Cheap winches

Reid

Reid

Hasnt Seen Dirt in Years
Joined
Dec 30, 2005
Location
Winston Salem
So what are the "best" buys in the world of cheap winches.

the champion 10k series wound for $399.00 seemed like the best deal At first. not real keen on buying a winch from Sam's though. (no questions return policy is a plus though)

i came accross the XRC10 by smitty built and cant really find anything bad about them. They are about the same price as the knock off champion.

I know alot of people like T-max but price starts to climb at this point. $600-700 for 8k and im going to need a 9k winch atleast.

Warn is out of my price range unless i can find a good deal on a used one.

any one else have any first hand experience with cheap winches? any recommendations?
 
search search and search for a good used one. there out there you just have to look. I found a warn 8k used for $100 and picked it up for my car hauler, there are alot of warns out there for 3-400....alot.

I wouldnt get any of the above listed. you can easily find a used warn for the price of the champion...When it comes to winchs you get what you pay for. Dont waste your time on the cheap0s
 
you get what you pay for... Some of the cheaper winches are slow but they get the job done. I'd start hunting for a deal on a used warn.
 
I still like this test:
http://www.moabjeeper.com/articles/general/listing.cfm?articleID=353

And particularly this summary:
About the Survivors
Chicago Electric: The Chicago Electric 9000 includes an automatic load holding brake, roller fairlead, and a 4.5hp motor. It has the beefiest cable of the test at 3/8”. The Chicago Electric also had the lowest current draw on every obstacle. The low draw makes this winch ideal for a stock battery and charging system when used within Chicago Electric’s guidelines, which we failed to follow: “Intermittent use...not in a constant duty application...pulls kept as short as possible...(and) never pulling for more than one minute at or near the max rated load.” We abused this winch just like the others.

This Winches In Hell warrior was, in many ways, out of its class. To its credit, the warrior didn’t know to quit. By the end of the test, this winch was crawling along, hanging on for dear life. It didn’t finish with the vigor it had at the beginning of the test, but it lacked the good sense to quit and survived all the Winches In Hell challenges.


As for the Champion at Sams, if you watch they occasionally drop the price 50% or so to get rid of the stock. (buddy up in Va got one for ~250 after tax last year)
It will never have the bling or the speed, but I bet it will work. (assuming you take care of it)
 
hscrugby said:
I still like this test:
http://www.moabjeeper.com/articles/general/listing.cfm?articleID=353

And particularly this summary:
About the Survivors
Chicago Electric: The Chicago Electric 9000 includes an automatic load holding brake, roller fairlead, and a 4.5hp motor. It has the beefiest cable of the test at 3/8”. The Chicago Electric also had the lowest current draw on every obstacle. The low draw makes this winch ideal for a stock battery and charging system when used within Chicago Electric’s guidelines, which we failed to follow: “Intermittent use...not in a constant duty application...pulls kept as short as possible...(and) never pulling for more than one minute at or near the max rated load.” We abused this winch just like the others.

This Winches In Hell warrior was, in many ways, out of its class. To its credit, the warrior didn’t know to quit. By the end of the test, this winch was crawling along, hanging on for dear life. It didn’t finish with the vigor it had at the beginning of the test, but it lacked the good sense to quit and survived all the Winches In Hell challenges.


As for the Champion at Sams, if you watch they occasionally drop the price 50% or so to get rid of the stock. (buddy up in Va got one for ~250 after tax last year)
It will never have the bling or the speed, but I bet it will work. (assuming you take care of it)
Click to expand...
You beat me to it! I was going to look for that test when I got back inthe office. :beer:
 
FWIW, my 6-7 year old $299 Harbor Freight 4K# (re-badged & de-rated Ramsey REP8000) has always done the job! Yes it's slow, but I find it better to go slowly than constantly over-running the cable when "helping" along.

I stripped the planetaries single line pulling stumps a few years ago, bought that portion of an REP, slapped it on and it's been pulling fine since.
 
I got a 9000# mile marker from 4wp for 300 a couple years back. slow as hell but it worked
 
Ive got a 7500 pound Champion,that Ive had for 5 years,bang for the buck,its hard to beat,I had to put a motor on it,ordered from their website,called them ,the customer service was great,the complete motor,shipped to my door was $133,with a 1 year warranty.Mine came from Sams.:driver:
 
I have had winches for a long time on my ATVs. I have always said that when you need a winch is the time not to gamble. I mainly use my Warn 3k on my Polaris alot more than I do the warn 8K on the TJ. When i do, i know it will be there. Im not biased to Warn but they are hard to beat. Find a deal even if its broke, you can also find many parts for Warn winches cheap. just my $.02
 
I got the sams club champian 10K, used it for 4 months, sold the truck and returned the winch to get my money back. Thank you sams. It was a great winch for the price and what it includes (hitch mount, cables, snatch block and fairlead)

I just bought one tonight and can't wait to use it. i think its a great winch for the price
 
sam(slim) said:
http://www.truckaccessoriesnorth.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=479
My brother has had one of these for a few years and it has held up good. Not as fast as my HS9500 but it gets the job done. Tabor and Magnum winches are made by Warn it just uses a lower priced motor.
Click to expand...

I thought Tabor was made by Tmaxx...am I just dreaming this or wasnt this a big issue on PBB several years back where people kept saying both the Tabor and Champions were re badged Warn's and a Warn rep actually posted a legalese statement saying that Warn did not make grey market products and such claims were defamatory....
 
SkyHiK5 said:
I thought Tabor was made by Tmaxx...am I just dreaming this or wasnt this a big issue on PBB several years back where people kept saying both the Tabor and Champions were re badged Warn's and a Warn rep actually posted a legalese statement saying that Warn did not make grey market products and such claims were defamatory....
Click to expand...


http://www.warn.com/truck/winches/line.shtml

Check out the Warn website above.

Tabor was originaly called Magnum but Dodge sued Warn for using the Magnum name.
 
I am using Leslie's Smity Built on my Jeep as of now. Two Warn failures (both used) last year. So far, two pulls with it, and it's held up so far. It's a XRC 8000
and I am heavy!
 
it didnt even dawn on me to buy a broken warn. lol, totally forgot you can buy parts for them.

I like the XRCs if i have to settle for a winch it just might be that one. HOWEVER, Sam's has a really good return policy soooo if the champion ever fails...i just take it back and get a new one.


Suppose i will give it til URE opens back up to try and find a used warn.
 
i purchased a 8500 LB superwinch from northern tool,everyday price 399.00.ive flipped trucks back on their wheels,it will drag my buggy with all 4 tired locked,and doesnt even bogg down.
4.6 HP 1 year warr.for an extra 70.00 you can get a 5 year warrantee..as for speed ,its just about as fast as the m8000
 
I bought a champion 7500lb for $150 and got a 4 year extended warranty I can't complain if she dies tomorrow i'v got my $ out of it and it's still on my yota..but it is SLOW..I also have 10K t-max on the rover and I like it, it's wireless. :bling:
 
i got a 96 xj with a smittybilt xrc10 ive only used it twice pulled a half sunk and stuck cj7 up hill about 30' like a champ and i stuck the xj in another spot just so icould play with the new winch its been good so far
 
TOYMAKER

i CAN SAY UPNOVERS XRC 8000 WORKED FINE,SEEN IT IN ACTION
 
I've got a Chicago electric 10k on the gooseneck and it's worked fine for over a year. Got it for around $360 with 20% off coupon, it's a little slow but its pulled more than its rated for.
 
find a used Warn Humvee winch for around $70. throw the motor and solenoids away. Buy a new motor and pair of solenoids for $125 and you're good to go. I have one on my buggy and it works fairly well for what I paid for it.
 
Back
Top