winch vs salt
 

Since I live in an area with lots of snow, we also have road salt. Is there any winch that holds up better in these conditions? I know covers and maintenance help but is there anything else that helps. Would a waterproof winch hold up better?

Being I also live in the salt belt, I went with a recon waterproof 10.5k on my two-door Rubicon four years ago. Granted I keep it covered and I do have a Prolink on it and is synthetic line. Shockingly there's not one bit of corrosion on the entire Winch setup.

I run a synthetic winchline and am glad I do. But, one thing you don't hear much about is that the synthetic gets soaked and stays soaked for a long time. I had to tear into mine last year--wow there are a lot of gears inside that thing!--and the winch drum was pretty heavily rusted on the outside surface--scale, not just light surface rust. I can imagine that living in a high salt-usage area would make that even more problematic. Not saying to give up that winchline, but I think that drum corrosion over time will be a bigger issue whether one has a waterproof winch or not. I also think that using a cover will make that problem even worse.

Mark, I used to think exactly like this too. However, after rebuilding my one winch 2x after harsh winters without running a cover, I've now gone back to using a cover (especially on my Warn). This past winter my synthetic line was covered in rust at the drum.

My thinking now is that my investment in a really good winch deserves to be protected from road debris (rocks and junk) at highway speeds and the line from the sun's rays. Also, like everything else, the cover will be routinely taken off and the winch/rope maintained. I opted to get a vinyl cover with nylon inside vs. the neoprene style. So far, so good.

John

Like John here I've had to rebuild my winch and when I called warn they told me it seized cuz I watch using my cover when they asked if I was. I thought it looked cooler without it. Now the cover don't come of unless I'm using it.

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My Warn 9.5ti has been exposed on the front of my Jeep since September 2007. We have lots of salt on the roads here. I do not use a cover, I do not like trapping moisture under those things. I am still running a steel cable.

It was not inexpensive winch, but it still looks like new and works fine.

Im in the same boat as Yankee, bought my winch (warn M8000) from a farmer covered in chicken s*!t I dont know how old it is, took it apart regreased it put it together and it has been on the front of my jeep since '09. Steel cable totally exposed to all elements 8 months of snow and ice per year........

Works everytime :beer:

On a related issue, what's the best product to clean up the shiny parts of the winch after the winter exposure?

matthew

Soap and water works for me. I'm surprised how good looking my winch is after 100K+ miles. But OK doesn't use much salt on roads and I'm pretty aggressive about washing the Jeep after a storm. No cover, though.

Attachment 549429

The zeons have aluminum drums; and mostly aluminum housing so should fare much better than others. They're also IP67 rated.

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