used to be a winch that can pull either 1.5x or 2x the weight of the truck. Then you run a snatch block and pulleys if you need more. Mile Marker sometimes runs a special. My buddy got a lifetime, no questions asked on his winch. I believe he burned it up once pulling out a Chevy Duramax or something way too heavy. They replaced or rebuilt the winch, no questions asked!

 

I like this idea...where did you mount the switch?

 

Mounted plate in front of brake MC. Made the plate out of 1/8 inch alum plate. Sprayed with bed liner. Note the Blue Seas switch is the 3002 model so I can select off, winch, aux (lights), winch & aux.

 

I have the badlands 12000# winch mounted to a HUWMS looking back I wish I did the front receiver instead just to have front and rear versatility but I'm also very happy with it. I also bout the badlands wireless remote with it for 30$ and mounted it above the winch in the grill so my receiver wire reads clear line of site through the grill. No issues yet. I have pulled my buddies jeep and a couple of trees blocking hu ting roads out of the way with it. (Using proper angles and pull is to lighten the load and get the direction I needed).

 

One thing any potential winch buyer may want to consider is how they plan to use their winch. I'd imagine a LOT of people simply want it in case they get stuck and don't have a buddy around to help pull them out. AKA: I'll use it IF I need it scenario. This use case is more of insurance than planned dependence. Then there's the other side of the fence where guys buy them and plan on using them all the time at dedicated winch out spots and the like.

If it were me, and I was buying it for insurance, I'd likely get something a bit cheaper with synthetic line that still had good reviews and I'd make sure it was protected from the elements with a cover of some sort. That way it's protected and you know it will fire up when you take the cover off and need it to work. If you're buying it and plan on using it frequently it makes sense to spend the money.

All of that to say, neither type of thinking is incorrect. Just make sure you're buying what most closely matches your intended use case scenario.