Ghetto Winch

[JTaylor]

I see these knock off winches all over Ebay. Anyone have any experience with them?
I have searched the interwebs but I can only find forum posts saying which winch to get not specific experience with these.
I have seen everything from "I wouldn't trust it" to "It will bring on the apocalypse if you buy it" but no reviews or opinions of folks who have them.

[BadAssEddie]

Link?

[JTaylor]

Bunches of different ones. They all have the same basic build to them. Similar to Badlands. Here are a few....

http://www.ebay.com/itm/12000LBS-12v-El ... tz&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/12000lb-12V-Ele ... F-&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Speedmaster-120 ... WS&vxp=mtr

[Mr.WJ]

It's a gamble in my opinion. But for light use, I'd imagine it work. I'd bet the cable or the motor would be a weak link.

[JTaylor]

Here is my logic....
3500 lb truck $250ish budget
Options 9000 lb badlands or 12000 lb generic
Either should be enough to get me out of most situations.
So work a 9000 lb harbor freight a little more or work a 12000 lb generic a little less?

Yeah, I went colors! What of it?

[BadAssEddie]

For $50-$75 more, you can get a Smittybilt XRC that has a 6.6 HP motor and an IP 67 rating. Superwinch LP series is another option for $299, but has a 4.5 HP motor and no liquid ingress rating. I had one once upon a time and it was fine.

It is easy to get caught up in spec sheets and saving pennies, but any entry level namebrand winch will do you fine. However, I think Superwinch and Smittybilt are a step above Badlands and Traveller. I would not purchase a winch like you linked.

You don't need a 10-12k lb winch. Rule of thumb is 150%-200% of vehicle curb weight. Those two above come in 8500 and 9500 flavors.

[alk1174]

I have been inside a few winches the last few years. Rebuilt a few warn M8000s, scavenged parts from some cheap chinese winches and converted an original smittybilt with the permanent magnet motor to a series wound motor. What I have learned is the most all of them share similar and in many cases identical parts. With a little ingenuity the parts can be interchanged. They all seemed like mass produced chinese parts just being assembled by different manufacturers. The major difference I have seen is in the quality of the electronics. The cheaper winches skimp on the wiring, motors and controllers to save money. The good thing is most of this stuff swaps around pretty easy once you understand whats going on. The smittybilt I salvaged uses a replacement warn motor and a newer style contactor from some other brand.

If I were in the market I would look for a winch to rebuild even if its a no name brand. You can end up with a decent winch in the end and you will understand how the electronics work and be able to test it and get it going if it leaves you stranded in the woods. Most of the failures I have seen are from dead remotes or solenoids. Both of which can be bypassed if you know whats going on.

Two other bits of advice. Mount you solenoid/contactor out of the weather. I mounted mine under the hood using welding cables. This keeps the water and salt out. Been this way for around 10 years now with no issues. The second is your electrical system. You need a good battery, quality large diameter cables and a high output alternator to really get the most from a winch. Unfortunately this is very expensive but can be tackled one step at a time and isn't necessary if you dont plan on more than occasional use. I have found the electronics to be more of a limiting factor than the winch.

Also if you are searching for a winch use "wench" as a keyword. People cant spell.

[alk1174]

If you are bored page 25 is where I rebuilt the old smittybilt.
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/general- ... c8-25.html

[JTaylor]

I did a web search on "Wench" but got a lot of chicks with heaving bosoms. After about 4 hours of searching through those (you have to be thorough) I got back to the real spelling.

Lots of good advice.

[WhiteRhino]

my smitty built 9500 xrc was $300, good winch so far and great customer service, that being said HF badlands 12000 IB winch is a good one as well especially if they are on sale, the warranty on the HF winches are worth it.

[YellowDodgeBrian]

Smittybilt is having some pretty good sales right now. $400 for a 12,000 pound winch. 12,000 is probably the lowest I'd go on my truck but with your taco you could get away with something lighter.
http://4wheelonline.com/Smittybilt-XRC- ... 2.243833.0
http://4wheelonline.com/Smittybilt_XRC_ ... 2.243837.0

[YellowDodgeBrian]

Kinda hijacking this thread, but is it worth the extra money to go overkill on a winch? My truck is probably around 3 tons so in theory a 12,000 would work fine but would a 15,000 last longer since it doesn't have to work as hard? For only $100 more would it be worth the peace of mind?

Personally, If I'm going to invest in a winch I'm not going the getto route. If I'm using a winch its going to be used as a last resort recovery option. If the winch fails I don't want to be stranded. Those are my thoughts on it.

[alk1174]

I have found that a winch is only as good as the electronics that back it up. To have a good dependable system you also need a good battery, a good alternator and heavy gauge wiring backing it up. So consider that in your price factor.

I had a friend that thought bigger is better when it comes to winches and went with a 18K. He found out that the cable is so heavy and bulky that its no fun to use and ended up getting a backup 9K to use for the majority of his use

[BadAssEddie]

Kinda hijacking this thread, but is it worth the extra money to go overkill on a winch? My truck is probably around 3 tons so in theory a 12,000 would work fine but would a 15,000 last longer since it doesn't have to work as hard? For only $100 more would it be worth the peace of mind?

In short, no. Just buy a decent 10K and call it a day. Krantz has a good point about the electronics that is often overlooked. Apples to apples, a heavier winch will be faster for the same load, but not last longer.

[alk1174]

I am no EE but I believe that an electronic motor draws it's most current when it's at or near stall. Which could mean you are harder on your electronic system if you are running a small winch at capacity versus jumping up a size.

Also most of the wincing we do is just small pulls at low weight and a snatch block can be used to increase pull.

If I had it to do all over I would find a used 8274 and rebuild it with a 9.5 xp motor and a good contactor setup to replace the solenoids. Could probably do this for under a grand with top notch parts.