Winch advice

JTCO

Meme King
Smittybilt or Warn?

I read an article stating that Smittybilt "is the best winch for your money": https://4wdlife.com/smittybilt-winches-review
There were charts and stuff, pretty convincing. But a friend of mine is a big fan of Warn winches. I value his opinion but I need more info

It's always a great idea to spend as little as possible when purchasing a safety item. <SARCASM FONT.

Check out this:

https://wayalife.com/showthread.php...-quot-Top-end-quot-Smittybilt-winch-questions

Including this at 12:33....(it was a Smitty built)


I wouldn't touch anything other than Warn.
 

VitaMeVas

New member
Duh!

Warn if u have the $$. I didn’t and went Engo. Bad move on my part. I’ve had many solenoid and electrical issues.
 

JTCO

Meme King
There are two types of people that will read this thread and make a decision:

Group A: There's enough advice and experience here and it's obvious that I should just buy a Warn.

Group B: Maybe, just maybe, I'll get lucky and save some bucks with that smittybilt winch... Hell, if things don't work out, I can always get a Warn anyways if I win the lottery with that ticket I just bought...I wonder if that bench with the 'wet paint' sign is dry already? I should touch it just to find out...
 

JLRay

Member
Definitely go warn even the cheaper warn winch is better than shittybuilt. But I would recommend saving and go for the higher end. [emoji51][emoji631]
 

notnalc68

That dude from Mississippi
Smittybilt or Warn?

I read an article stating that Smittybilt "is the best winch for your money": https://4wdlife.com/smittybilt-winches-review
There were charts and stuff, pretty convincing. But a friend of mine is a big fan of Warn winches. I value his opinion but I need more info

I’ll beat Wayoflife to the punch on this. I think I know what he’d say.

A winch is safety equipment. If we were talking about parachutes, would you try to save money, or buy the cream of the crop?

Now, it is possible that you really don’t need a winch. If not, don’t buy one, at least until you can buy a good one. A Warn M8000 is still a good bet, it’s much less expensive than a Zeon, and it is made in the USA.


Sent from my iPhone using JL Wrangler Jeep Forum mobile app
 

CalSgt

Member
I searched craiglist everyday for about 2 months and saw several used Warn winches that were decent deals and eventually found a brand new Warn 9.5XP-S for $900, it had some scratches from the previous owner trying to mount it but everything was still in the factory packaging. There were lots of winches that looked like they lived on the bumper of a mall crawler for a year or two & still had perfectly wound cable or rope.

I would take a used Warn over a new cheapo winch any day, the resale value (usually more than a new smittybilt) is enough proof that they are quality.
 

wanderer

New member
Super winch 10k exp

Used to love warn. Got fed up with shifty customer service. Went super winch. They were sold to Weston It the product is great or maybe try comeup.
 

doubletapdaddy

Caught the Bug
Used to love warn. Got fed up with shifty customer service. Went super winch. They were sold to Weston It the product is great or maybe try comeup.

Hmmm. I've had nothing but excellent customer service from Warn. Whether it's been something as simple as replacement decals (my front decal turned brittle when I moved from Florida to Colorado... looked like broken glass) or even replacement mounting hardware when I lost a couple of nuts, they were more than happy to ship them out ASAP. I must admit though that I haven't had to initiate any warranty issues.
 

Since Superwinch sold out, their quality went down the shitter in the devil's basement. Look at their reviews on Facebook and a couple other sites. Piles of reviews mentioning winches failing, motors going out, solenoids failing after a pull or two, clutches that won't engage, and rust inside brand new winches.

I was thinking heavily about an EXP 10-Si, but certainly not anymore. Warn for sure.

Hella Yella 2018 JLUR. V6. Auto. Uniden 880 cb. Vision X Dura-M460 cube lights.
 

wanderer

New member
Since Superwinch sold out, their quality went down the shitter in the devil's basement. Look at their reviews on Facebook and a couple other sites. Piles of reviews mentioning winches failing, motors going out, solenoids failing after a pull or two, clutches that won't engage, and rust inside brand new winches.

I was thinking heavily about an EXP 10-Si, but certainly not anymore. Warn for sure.

Hella Yella 2018 JLUR. V6. Auto. Uniden 880 cb. Vision X Dura-M460 cube lights.

Wow. Don’t subscribe to Facebook so I have never heard that. But how is it that an ipf 68 rated winch can get rust inside? All their electronics are potted military grade. Or supposed to be. I was under the impression Weston was going to retain all the same manufacturing procedures and tradesmen
 

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