Besides Warn Warn (not Warn Tabor) what is the best brand of winch? I think most people would consider Warn at the top of the totem pole and I'd like this thread to help buyers (including myself) know what else is out there. Please base your vote on your experience, or at least word of mouth from a trusted friend, rather than the name you recognize the most. Feel free to post your nightmare experiences with a certain brand or the faithful service it has provided.

 

I have a buddy who has a Ramsey on his FJ40 and it's preformed well and he has had zero problems with it. Great winch if your looking for something other than Warn.

 

Ramsey and Superwinch offer the same quality at a higher price in my opinion.

Lamm

 

its a least five years old but the Patriot from Ramsey (I think) works great.

 

ramsey 10 to 1 over warn --- Warn just do not hold up to the abuse of mud and water out here --- they must have built a good reputation through rock crawlers (High and Dry)

 

Another vote for Ramsey. I had one on my old rig and another one on the new rig I just got. However I do plan to replace it with a Warn 8274

 

Which brand is probably a personal choice, to be honest I haven't heard too many bad things about very many winches. My guess is that most of the time winch failures are operator error: burning up the motor, poor installation, etc. On good word from my dad and several others I bought the $299 Harbor Freight 8000lb model. This is EXACTLY the same as the mile marker 8000, made in China. I have used it only once to extract a jeep (boy I had a smile on my face doing that) and then several other times to pull stumps. It works GREAT, but it SLOW. This thing is very heavy duty. The main attraction to me besides price was the low current draw. I think peak draw at 8000lbs is only 180amps (because this is a parallel wound motor). Understanding that the winch can pull the rated load ONLY on the bottom layer is key to any of them not failing, also making sure not to overheat them by alternating pulling and resting. Having said all that, I just got an amazing deal on a Warn 9000lb, and I am right now trying to decide if I want to mount the Warn on my truck or give it as a gift to my brother. Both my father and I have great things to say about this HF winch and for $299 I'd buy it over the mile marker any day.

 

i agree, but Ill keep my Warn, its been through mud, water, heat and the cold, has never let me, or should I say others, down lol.
If it was me, save up and buy the best that you can, "only say ouch once"

 

I forgot about Harbor Freight. At one point a few months ago I was going to buy one of the 8,000 lb. Mile Marker winches Costco advertises for $330. There were no Costcos in my area, but since I was headed on a business trip downstate anyway I decided I'd buy one then. The friend I was staying w/ said I should check out Harbor Freight, but I never fit it into my schedule to go. I ended up visiting 3 Costcos on my trip and none of them had the winch. Had I known Harbor Freight's was only $300 maybe I wouldn't have bothered with stupid Costco in the first place (yes, I'm still bitter).

 

I used to have the 8000 HF when I first got my TJM. My dad used to have it on his trailer and burned it up dragging a 3000lb hustler range wing with the hydrolics locked up onto his trailer. When he got his Warn 12000 he gave the HF winch to me. They didn't have replacement brushes for it and I couldn't find any to match it so I had to the whole end for it. The housing for the brushes is made of plastic and I melted it the first time I used it. Granted I was stuck up to my doors in the swap. I have heard of people having success with them, but this one did not hold up for me.

 

T-maxx.

You didn't put it in your poll but I think it's the summit winch. At least it was at one time IIRC. Who knows who's winch they're re-badging now? Maybe the tabor then the t-maxx.

 

There is Warn and there is everything else.

Winch buying advice:
1. Buy what your buddies have, that makes sharing remotes easy.
2. Buy a winch you would trust your life, or a friends on.
3. Buy the best you can afford. Even if you only use it every couple months, you want it to work every time you use it.

I have never seen a broken Warn winch on the trail. I have seen Mile Marker's, Ramsey's, Harbor Poops.

I have an 9.5 XP.

 

A 9.5XP? You could winch yourself and another 4runner attached to you up a straight cliff, assuming your line holds.

 

Depends on if he's sitting in the rig or not ... if he IS, he probably stalls it out all the time

(Adrian is a big dude!)

 

Big? Come on now.

Funnies aside though, the winch ratings are only with the first wrap on the drum. Any more cable than that and you are decreasing mechanical advantage and limiting total pull power.

I have stalled my XP pulling fat trucks before, always get the most winch you can.

 

My 3 warn winches have never failed. My og 8000I is still going strong, My M8000s are still on the front of some serious rock crawlers. I've pulled at least 2 friends after there superwinches solenoids burned up. This is now a part of the trail spare box, not mine though. I have seen one ramseys throw sparks, a housing bearing crushed and the motor grounded to the case.

I might try a harbor freight winch on my trailer though

 

Minor thread hijack:

I have the 9.5ti which I assume to be pretty similar to the xp but haven't gotten to use it in anger yet. You are pretty happy with the xp? With a snatch block doubled up you don't think you would have too much trouble pulling stuck fullsizes? Just curious because I am sure I can winch myself but have buddies with FS so I got a snatch block, some chain and a big tree strap to hopefully make it easier to extricate them if necessary.

 

I've got a Tmaxx winch... Inexpensive, my experience has been good so far.

 

I had my T-Maxx underwater pulling my truck out of a real bind... water to windshield (glad I had the Snorkel!) worked great. though i didnt like the fact that it rusted up on my so quick (this was even before i submerged it) I have a mile marker on my new rig works great no probs much less rust too!!

 

You use yours every couple of months? I've had a 4 ton come along in the back of my 4runner since I got it and I haven't had to use it yet (knock on wood). I haven't had it long, but it's been more than a few months. In fact, since I was 17 I've gotten stuck once in my '89 Beretta and twice in my dad's '85 Dodge (aka The Farm Truck). A winch would have helped in one of the situations w/ the Dodge, but a winch would be more valuable than the truck itself. So since I've been driving I've only had one instance when I needed a winch. I really can't see spending $800+ for something that I'll rarely use.

Having said that, the reason I left Warn out of the poll was not b/c of the price, it was b/c most everyone has already heard how great they are. I knew if I put Warn as an option, the results would favor it heavily. I want to gather information on other good brands for those of us who have tight fists, tight budgets or who can barely see the need for a $400 winch when they've gotten by w/o one for so long.