nthinuf

That's the key right there. Don't base the decision on just the comments in one single "Sponsored" thread, there are plenty of other 'Which Winch is Best?' threads to read through for more opinions. For a while, Engo seemed to be the off-brand to go with. (but I haven't heard much about them lately?) Plenty of people choosing Smitty. There are even few people posting about running cheap Harbor Freight winches. Just be sure to do some homework on the warranty/replacement policies so you don't get a surprise.

That said, I bought my Warn 9500 lbs winch back in '99, and it is still pulling just fine. If there is ever a problem with it, all of the specs and part numbers are posted on their website, and all parts are still available. Guessing that would not be the case for many of the other brands out there. Then again, you can buy two or three of the off-brands for the same price, and just throw them away if/when they fail.

Chosinfrozen

Thanks, that's a big help, and now I have a great start and something to begin with. again thanks for the information on this winch.

resharp001

From a safety aspect alone, I can't stress enough that a synthetic line is worth the extra cost regardless of which brand of winch you pick.

ReconJeep

Warn 8274 is hands down the best winch that you can mount on any Wrangler. The one I had on my TJ has literally taken me around the world.

"Ex Umbris Venimus"

Chosinfrozen

Thanks, I like the information you gave about the winch and if a good used Warn happens to come my way then I will consider it, but I think the Smittybilt X2O 10k is going to be a good winch for me.

I was trying to find information regarding everyone preference on the Synthetic verses steel cable/line. not much found. my experiences have only been with steel so I have no idea about the synthetic. can you elaborate on the safety aspect please?

Thank you resharp for the help deciding on what I want and keeps the second job from accruing.

resharp001

I'm happy with my Smitty X2O 10k. The one thing to be careful of is make sure you don't leave the switch flipped to "wireless" or else you'll kill the battery in the handheld unit. I make certain to flip the switch on the solenoid back to wired, and click the button on the handheld back to wired.....cuz you can't easily replace that battery in the handheld. The numbskull that I am, I drained my battery before. Smitty sent me a new module for the winch and a new handheld with no questions. I'd prefer to just be able to simply pop a new battery in, but I realize these are the types of things you sacrifice for the price.

In regards to safety......I personally just don't like the idea of so much energy tied up in a steel cable....should it snap. I don't care how careful you're being, accidents happen. I'd much prefer that should a line break, it just drops dead to the ground like a synthetic will, rather than a steel cable snapping and possibly whipping back at you. When out wheelin', I'm always dumbfounded when rolling up on someone using steel cables without some sort of dampener (blanket or anything) over that line. For the weight savings and sand being a safer tool, I choose synthetic since it's a readily available option.

dmwil

I've got an Engo, 9500lb winch on my JK. I haven't used it much, but it's about 5 years old and when I've needed it, it has done the job. It has synthetic rope, which I not only like for the safety reasons, but also for its slightly lighter weight. I bought the Engo for its performance under water in an old 4 Wheeler or 4 Wheel & Off Road test where it shined, even against the Warn. (They awarded the Warn 1st place for having better lettering on the remote. Otherwise, the Engo outperformed it.) Anyway, I mounted it on a simple plate on top of my stock bumper, again for light weight, and to keep it as high out of water and muck as I could keep it. The only think I don't like about it is that it smokes not long into a pull and makes just horrendous sounds. But, it has never failed or slowed down, and others I've seen make the same noises, so I don't worry about it.

I'm ordering a new JL soon and will look at a lighter competition winch, either from Quadratec or Warn. I'm keeping the JK, so the Engo will hopefully continue to serve for years to come.

Btw, one drawback to the synthetic rope is that when it rains, it doesn't easily dry out, so it causes surface rust to the drum. We'll see if that compromises the rope at all. I hope I don't find out when I'm in a real bind.

Anyone else have experience with Quadratec winches? Who makes them? A buddy of mine has one on a Jeep he just bought and the one time he used it to pull a Grand Cherokee out of a mud hole, it worked very well. It sounded a helluva lot better than my Engo, too.

2MchFun

It's my firm belief that steel winch rope is obsolete and will eventually disappear from the market. Anyone who has had their hands ripped to the bone by a frayed steel winch rope will tell you - buy synthetic. Also get yourself a soft shackle or two. ...and make sure you don't cheap out - buy real dyneema.

63expert

One one day I will have an 8274

THUNDERBOLT

Sweet looking rig!