Smittybilt XRC Atlas Front Bumper - which winch?

Sorry for being so new and also sorry for this being like my second post. I looked all over the web and on this site and my google fu must be broken… either that or this is an uber stupid question.

Which winch will fit on the Smittybilt XRC Atlas front bumper? Is there some kind of size issue? My only thoughts are when shopping for a winch and reading the harsh reviews about Smittybilt winches, I am thinking about going with a different winch system besides Smittybilt. My concern is when I read this :"featuring a lower winch plate that allows greater airflow."

Also, what might you all recommend in place of?

Again, sorry for the uber newb question. I am working towards a one and done build in the spring of 2016 and do not want to go through the buy and sell and buy again scenario. My motto: Buy once, cry once.

Welcome well if you buy smitty you'll cry twice. Chinese crap. Look around for some good companies with a good reputation. Evo Is a fan favorite around here poison spyder genright arb all good brands

seanb123 said:

Welcome well if you buy smitty you'll cry twice. Chinese crap. Look around for some good companies with a good reputation. Evo Is a fan favorite around here poison spyder genright arb all good brands

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Thank you for the suggestion. Because of this, I have turned my attention to the Poison Spyder and see a remarkable different in features and construction. I suspect that the Poison Spyder products are much higher quality.

Again, thank you for the assistance. I am really appreciating the assistance.

Any one else have any suggestions?

Check out JCR Offroad as well. Very happy with their bumpers.

NevadaZielmeister said:

Thank you for the suggestion. Because of this, I have turned my attention to the Poison Spyder and see a remarkable different in features and construction. I suspect that the Poison Spyder products are much higher quality.

Again, thank you for the assistance. I am really appreciating the assistance.

Any one else have any suggestions?

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Poison spider was recently bought out by transamerica (same company that owns teraflex and smittybuilt and makes there stuff in China) so there quality will most likely decrease due to this. Since it's still a recent transaction you will prob still find bumpers with American steel. I personally would look at Evo. If you do give trail jeeps a call and they will hook you up. If you don't like Evo then give them a holler for other products they carry

Whichever brand of bumper you chose, my personal preference would be a bumper that mounts the winch low, inside the bumper, rather than on top of the bumper and blocking airflow to the grill.
Though in reality it probably doesn't make a great deal of difference, I also like that the winch pull is centred more between the bumper mounts, rather than above the line of the mounts thereby adding a rotating force on the bumper.

Low mount....


High mount....


And this one I really don't like.......blocks a lot of the radiator airflow.

I think I read your question different than the others... you're also looking for a recommendation for a winch that will fit in that bumper, right?

The best approach when buying a winch is to look at them as a piece of safety equipment, and I'm sure you'll agree that the one place you don't want to skimp is safety. I'd definitely recommend staying away from Smittybilt winches. Their bumpers are one thing, and really the worst case scenario is that it will dent easier than other brands. On the other hand, their winches are poor quality and will sooner or later let you down on the trail when you're stuck and need it the most. As you've mentioned, there are plenty of bad reviews out there from people these have let down.

My recommendation brand wise is to get a Warn winch. They have the best reputation out there for reliability and come with a good warranty too. If you look at the JKX videos, pretty much everyone is running them on their Jeeps for that reason. Just stay away from their VR line of winches - they may be cheap, but they're made in China and don't live up to the same standards as their made in the US products.

As far as which winch to get, that's a bit tougher. The general rule of thumb is that the winch should be rated for 1.5x the weight of the vehicle. So an 8000 lbs rated winch should be all you need for a two door, and a 9500 or 10000 lbs rated winch would be better for an unlimited (I'm not sure which Jeep you have). You also need to decide if you want steel or synthetic line, since that might limit your choices too. Personally, I'd recommend synthetic line since it's safer and lighter. You won't have to worry about it kinking or getting a splinter of cable in your fingers. Also, if it does break it won't whip back with the same force as a steel line, which means less chance of injury, death or even vehicle damage.

The other thing is, most winches have a standard bolt spacing, so in theory pretty much any winch "could" mount to a winch plate, even if it means you have to do a bit of trimming to get it in there. That said, some winches have a centred fairlead setup and others (most?) don't, and there are also some that are just larger and bulkier than others. That will make a huge difference if your bumper mounts the winch inside it (like LeighP suggested). Some of them just won't fit in there.

If you're not set on getting the XRC Atlas bumper, I'd recommend looking at a Warn Zeon 8-s or 10-s winch. They're built very stout and are waterproof, but since they are wider than most and have a centred fairlead I doubt they fit on the Atlas. Another good one to consider is the Warn 9.5cti-s, and since it's smaller and not centred it should work with most bumpers out there, including the one you were considering.

I hope that helps.

This is amazing information, thank you so much. I am learning everyday on this website. I provide a lot of information for other unrelated hobbies to other websites, so I am glad that there are like minded people out there.

The information is SUPER helpful. So when I look at the two options for my upcoming rig, I see that there is the Poison Spyder Rockbrawler for $965.00 and then the Evo 1/4 pounder for $714.98 (bumper and stinger). To me, it looks like the Evo is a better deal since it already come painted black and you have to get the Rockbrawler painted, for an additional cost. I keep hearing good things about the EVO MFG product line.

Am I missing anything here?

Meanwhile, I have started to understand how important a winch is. I might not have the experience the first year to use them all the time, since I will be starting out slow and easy. However, I am a firm believer in buying the right tool the first time. As an example, I spent about $10,000 on my competition rifle and have no regrets. I want the same experience with Jeeping.

Is it worth it to get on board air station with the WARN winches such as the Warn Powerplant 9.5 Thermometric? The $1,689 price tag seems kinda steep, but I understand the importance of being able to inflate and deflate your tires at the trailheads. If not, then which air station would you recommend and which WARN winch would you see as working for a 2016 JKUR?

Again, thank you for the help guys.

No problem.

The Powerplant is both a great winch and a great air compressor. If you only need the compressor to air up your tires, it's perfect and a very good value for the price.

Others that have one can probably say more about this (I think there are a few threads that talk about it too), but the built in compressor isn't quite powerful enough to run most air tools. If you were planning on having something you can use for trail repairs you might be better off with a separate winch and compressor with an air tank (I'm going this route).

Also, I don't think the Powerplant will work with air lockers. Since you're getting a Rubicon you shouldn't need those any time soon (and should you eventually decide to switch them, all you'll need to add is a little ARB compressor that won't cost much more).

The other thing is that it's huge. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I think a few people have shyed away from it just for looks. That said, it will fit nicely in an Evo bumper. There are plenty of people on here with that setup.