Any winch recommendations...yeah or neagh......

[bandit67]

Guys, I wish to purchase a winch for my car trailer. I have used one many times but never purchased one for my own use. Seems everybody sells them and there are many in what ever price range you pick from a $100 to $800 bucks. I just want to buy one good one that will last. I want to be able to hook to a 4000 pound car sitting in the weeds that may have several wheels brake locked and drag in up on the trailer......all on 12 Volt auto battery. What do you have that you would recommend. Is 13000 pound enough, or do I want 17000. Pretty sure I want a steel cable, but those rope ones look easier . Are any of them made in the USA or which Chinamanease unit is of good quality...if there is such a thing. I see some with remote control as well as manual pushbuttons. While I don't plan to leave out in the rain, it may darn well be put to work in the rain. I m not planning to use it like once a week, but wish not to need to purchase one again....thanks all....

 

[pnora]

Most all is CCJ. 12,000 will work fine and you can use a snatch block if needed. Biggest killer is lack of battery. Low voltage will burn them up. Stay with steel cable. One snag on the rope and it is junk. Remember a winch is at its rated pull on the first cable wrap on the drum.

 

[cr8crshr]

Also consider Draw Bar Pull which is rated based upon whether you are winching on a level surface or up an incline. Snatch Blocks also help with double line or triple line to reduce load on the winch...cr8crshr/Bill

 

[747mopar]

I've used a couple of the cheap ones, a friend had one on a car hauler and my dad bought a HF unit.. they got the job done but not impressive at all. I'd buy a Warn and forget about it. My Can Am came with one and has proven to be a tough little unit, pulled me out several times, pulled a barn down, gets covered in mud, grit, grime and rain and keeps on going. My brother has always had Warns on his trucks as well with no problems so they're definitely a good winch.

Remote control would be a huge advantage, just think of how often you have to turn a wheel, move a ramp, add blocking, etc.. very handy to not have to walk back and forth. As far as weight goes just remember your dragging a car not lifting it straight up so 13,000 lbs should load just about anything.

 

[Runcharger]

Buy a good, used WARN 8274. Rated for 8000lbs but that's American lbs not Chinese lbs. Easy to use, spool in really fast with no load on them and parts are readily available if you need them. Four wheelers used them from the late 60's into the 80's or so and you can usually pick them up in nice shape for $200 or so. They will outlast 10 Chinese winches. You'll have to mount it permanently to your trailer but it's designed to live in the rain and snow.

 

[F4R/T]

Quality is key older units are better built , nothing wrong with a good old unit, most have better windings etc. I would only buy American made so that will require some homework.. good luck!

 

[33 IMP]

I bought a 2500 lb horror fright winch, with a infrared remote that worked great, pulled my little car on the trailer fine, if slowly. It was just overmatched against a real car.
So, i opted for hf 9000 lb with 20% off, less than a quarter of a warn, bought a box to put it in, and a new battery, ......and it was a complete pos. By the time i realized it wasnt my fault that it didnt work (at first it was, the tiny little ground wire underneath wasnt tight) the warantee was gone.
But since i had put so much effort getting this winch set up the way i wanted..... i got another hf 9000 lb. Naturally, this one is flawless.
I sure would never steer anyone away from a u.s. made winch, new or used. You sometimes get what you pay for. Sometimes it just comes down to how much you are willing or able to pay.

 

[pnora]

Most all the smaller winches from Warn are Chinese built.

 

[1STMP]

I ran a 10K Warn on a Jeep Rubicon for many
years. It never failed. Switched the steel cable
for a Dynema 10K rope after seeing a winch
hook smash thru a fellow 4-wheelers' windshield
after his cable broke. I've also seen a few hands
get sliced from steel cable strands. Ropes take
a little extra care as to not pull over any sharp
edges.
With a 10K winch and a snatch block, you can
double your pulling power.

 

[hanks73340]

wasn't sure which ones you were looking for

Look into the Warn or Ramsey winches. These are both made in the USA

 

[3white74]

I have two 12,000 lb harbor freight brand winches in both my trailers..... I dragged a 68 sport satellite wagon with all four wheels locked up onto the trailer no problem.... I always try to put tires on that hold air when dragging a junk car out of somewhere it just makes the job much easier even if the wheels are locked

 

[Triplegreen500]

I echo the Warn recommendations.

I also encourage synthetic rope instead of steel. Durability has come leaps and bounds recently, and if it does break...it drops like a string. Steel break? It'll whip and can cut off an arm, leg, or foot. Also, you can put a good knot in the synthetic and finish your pull; that ain't happening with steel. When i worked at a powersports dealer, we simply wouldn't use steel cables on any of our units. ATVs, side by sides, trailers, you name it - they all got synthetic rope. And, they didn't come back broken...they just worked.

 

[wish4hemi]

Holley has their Anvil Off-Road brand of winches that seem decently priced. Here is an installation on a trailer: https://moparconnectionmagazine.com...heavyweight-17000lbs-winch-installation-test/

 

[dual fours]

If you use the steel cable, always throw a floor mat, coat, or a blanket over the cable when winching. When/if the cable breaks...it's to late to do "safety precaution'' then. Been winching since 1980 with a Ramsey and steel cables. I have not gone synthetic rope yet...but thinking about it. Humm, tie a knot in synthetic rope sounds likes a plus.
I remember a saying for steel rope, "never saddle the dead horse''.

 

[Pistol Pete]

I have a Superwinch and it's works quite well. What I did was mount a hitch receiver vertically to the trailer and fabricated a flat plate with the draw bar pointing down to bolt to the winch. The unit lives in the back seat of the truck, out of the weather and prying eyes, until I need it. Drop it in, secure the pin and you're off.

https://www.superwinch.com/en/produ...00-lb-wire-rope-trailer-utility-winch-1455200

 

[Sahara]

Warn. Like everybody says.
You can thank us later.
BTW you can get rebuild parts for old Warn winches.
And get good synthetic rope. I wouldn’t take free steel cable after having used synthetic. And we winch a lot.

 

[dual fours]

Warn. Like everybody says.
You can thank us later.
BTW you can get rebuild parts for old Warn winches.
And get good synthetic rope. I wouldn’t take free steel cable after having used synthetic. And we winch a lot.

I wonder if any Off Road venders will be at Chryslers at Carlisle since Jeep is now in the Family and are showing themselves up on the hill.
By the way there is a 'PA Jeep Show' at Carlisle on July 24-25, 2021.
If I had to look for a new winch today I'd look at 'Warn' first.

 

[bandit67]

Great info Guys, thanks much. A new Warn 8274 is $2500 with steel cable, and $2600 with the synthetic cable. Refurbished is $1600 and working used is $700, just what do you want to pay. Says the Big Boy is made in Oregon. I m thinking the Warn 10,000 with snatch block would do the trick for me. I am much older now and do a lot of stuff by myself and doing things as safe as possible is a must. The synthetic cable does sound a bit safer. They saying keep a cover on will help keep it from rotting fast.

 

[70chall440]

Despite all of the HF haters, do some research and you might be surprised. A couple of publications did some comparisons and some of the HF units did surprisingly well. I used a HF #9000 to pull a #6000 Bobcat out of mud once and it did awesome. I would not hesitate to put one on a car trailer.

 

[33 IMP]

My second 9000# works great. When i get the electrics fixed on the first one, i will have two 9000lb winches for a fifth of a warn. Thats the problem, why there is so much chinese stuff. Its hard to pay a 500% surcharge for american made.