Hello all. I have been working on my list of upgrades to the truck and I am looking for a winch. I have spent countless hours researching and it seems that I often leave more confused and undecided than when I started. I have found a Warn m8000 for around $580.00, but I am concerned that it will be to small for the truck. I have also been looking at some of the cheaper winches like the Recon Brute Force 17,500#, or others like the Promark/Gorilla, Vortex, etc. in the 12,000-16,000# range.

I am on a little bit of a limited budget, around $500 preferably less. Don't know if less weight rating and better "quality" balances out against higher weight rating and lower "quality". I was hoping maybe I could get some input and opinions.

It will probably only need to use it a few times a year if the past is any indicator. Also the question of "waterproof" and ease of maintenance and repair has surfaced in the debate.

Thanks, Jeff

 

as for winchs dude, go with tabor, its a product of warn, but there " cheaper" section, still work amazing,

when you buy a winch, you get what you pay for... i am currently in the market and am looking at the smittybuilt XRC 12k... i think thats the name... its pretty cheap and has plenty of power for these trucks...

in all reality, take the wieght of your truck... and add half of that weight to the wieght of your truck..

like 6k truck, add 3k to it, so it comes out to 9k... see what im saying, and thats the rating you need or a little bigger..

 

Yah I have seen all the formulas and wouldn't go any lighter than a 9,000, or maybe a high quality 8,000. I was just wondering if a cheaper brand rated at like 17,500 would balance out and last just as long for less money? In regards to the Taber that has really interested me as I can get a 12,000 Warn for about the same money, but are these any better than the less expensive off brands. I know they do not have the standard Warn warranty, but don't know how much that is really worth.

 

On a side note I am looking for a heavy duty front bumper, like a Ranch hand or something. I was wondering if there is anyone here that has one, would be willing to build one for me, or knows someone. Shipping seems to be the killer so looking for one in driving distant, a few hundred miles or one that I can get cheap enough to offset the shipping. Would need to be a reasonable price. Any help would be appreciated, even if someone was traveling in my direction and could haul one for a reasonable price. Thanks, Jeff

 

The big thing with winches is the duty cycle or how long you can run them without having to stop to cool them down (or having them stop when the solenoids burn up)!

Warns and Ramseys will out pull just about every other brand hands down and do it much longer. But, do you need this type of performance? Probably not.

For just occasional use and as an insurance policy against having to call the flatbed guy, there are a lot of good choices that are a lot less money.

Just stay away from the really cheap stuff like the ones at Harbor Freight and you'd be fine.

I currently own a Warn XD9000i and a Warm M8000, but I have farmland where I hunt, fish and ATV. I am forever clearing trails for the ATV and doing heavy work around the pond where I am using my winch daylong.

The Tabors are not bad at all for occasional use as are the Smittybuilts. The higher end Milemarkers and Superwinches are decent too, but their models that are comparable in price to the Smittybuilts are not on par and suffer from very weak solenoids and skimpy motors.
The Recons intrigue me because they use HUGE motors (up around 7.0 HP) and are CHEAP. However the few reviews I've read on them indicate they are a quality winch. But they are fairly new and even though they seem to hold together for a full days use, they have not been tested over the long haul.

IMO, get a Warn or Ramsey if you plan on actually working with your winch or simply can afford overkill. Go with a Tabor or Smitty or even try a Recon (3 year warranty) for an insurance winch...

 

MILE MARKER SI12000 . http://www.milemarker.com/products/toughseries.html

 

Any opinions on the Tuff Stuff winches? Reading thru it, it looks like a really good deal... anyone have any information on them? The price is just unreal. (which makes me very suspicious.)