To get a winch or not to get a winch, that is the question.

Quote from deadfeat

Buy a locker first.. Sure it doesnt look as cool , but it will be used far more.

x2 Can't argue with that statment!!!

Quote from deadfeat

Buy a locker first.. Sure it doesnt look as cool , but it will be used far more.

^ yeah, what he said

I won't debate the merits of each brand too much - only that Warn has been good to me in regards to customer service. I have no firsthand experience with other brands so can't really comment on them.

As far as to get or not to get, even if you never wheel the Jeep it can still come in very handy. I've used mine to pull people out of the ditch during snow/wind storms, logs out of woods, and shrubs out of my front yard more than I've used it off road. I don't wheel very often, but do hit the beach quite a bit and like having the peace of mind of being able to either help someone else or help myself out if in the situation. Waiting for the right deal to come along is key - my wife got her Warn HP9500 used w/winch mount for a very good price from Joe Lovette and I picked my Warn 9.5ti up new-in-box from a private party for a great price. She has a synthetic rope and thimble on hers and mine has the original cable with more than a few alarming kinks.

Plan for a solid 1/2" drop in nose height on your jeep once you install it. Between the winch, mount platform, and cable that is the average decrease in height you'll see. On a TJ it's easily solved with an extra OEM rubber spring pad - JK's may be similar or not. I only mention this so if you know you are putting on a winch then maybe you could install an extra spring pad above the front coils while you put in the lift to keep from having to pull it all apart again after the winch is mounted up.

I've used mine to pull myself out, flip another Jeep back on it's tires, pull stuff out of the garage (that I was too lazy to empty to make lighter), and most importantly, pull myself onto a trailer when I broke down last summer.

But I'd definately get a locker first, as was said. There's enough people on the trail with winches and straps to get the job done.

You can buy a LockRight and still have money for the gnarly rope for what a decent winch will cost.

As Stomper said I have a 8k HF winch I got it 8yrs ago it was on my 1500 Jimmy and now on my YJ (ok it's in the shed waiting to be put back on). I have BEAT this winch and it worked great. It's not fast but it has done 2 or 3 recoveries at RC,winched out a 1ton stuck to the frame in mud ,and a 3/4 ton brush truck just to name a few. I did burn out the motor last fall (my bad should have used the snatch block) I called the # on the paperwork that came with it and ordered a new one cost around $100.I plan on buying a 10k HF winch for the YJ and the 8K will be installed on the gooseneck.For a $250 winch it has served me well. If I had the $$ to spend I would buy a Warn but IMO bang for the buck HF isn't a bad deal. The 10k on sale is I think $349 and includes the mount and a roller fairlead.

The "to get a winch, or not to get a winch" is a question every wheeler deals with. Most people get a winch because they think they need one but have never really thought it through. If you wheel alone, you need as many tricks as you can get. A locker and a winch! A winch will get you out of anything, but only if there is a tree within 100'. But a locker won't get you out of everything, either... especially if you're high-centered on the frame or the axle the locker is in!

So, decide what kind of wheeling you're going to be doing... if you're going out by yourself a lot, then get as much as you can. A lunchbox locker, winch, winch rope extensions, pulley block, shovel, etc. But if you know you'll always be in a group then just get a locker and a couple straps.

I personally have a winch AND two lockers. The winch came first and has never been used to rescue myself (well, the Jeep was out of service for 2 of the 3 years I've owned the winch). But the rear locker has kept me from getting stuck a couple times!

Quote from Slimer

But I'd definitely get a locker first, as was said. There's enough people on the trail with winches and straps to get the job done.

Thats all fine and good until you miscalculate how deep that mud, water is or you become high centered .

Then there will come a time when you realize that you have become "that guy" that no one wants to wheel with because you always get stuck or break down .

IMO half the fun for me of wheeling , day trip to explore , long weekend or what have you is knowing I won't be that guy or have to call someone to help me . I won't have to rely on anyone .

I once got stuck in a mud hole at the Barrens . There were several other Jeeps there .
No one could reach me from solid ground . Had to climb out on Jeep , unspool the cable of my winch and toss it to someone
so I could get out .

Go prepared or ...

Of course I am bias , My Jeep came with lockers .
Seems to me that I use my winch more than my lockers .

LOL. It was funny seeing the thread switch over to lockers. I will say that over half the time I have been stuck, a winch and lockers were useless. In these cases, I had wished I invested in a good entertainment system with DVD player. Then I could have watched a movie while waiting to get strapped out. Do yourself a favor, the JK's have awesome systems available. Get one of them first. You won't regret it.

Quote from whatevah

... if you're going out by yourself a lot, then get as much as you can......... But if you know you'll always be in a group then just get a locker and a couple straps.

The group method is preferred. A LOT of other things can go wrong when out playing around. :o

Quote from surfrider

I once got stuck in a mud hole at the Barrens . There were several other Jeeps there .
No one could reach me from solid ground . Had to climb out on Jeep , unspool the cable of my winch and toss it to someone
so I could get out .

You seem to do that a lot buddy. At Jack Frost.

Quote from KnoxRents

LOL. It was funny seeing the thread switch over to lockers. I will say that over half the time I have been stuck, a winch and lockers were useless. In these cases, I had wished I invested in a good entertainment system with DVD player. Then I could have watched a movie while waiting to get strapped out. Do yourself a favor, the JK's have awesome systems available. Get one of them first. You won't regret it.

the evolution of a thread: from winches to lockers to DVD systems.

back on the topic of winches:

Quote from KnoxRents

...does anyone know first hand of an instance where a lower end winch has failed.

by failed, do you mean mechanically, as in break? or as in fail to perform?

fwiw, i don't recall ever seeing a winch break. i have seen working winches fail to do their job.

for example, last saturday, during the stuck of which i mentioned in another thread, this winch was unable to pull the vehicle:

the winch motor just strained and groaned and the jeep didn't move.

no, the jeep was not in this place at the time. i had him coast back in neutral and had repositioned him so that he was not blocked by that rock. i use this picture for illustration purposes only.

this winch, however, effortlessly pulled the jeep from the same place that the above one couldn't:

caveats:
1. the incapable winch was rated at 8000#, the other is a 12000#, so maybe that had something or everything to do with why one performed where the other failed to perform. (that, or the viagra. ) this info may be helpful to the OP in his decision-making (not the viagra; the winch rating).
2. i don't know the manufacturer of either winch. the brand may or may not have been an issue. maybe someone else can tell what brand they are.

Would like to see how the vehicle was stuck.

Sometimes the angle at which the winch line is pulling can make the difference too. May be better to hook the line high up on a tree to pull a vehicle up and over the obstacle instead of mounting it low to pull the vehicle THROUGH the obstacle.

Quote from altierior

2. i don't know the manufacturer of either winch. the brand may or may not have been an issue. maybe someone else can tell what brand they are.

The top one looks like an older Smittybilt. There can be some variables to cause that but that's a good example. I've almost stopped my old M8000 before but when the pull would get that hard, I'd usually use a snatch block anyway.

The top winch is a smittybilt and the bottom one is a tuff stuff

Another factor may be the number of wraps on the drum. All winches are rated for single wrap pulling. The more layers on the drum the less pulling power it has. In some cases by close to half of the rated load. I just got a new 12k winch and with the 4th layer on the drum its rated at 6800#. So a longer pull may have helped out. If he had an 8k and was on the 4th layer he may have only had about 4k of load rating. As I mentioned in this post earlier you want a winch rated for about 1 and half times the weight of the jeep loaded. This is were a snatch block can come in handy not only does it double the load you can pull it also gets more cable off of the drum and putting you closer to the rated pulling capicity.

I remember reading this in J-Rations magazine when it was still around. http://www.moabjeeper.com/arti…listing.cfm?articleID=353

Some good info and some you might not expect. They put that poor Chicago Electric winch through the wringer.

Quote from 92Renegade

I remember reading this in J-Rations magazine when it was still around. http://www.moabjeeper.com/arti…listing.cfm?articleID=353

Some good info and some you might not expect. They put that poor Chicago Electric winch through the wringer.

Just keep in mind, the article date is 07/01/2007. Things change in 4 years, for good and for bad. All indications I have seen are that Warn and Superwinch are still the same high quality, but the others may be different then at the time this was written.