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View Full Version : Real life winch testing.



DETOURS
08-14-2009, 09:03 AM
The following artical could help you decide which winch is money well spent.

http://www.moabjeeper.com/articles/general/listing.cfm?articleID=353


:driving:

Mudderoy
08-14-2009, 09:30 AM
That was a good read. It confirms another shoot out that I read. Warn is the best most consistent winch, but it's not worth $500 to me to save 30 seconds on a pull. Superwinch baby!

COSXJFAN
08-14-2009, 11:27 AM
Great article, too bad they didn't test the Smitty!! I guess this must have came out prior to the winch, but don't know for sure. I'd just like to see how it stacked up against the others...

Mudderoy
08-14-2009, 01:14 PM
Great article, too bad they didn't test the Smitty!! I guess this must have came out prior to the winch, but don't know for sure. I'd just like to see how it stacked up against the others...

All the things I have read have not been kind to the "China" built winches. I like them. People will buy them and force the expensive winches builders to lower their prices. :rotfl2:

DETOURS
08-14-2009, 10:13 PM
All reports I've gotten from "Smitty" owners are that they're VERY slow.

I can order that same winch, and have "Mudderoy Mucksucker" as a label put on it and resell it for the same price..........the China folk have tried to totally invade the winch market for years......they finally did it with some American jerk selling out the "Smitty" name...........which today, is only a name....they produce nothing, only sell the trade-marked name...........ya, it's lame.

Anything for an imported buck I guess............:confused:

DETOURS
08-14-2009, 10:19 PM
All the things I have read have not been kind to the "China" built winches. I like them. People will buy them and force the expensive winches builders to lower their prices. :rotfl2:


Ya, I guess you should'nt expect to pay for quality in this here United States either huh??? Lets pay average Joe less??........Theres one brand, way over priced out there, lets not condem your other fellow americans in the market.

BlueXJ
08-14-2009, 11:39 PM
They need to re-test with Smittybilt and MileMarker with the bugs worked out. Warn has always had too high a price for the winch you are getting.

whowey
08-15-2009, 11:15 AM
All reports I've gotten from "Smitty" owners are that they're VERY slow.

I can order that same winch, and have "Mudderoy Mucksucker" as a label put on it and resell it for the same price..........the China folk have tried to totally invade the winch market for years......they finally did it with some American jerk selling out the "Smitty" name...........which today, is only a name....they produce nothing, only sell the trade-marked name...........ya, it's lame.

Anything for an imported buck I guess............:confused:

Shitty-Built is owned by TransAmerican Autoparts. The same people that own Pro-Crap, 4-Wheel Parts, and 4-wd Hardware. So its the same junk quality as before.. just slapped on an even wider array of parts...

I'll bet that the Shitty winches are made in the same factory as the Rhino, Harbor Freight, Summit and the other cheap-o knock offs. There are some places you can cut a corner to save a buck.... something that you might need to safely recover yourself isn't the place.....

whowey
08-15-2009, 11:22 AM
They need to re-test with Smittybilt and MileMarker with the bugs worked out. Warn has always had too high a price for the winch you are getting.

Having had a pair of Milemarkers before my Warn..... The cheapys have their place... On a trailer.. or in a shop.. or somewhere where performance doesnt have a negative effect.

My first MM had its plastic knob for engaging the clutch break off about a week after I got it. The seller of the winch had me ship the entire winch back a replaced it.

The second one melted itself on a decent pull of about 50 foot up a slippery hill where the jeep I was pulling got almost no traction. About half way up the motor just quit.... no warning and the 'overheat' light never lit. Traded it for a Warn M800 that had been in an accident... I made out like a bandit.

DETOURS
08-15-2009, 09:05 PM
I, as most should........consider a winch a tool, when wrenching...busted knuckles are some times a result of a very poor tool bought to save a buck.
I own Superwinch winches, yet to have a failure and have come thru saving atleast '1' Jeep, other than my own, from a possilble reverse end-over (TJ).

I have seen 'all' brands 'fail for one reason or another.....maintance is key, keeping them covered helps alot, and in the real world they need to be spooled properly.

Remember, this artical was a real world 'Outta the box' test......theres no working out the bugs involved here, it works.....or it's gone!

firehawk
08-15-2009, 09:41 PM
Warn is no doubt the "Cadillac" of winches.:thumbsup: But I'll wager ALOT of the interior parts are NOT made by American companies. I believe the motors are Bosh which I think is a German Company. A large precentage of electrical parts, ie solenoids, contactors, etc... are made in France.

IMO, it's the same arguement about a Japanese bike, and a Harley. ALOT of the so called Made in America HD are Japanese parts. Sorry to burst anyone's bubble.:rolleyes: ALOT of people bitch about Walmart, and the stuff they sell. Funny their parking lots are full 24/7. I guess there are alot of hypocrites out there.

I personally witnessed a SmittyBilt winch preform flawlessly ALL day last Feburary. It ran pulling one Jeep or another for over an hour in the mudpit called Haspin Acres. As far as linespeeds, pulling a vehicle isn't a race anyway. Who cares who's is faster?

For a hardcore rock crawler, or someone who wheels constantly a Warn is the way to go. But for the weekend warrior, ie the average joe, the cost IMO cannot be justified for something that sits on your bumper 99% of the time doing nothing. The "cheaper" winches have their place, and appear to fill it very well.

Mudderoy
08-15-2009, 10:48 PM
Well that's how the article starts out doesn't it? Everyone has their own ideas as to what is important. My comments are for me. I want the Warn, but I don't want to spend that much, so I'm willing to drop it down a very small notch.

DETOURS
08-16-2009, 02:54 PM
I dont think Warns a Cadillac, I think they have the advertising budget that Cadillac has........they recently have had poor luck with their siloniods as well, lots of failures.......sure they'll send you a new one free, but that dosent get you off the trail when it fails.

Line speeds can be very important in emergencies, this goes for free spooling as well, to get the line out fast and get it where it needs to be. Also if you've ever been in a group of 8 or more on a trail and you need to winch, that is when you understand line speed......slow winch'es make a slow day.

COSXJFAN
08-16-2009, 10:15 PM
I have used mine once, and my buddies a couple of times, and honestly, they did everything I wanted them to do, get me out. I don't care if it does it "fast", as long as it does it. I understand the logic behind the thoughts suggested in this thread about price=quality, but my primary terrain is rocks, and I, quite honestly, don't take the cable often. I bought it for the JIC scenario, that is all. It does the job well for me, and that is all I can comment on...

Mudderoy
08-17-2009, 09:15 AM
I just want a winch so I can bitch about it.

muddeprived
08-18-2009, 07:01 PM
I just want a winch so I can bitch about it.

you'll bitch at it alright. You'll be saying "damn that winch pulled down my front end now i have to add spacers........"

DETOURS
08-19-2009, 02:59 PM
Heheee.....well atleast we got 2 pages out of this, ;) ......

I have a few arm loads of Superwinch decals over here if any owners need some! :cheerleader:

troys96xj
05-16-2010, 10:04 PM
I have a Smittybuilt XRC8 and it performs very well. I have pulled full size Broncos out of some pretty serious stuff and it just keeps on keeping on.This thing is amazeing.Don't knock it till you try it.Mine works nearly as fast as a $1200 Warn. I know cuz I wheel with about 300 different Jeeps and we have evry brand out there.Mine only costed $300.How do you justify that price difference?They are all made in other countries anyway.I buy as much American as possible but with winches you can't.They can say made in US all they want,but they are not.Perfect example,Hondas are made here but there are 10s of thousands that come in on shipps every day.Explain that one.

4.3LXJ
05-16-2010, 10:52 PM
Having had a pair of Milemarkers before my Warn..... The cheapys have their place... On a trailer.. or in a shop.. or somewhere where performance doesnt have a negative effect.

The second one melted itself on a decent pull of about 50 foot up a slippery hill where the jeep I was pulling got almost no traction. About half way up the motor just quit.... no warning and the 'overheat' light never lit. Traded it for a Warn M800 that had been in an accident... I made out like a bandit.

Had the same thing happen to my Mile Marker. The wife was with me. I didn't have any trouble convincing her I needed a Warn. She said "You need a good winch". Said it again just the other day.

rguignard
05-17-2010, 06:27 AM
:thumbsup:after this weekend i have great things to say about my smitty it pulled as fast and as hard as the warn that want wheeling with me:thumbsup: i used it 5 times pulled up some hills that were way to slick to go up with out it and out of a big mud hole that ate the jeep it never stoped working or overheated at all.

XJ4IV
05-28-2010, 06:12 PM
I have an OLD warn m8000 and mine does pretty good but I was with Rguignard during this wheeling trip and even in one of the vids you can hear my reaction of how fast his was ... I LOVE my warn but I got it for free as a hand me down but if I was paying for it Id buy a Smitty... sorry everyone but I would... and after review of the chicago electric... Id consider that one as well!!!

Mudderoy
05-29-2010, 09:40 AM
I have an OLD warn m8000 and mine does pretty good but I was with Rguignard during this wheeling trip and even in one of the vids you can hear my reaction of how fast his was ... I LOVE my warn but I got it for free as a hand me down but if I was paying for it Id buy a Smitty... sorry everyone but I would... and after review of the chicago electric... Id consider that one as well!!!

Before you do anything crazy look into rebuilding the Warn.

XJ4IV
05-29-2010, 06:05 PM
Before you do anything crazy look into rebuilding the Warn.

already did ... thats why I got it free