Winch HELP!!

Wizard

New member
My 30 year old Warn is still going strong. Say no more!

It's only an 8000 lb, but seams to do the job time and time again, year in year out.
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Unfortunately, the WARN VR series winches are made in China and are about as good as a Smittybilt.
 

Jk909

New member
Thanks for saving me the money lol. So what's the cheapest warn made in our beautiful country?
 

thardy

Banned
Probably the WARN M8000. I think you can still get one for about $575.

Just checked and amazon has the M8000 for $579.

I've been dead set on getting a synthetic, which would mean getting a cheaper winch, but knowing I can get an American made Warn for about the same price is very tempting.
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Just checked and amazon has the M8000 for $579.

I've been dead set on getting a synthetic, which would mean getting a cheaper winch, but knowing I can get an American made Warn for about the same price is very tempting.

You can always upgrade your winch line later. In fact, that's what most of us do - run your perfectly good steel rope until you can afford to get a synth line and replace it at that time. :yup:
 

Mikes Offroad

New member
"Yeah, you'll have guys come on here who'll swear by their Smittybilt winches and tell you how much they use them and blah blah blah. And really, maybe they've actually got one that does in fact work for them".

That's what I love about you Eddie your subtle little jabs at people. Us Canadians do not wheel much that is why we us made in China winches to fill the empty void in the winch bumpers.
 
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David1tontj

New member
Yeah, you'll have guys come on here who'll swear by their Smittybilt winches and tell you how much they use them and blah blah blah. And really, maybe they've actually got one that does in fact work for them.
That's what I love about you Eddie your subtle little jabs at people. Us Canadians do not wheel much that is why we us made in China winches to fill the empty void in the winch bumpers.

Sometimes he's just being literal. I have seen plenty of smittybuilt winches that work fine, but the problem is in quality control- some people string their winch out to get them out of a dangerous spot, only to have it not work.

I have a smittybuilt on the rear of my jeep, but a rear winch is not a necessity, and I can get out of any jam with my front winch, it's just a little easier having options.

Warn isn't the only good made in USA winch company either- it's just the most popular offroad. Look at tow trucks that use their winches 10 times a day, every day- guess what they are running. The overwhelming majority of them run Ramsey winches. That's why I have a ramsey- my uncle was a tow truck driver and said it was the best. Would I run a warn? You bet! I just want something with a good reputation that I know I can trust to keep me from spending the night in the woods waiting for help.
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
wayoflife said:
Yeah, you'll have guys come on here who'll swear by their Smittybilt winches and tell you how much they use them and blah blah blah. And really, maybe they've actually got one that does in fact work for them.

That's what I love about you Eddie your subtle little jabs at people. Us Canadians do not wheel much that is why we us made in China winches to fill the empty void in the winch bumpers.

And that's what I love about you Mikes Offroad, you just get so butthurt over a whole lot of nothing but still come back for more like it's some kind of duty of yours. What was it that you once said - you self-righteously "come to the defense of others. It is a trait that you are very proud of and I instill it in my children." Well, here's a not so subtle jab - get a life my friend. The advice I offer is solid. Smittybilt wouldn't have the reputation that they have if there weren't at least some truth to what I and others have seen. Just because your Smittybilt winch seems to work fine for your self-professed needs doesn't mean that they don't or haven't failed for others. I have just submitted evidence of just one such instance and honestly, I couldn't make that up if I had to. :naw:
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Sometimes he's just being literal. I have seen plenty of smittybuilt winches that work fine, but the problem is in quality control- some people string their winch out to get them out of a dangerous spot, only to have it not work.

I have a smittybuilt on the rear of my jeep, but a rear winch is not a necessity, and I can get out of any jam with my front winch, it's just a little easier having options.

Warn isn't the only good made in USA winch company either- it's just the most popular offroad. Look at tow trucks that use their winches 10 times a day, every day- guess what they are running. The overwhelming majority of them run Ramsey winches. That's why I have a ramsey- my uncle was a tow truck driver and said it was the best. Would I run a warn? You bet! I just want something with a good reputation that I know I can trust to keep me from spending the night in the woods waiting for help.

Agreed. I never said that ALL china winches will let you down, just that enough do that I personally would take that into consideration when choosing an important pieces of safety equipment. But hey, that's just me.
 

olram30

Not That Kind of Engineer
The humanity of recommending a quality American made product on your forum Eddie.
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
I can't speak for anyone else but, I wouldn't trust my wife to do this with anything less than a WARN winch.


And for those of you who've never been to Carnage Canyon BV before, the camera DOES NOT do the steepness of this last climb justice or just how far you will tumble if something went wrong.
 

Mikes Offroad

New member
And that's what I love about you Mikes Offroad, you just get so butthurt over a whole lot of nothing but still come back for more like it's some kind of duty of yours. What was it that you once said - you self-righteously "come to the defense of others. It is a trait that you are very proud of and I instill it in my children." Well, here's a not so subtle jab - get a life my friend. The advice I offer is solid. Smittybilt wouldn't have the reputation that they have if there weren't at least some truth to what I and others have seen. Just because your Smittybilt winch seems to work fine for your self-professed needs doesn't mean that they don't or haven't failed for others. I have just submitted evidence of just one such instance and honestly, I couldn't make that up if I had to. :naw:

Eddie I have no issues with you supporting what ever product you have or like. It's when you have to make those subtle little jabs at people that make a comment about their products if they meet your standards. You did not mention my name yet you just happen to mentioned the PSC bumper and the fact that I just happen to have a rigid light on my bumper seems like a coincidence.Your right my "self-professed needs" are exactly that my needs. My winch has worked for me every time, except the time that I failed to tighten the ground strap. Your are 100% right Smittybilt winches have failed but so have Warn winches. My sons Warn has shit the bed twice, he has since purchased another one and it seems fine (only used once so far).
 

DWiggles

Caught the Bug
First real mod for my jeep, warn winch and a bumper to fit it. Recovery gear isn't the place to save money. It's one of the more important parts of insuring you get out and back home (or atleast to trail head) spend a few hundred more now, rely on good buddies who took there winch decision seriously, or spend thousands more paying a professional recovery service to pull your jeep out each time... your choice. But my warn is still sitting in the box, waiting on my bumper...
 
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