I need some wisdom, I need a winch. Almost got stuck in a place where 99% of the time you wouldn't. I have a 4 dr Unlimited Rubi with all the bells and whistles. I need about a 10,000lbs winch. I feel like that may be a little more than I need but that's a little insurance. I do not want to spend a $1000 on a winch.However with wisdom comes some pain and I may have to. I am trying to stay 600 to 800ish range. I am not huge into rocks more into expedition type especially here in Florida. However I will be driving my Jeep and family out to Colorado and Utah next year. Here is another thought. I do not want to be the guy in MOAB who gets stuck and everyone looks at my winch and says wait I will just use mine!! I want it to be respectable.

Is there anyone out there with winch experience that can steer me in the right direction.

Thanks Again


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I have an Engo an have used it a few times and it works great. I plan on going with synthetic rope in the future but mine cost right around $400. And it's a 10,000lb

 

I bought my new Warn 9.5cti from a seller on ebay for $760. I bought mine a few years ago but I looked it up a few weeks ago and he is still selling them. I'm not sure if he has any listed right now but it is worth a look.

 

Leaning toward Ramsey rep 9.5 , warn VR10 , am I on the right track

 

I have a warn vr 10,000 on my jku. It works great.



Its been on my jeep for two or so years now. Still looks new.

 

The thing with going with larger winches is they generally have large diameter rope. That means less rope fits on the spool. 80 feet, which is what the VR10 comes with, will seem a lot shorter than that when out in the field and you're looking for an anchor point, and most especially if a snatch block is thrown into the mix. There are winches with 120 feet of line, and at times even that will seem a bit short. Of course, you can always pick up a winchline extension--or just use a tow strap/tree saver to extend. Be sure that you know how to do that properly, using a magazine or short wood dowel and not a shackle (which could become a dangerous projectile in the event of a line failure).

Other than that I would say that winches do break, and most especially if you ford rivers and such. Ramsey and Warn are a couple top quality names that will provide support when it does. Some cheaper brands are cheaper because they don't have any real after-sale support beyond warranty replacement. When my PowerPlant broke after about five years on my Jeep, Warn was there with tech support, providing me the troubleshooting procedure, then selling me the part to fix it. It wasn't free, but it was a lot less expensive than buying a new winch. A year later I lost the intake air filter for the compressor. Contacted Warn and they sent me a new one, gratis.

 

My RECON 10.5k winch is going strong after 2 years of extensive use. What can I say, pre-gearing sucked lol. As a plus, it comes stock with synthetic line, and a wireless remote for only 430ish. Love it.

 

If you are not doing serious rock crawling and it's just an extra security measure why not same some $$$ and get a smittybilt. Before you knock it just read the reviews. I've had mine 1 year. Multiple pulls getting myself and others out. No issues. 8k cost $250, 10k runs around $350 depending on sales. Just my .02 Sent from my iPad using JK-Forum

 

I think sometimes folks underestimate the challenges faced by us expedition travelers. ;-)

Explore Your World: http://youtu.be/0Yq51rHh8MY

 

I've had water related winch failures, prefer the sealed types. Other than that, advise doing lots of test pulls after installation. The test pulls get one familiar with the winch and hopefully uncover any defects. These winches are intermittent duty, so stop regularly and check the motor/gearbox temp with your hand -- If it's too hot to hold, it's time to let it cool down.

On a related note, here's my write-up on adding a circuit breaker for a winch.