winches

[Bounty__Hunter]

I don't think Warn is overpriced, $600 is not bad IMO for an entry level 8K winch that will last a long time.

Better than a Chinese made winch with a Ramsey badge (8000e). Keep the money in the US. I believe MileMarker's and Harbor Frieght's economy winches are also rebadged chinese winches.

 

[MerkL]

Well, someone has to rebadge those suckers when they come over here, just kidding. I agree with the keep the money in the U.S. though. Some people are on tighter budgets than others, so to get back to the main mans question, it all depends on your budget, and how much you'll use it.

 

[White]

Quick Response

The harbor freight winch is a milemarker renamed. its about 100.00 cheaper without milemarker on it.

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

Okay, so the harbor frieght used to be a milemarker that used to be made in China? I believe it.

 

[TwistedCU]

American made, 8000lbs, Warn, $499 and that's a shipped price. Did I mention the lifetime warranty?:

http://www.4wheelparts.com/product2.asp?imseqn=670&occlass=WARN&cat=WIN

 

[K_K_PSI_GUY]

If you would have noted later in my post

With Warn you're paying extra for the name. They do that to make money from putting up ads everywhere, where as Ramsey doesn't do that much marketing, therefore lowering the cost of the winch.

That is why Warm is everywhere, b/c you can't read in any magazine or interenet site where Warn doesn't have an ad. I'm not saying Warn is a BAD winch, they're just overpriced, when you can get the same winch, pretty much, with Ramsey. And not all Hummers (H1) come with winches.

MerkL, I totally understand what you are saying. The truth is that the Warn label ads a couple of hundred dollars to the price of the winch. That no name brand winch and the Warn winch may cost the same to make, but when it comes to things like quality control, warranties, and it all comes down to how dependable your winch will be. I'm not saying that the no name brand winch will not be dependable (that's a gamble), I'm saying the Warn winches ARE dependable. I think we all will agree that they have proven themselves. It's all a matter of getting what you pay for. Would you buy a Kia over a Chevy or a Ford? I sure would not.-al

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

From what I've read the no-name winches are exactly that, a gamble. Some last a long time, and others have had the motors burn up in short order. If you're going to invest $350 to $450, make it a quality investment and buck up for a Warn.

 

[RAVEN13xxx]

Just my opinion here, but, who cares who's name is on it as long as it does what you need it to do? For me, as long as it take less time than digging, I don't care who makes it.

 

[K_K_PSI_GUY]

Just my opinion here, but, who cares who's name is on it as long as it does what you need it to do? For me, as long as it take less time than digging, I don't care who makes it.

Well, my point, as well as others on this board is that spending a couple of hundred $$$ on a winch is an investment. As Bounty stated in the previous message, whjy would you spend money of a "gamble winch", when you can spend a little more, and you will know that it will be there when you need it. (You can get a WARN 8XXX series for under ($500 shipped) Granted, most of us will not need to use it everyday, but I for one would like to have a dependable winch that will work when I need it (when I'm stuck in a ditch or whatever), rather than be stuck in a hole hoping that my "gamble" will pay off or not. It is not a matter of name, it is a matter of QUALITY. Warn and even RAMSEY have that. No name winches DO NOT. Just my opinion. Each person works hard for their money and should spend it however they see fit.-al

 

[MerkL]

That no name brand winch and the Warn winch may cost the same to make, but when it comes to things like quality control, warranties, and it all comes down to how dependable your winch will be.

it is a matter of QUALITY. Warn and even RAMSEY have that.

I was talking about Ramsey winches, not no name winches, like Duke.

 

[K_K_PSI_GUY]

MerkL, sorry but my last post was directed more towards Raver13xxx comments. My opinion on Ramsey winches is that they are built with less quality control than WARN, but I'll take a Ramsey Winch over a "No Name winch" anytime. It's all a matter of what kind of quality you will get for you buck. I agree that some of the cost in WARN is because of the name and its reputation. That is exactly why I would like to buy into something that has an awesome reputation rather than Ramseys "okay" reputation. I for one and not saying that Ramsey winches are "BAD", but I will say that if I am going to invest that much money, I'd rather go with the proven winner. Like I said, this is just my opinion, and I am only going by reviews of people that have owned one or the other. Good debate!-al

 

[MerkL]

I like how we can argue, and not loose our tempers. Back to the point. I believe the Ramsey's that y'all are talking about is the REP series compared to Warns, that are supposed to be of the same class. The REP's are mass produced, probably not with the same quality as the Warn's. They do that to make it cheaper than Warn's, and it's also cheaper to buy another REP if the other one does break. Those are the gamble winches. The Patriot series by Ramsey is their top of the line, which are not mass produced. They are built with the same quality as Warn's. When I purchase a winch this summer, it will probably be the Ramsey Patriot 9000, not the craptacular REP series. I've been researching Ramsey winches for a little bit for my purchase, and that's what I've found out.

 

[redrooster]

My 2.5 Jeep CJ8 T-Maxx

The REP was never intended to be used for long durations such as winching up a cliff. Their customer service will tell you that it only needs to be run about a minute before you stop and let the switches cool. The PRO series has different switches, brushes or whatever and can be run for extended periods. I imagine the same is true of the Warn M8000. Note that the new thermometric Warns have temperature indicator lights on them. Heat is the real issue in reliability of the winch.
I run a Warn XD9000i that I bought used off of a power company truck. The power company had already replaced the motor. Later I had to replace several solenoids and burned the terminal in two on another occassion. I haven't had any problems since and I still wouldn't trade the winch for any other one. I have complete confidence in it and that means a lot.
I would go with either the Ramsey PRO or Patriot or one of the upper scale Warns. Parts availability is also a key factor in the decision making process. Also, you don't have to buy a new one. There are plenty of used ones out there.
Think about this one long and hard. When it really comes down to it, do you really want to put a bargain basement foreign made winch on there? This is the one accessory that could mean getting you back home in one piece.

 

[RAVEN13xxx]

Sorry, but I didn't realize Mile Marker was a "no name" winch.

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

Their electrics are, at least they have too many similarities with all the other 'made in china' winches.

 

[RAVEN13xxx]

Ohhhhhh I see... Thaks for clarifying that Bounty.

 

[whiterubicon]

Thanks alot for all your input! I have not made up my mind yet as to what brand but I will go with a Ramsey or Warn. As far as Ramsey goes I would like to add something interesting. I have had a bit of experience around wreckers and rollbacks since I work in the automobile repair industry. I can not think of a time when I saw anything outher than a Ramsey on either one. I understand that might not be fair since they are all hydrolic and heat is not that much of an issue on these type of winches, but you will have to agree that they see more action on a regular basis than the normal electric self recovery winch. Just something to think about. Thanks again. White Rubicon.

 

[Wolfsmate79]

Paint codes, how can I obtain them?

hydraulic winches wont work if the vehicle wont run. Definately stay with electric. Warn are definately the leaders in winches. You want to look into the Mile Markers as well. High qualit winch with a affordable price!

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

Just wheeled with a buddy of mine this weekend, he hates his MM hydraulic. Way slow, and the high speed is only rated for 2K or something cheesy.

The MM electrics are cheaply made IMO.

 

[dekies]

A couple of years ago I looked at the china/Taiwan winches, what can I say I was looking to do it on the cheap! I put quite a bit a research into it based solely on price. I not a “wheeler”, but use the jeep along practical lines – small farming and wanted a winch to help when clearing trees. Anyway for what’s its worth this is what I came up with. For what they are they are too expensive. The price of the china winch just isn’t quite cheap enough to make it worth it. I have no experience to make the claim that it isn’t or is as good as a USA winch (some things are). I started contacting the overseas winch manufactures directly, got very interesting. I could have got an 8000lb for around $230 (for testing purposes J) the catch was I had to pay the shipping, not cool. The next thing was importing a whole crate of the things, but then you have to sell a whole crate of winches! Well enough of that. I do have a question for you guys, is the main reason you chose electric over hydraulic is to be able to run when the jeep isn’t running? I never liked the idea of the high current draw myself and thought I would migrate into a hydraulic unit.