Which WINCH should I buy??

[00_4runner]

Hey guys,
I took off my ARB bumper today in order to get it line-x'ed. I live in the chicago suburbs and I HATE RUST so thats my reason for getting is line-x'ed. Anyway while its off I want to hook up lightforce 170 strikers and a winch. So my question to those of you who have the knowledge or have one on your bumpers is, which one? I've looked on the warn website and they are about 400-500 but there are so many models! I dont need anything super crazy expensive but I also want to avoid buying junk that will break down. I was thinking about a 8000lb towing capacity should do it but thats another thing that I wanted to clear up. So the question is which winch and what towing capacity? Thanks in advance!

EDIT: Also my ARB tacoma bumper came with a WARN mounting package, do I need any other hardware?

 

[98OzarksRunner]

I just bought a Warn M8000 from Amazon. It was $540 shipped and has a $50 rebate until the end of the year (total cost $490). It arrived in 2 days and mounted right up to my ARB bumper. I figure for that price why take a chance on a cheaper Chinese made winch. The M8000 has been around for about 20 years and is supposed to be very reliable. Warn has a new economy model (VR8000) but it was only $60 cheaper. For that small difference (and the trouble of pulling the bumper to fix it) I went with the M8000.

The winch comes with a roller fairlead and controls so you don't need to buy anything else to mount it. I did buy some 'accessories' like some shackles, snatch block, chain, tree protector.

 

[johnnyhightrain]

Ive heard great things about smittybuilt xrc8 winches. Probably what I will be running on my 4runner here shortly.

 

[McFly2003]

Ill be watching this as a winch is in my near future. I too am looking at either the m8000 or the xrc8 comp. While I have heard great things about both, I have also heard a few random yet serious complaints on the smittybuilt (cant recall exactly what they were, just that they were reliability orriented). with the smittybuilt, however, you get a competition style winch for the same price (synth line and a hawse fairlead). My other dilemma is what will fit behind my shrockworks front end. There is barely any room in there!

 

[theizzardking]

personally with the amount i'll probably use a winch and the sort of winching i plan on doing i'm going with one with big tits and that doesn't talk much:girl:....

oh that kind of winch.... well with that said, same idea really i'm considering buying one from the guys at OL
Outdoor Logic :: Winches

they have a big sale going on right now, i trust their opinion and honestly feel these guys care enough about our community and runners not to sell us crap, when/if i decide to buy a winch i'm weighing this one heavily ..unless anyone has something to say about the engo brand?

also anyone got a write up for an install on a 4runner with taco arb? i'm an idiot and think i've lost the bag with some of the left over bits and bobs from the orginal install, i want to know if im missing any peices and if there is anything added i should do, since i have the bumper off i plan on boxing my frame rails and whatever else is advised to do at this point

 

[Skrimz]

I would have to agree with the Warn M8000 off amazon. I did the same thing and have only had a few test runs but I am very happy. I have never heard anything bad about warn and for the price ya can't beat it. It took me and a buddy a few hours to set up. I agree with 98OzarksRunner, get some of the other stuff, if you have to use it you will be glad you did.
And no matter which one you buy don't forget to check you battery, I can tell you from first hand experience a 10 year old battery that has not been maintained does not like a winch. Mine fried so bad it started leaking, just sped up the upgrade. just hoping others avoid my mistake with the battery.

 

[theizzardking]

And no matter which one you buy don't forget to check you battery, I can tell you from first hand experience a 10 year old battery that has not been maintained does not like a winch. Mine fried so bad it started leaking, just sped up the upgrade. just hoping others avoid my mistake with the battery.

see i was hoping there's a good write up about using a dual battery and/or how to route the wires ect somewhere,along with mounting and other concerns, are you running a separate batt for the winch?

 

[cordrayj1]

i havent read a thing on here but ill give my opinion

i have the smitty xrc8 w synthetic line. it does its job well. used it a few times, had it for a year and a half. use the correct installation process and maybe upgrade the wires that go to batt w some marine tinned battery cables and your rust will be minimal.


a warn would have been nice, but i was spending twice the $ for something i MIGHT need to use every once in a while. just didn't make sense. if i was going around the world alone and had to rely on my winch to survive, there may have been a different winch purchased,.


i can say that with the "test runs" ive had, i'm also "very happy" with the performance. my friend has a sweet warn and its just as hard to pull out, makes almost as much noise, and retrieves line a little faster. with that being said, i can stand and wait for my line to get back on the spool.....

 

[theizzardking]

that's kind of my thoughts , i don't really care how fast, how silent, or if it can pull the entire weight of my truck up a vertical rock face, i just want something that won't die on me and can pull me out of a foot of mud/snow//ice , if i ever get stuck it's never any worse then that, i can usually tell when im about to get fubar'd so i just stop and get the old chain come along i bought for $150 8 years ago out and sort it out then instead of just going all the way into the "i'm completely screwed" zone and fully relying on anyone or anything to save my sorry butt, lol

i think how you plan to use your winch has alot to do with which one your picking out, with that said if there's only $100 or so between the warn and the ol one i listed i'd have to lean towards the warn but for a $250 price difference i couldn't justify it as that's 1/2 way to sliders or a all the way to a gas tank skid or some other piece i need for my truck

 

[cordrayj1]

i can tell you that for 400$, i got the xrc8 w the synth line, everything needed to install and FREE SHIPPING from amazon (i did purchase upgraded wiring to re-route the solenoid to my engine bay for a clean look and to keep it away from submersion). i would def recommend the smitty, its pulled me up some gnarly rocks, through some gnarly mud, and pulled on some big trucks no problem..... yes, you get what you pay for, but look at frequency of use and see what you'll get out of it. . .. you treat something like crap, it aint gonna last. if you maintain, grease and at least work the motor once ever couple months youll be fine. also, that grease in the smitty is gonna be sticky when its new, so its not gonna be easy to pull on. you can clean and repack w high quality hi temp grease, or do what i did, and not worry about it. i did crack everything open to look when i first go it though. no problems or complaints here.

 

[the great him]

my vote is for the warn, you need at least an 8k winch, i have two 9.5ti's and they are super strong and will put up with a ton of abuse. i have cracked/split the housing open on one of them from hitting it on some rocks ect. and has water, mud, road spray and other crap get inside and it still works like new. i have also seen brand new sh*tty built winches die on their first pull, and or be DOA. smitty built is owned by 4Wheel Parts if that tells you anything. some guys on here have had luck with them, but if you ask me, its not worth the risk. and id keep the steel line, its more resistant to the eliments and getting dirty(meaning you can let it drop in the mud ect. and not have worry), and you dont have to worry about it ever rubbing on something and fraying. just my .02

 

[jirehn]

I think you should make some more research on this so that you will know what really fits you.

 

[cordrayj1]

my vote is for the warn, you need at least an 8k winch, i have two 9.5ti's and they are super strong and will put up with a ton of abuse. i have cracked/split the housing open on one of them from hitting it on some rocks ect. and has water, mud, road spray and other crap get inside and it still works like new. i have also seen brand new sh*tty built winches die on their first pull, and or be DOA. smitty built is owned by 4Wheel Parts if that tells you anything. some guys on here have had luck with them, but if you ask me, its not worth the risk. and id keep the steel line, its more resistant to the eliments and getting dirty(meaning you can let it drop in the mud ect. and not have worry), and you dont have to worry about it ever rubbing on something and fraying. just my .02

i had a longggggggggg response. but after thinking about it . . .

-synthetic is SAFER (virtually no stretch, minimal energy stored in line while winching)
-so when it breaks, it will pretty much fall to the ground
-steel braided is like a floating guillotine, when it breaks, its gonna take a body part or anything else in its way with it.
-im not saying get a smitty, im saying, do research, think about frequency of use, and think about your wallet. youll never sell it for what you paid for it.

 

[the great him]

almost all winches warn, mile marker, ramsey, superwinch, smitty built, ect all share the same bolt pattern(under the 10k lb rating). you will need one with a remote solenoid pack, as the integrated ones like the 9.5ti/ci, power plants and others wont fit cause of the body of the winch being too big. you need a winch that is rated at at least half again the weight rating of your truck(loaded weight rating -GVW) cause when you are stuck in the mud or even snow, you are no longer just pulling the weight of the truck, the snow and or mud is holding onto your truck per-say and you are now having to push/plow that mud/snow as well as pull the truck.

 

[Rc4r]

Warn

 

[theizzardking]

my vote is for the warn, you need at least an 8k winch, i have two 9.5ti's and they are super strong and will put up with a ton of abuse. i have cracked/split the housing open on one of them from hitting it on some rocks ect. and has water, mud, road spray and other crap get inside and it still works like new. i have also seen brand new sh*tty built winches die on their first pull, and or be DOA. smitty built is owned by 4Wheel Parts if that tells you anything. some guys on here have had luck with them, but if you ask me, its not worth the risk. and id keep the steel line, its more resistant to the eliments and getting dirty(meaning you can let it drop in the mud ect. and not have worry), and you dont have to worry about it ever rubbing on something and fraying. just my .02

so what i got from that is you might have a spare one your willing to part with? lol

 

[Gerdo]

Warn cost more but are more consistent with working. Other brands to be more hit and miss. I wish they sold just the winch without rope or fairlead so you can add what you want.

I have used wire rope for years and it is more durable and the sun doesn't effect it. You still need to protect it from running over rocks to reduce damage.

I switched to synthetic rope a few years ago and it is so much easier to work with and so much safer. I have broken 30k synthetic and it will whip back but it dies quick.

Synthetic rope and an aluminum fairlead reduces a fair amount of weight. I'll never go back.

 

[the great him]

i had a longggggggggg response. but after thinking about it . . .

-synthetic is SAFER (virtually no stretch, minimal energy stored in line while winching)
-so when it breaks, it will pretty much fall to the ground
-steel braided is like a floating guillotine, when it breaks, its gonna take a body part or anything else in its way with it.
-im not saying get a smitty, im saying, do research, think about frequency of use, and think about your wallet. youll never sell it for what you paid for it.

so be smart and put a line dampener over the cable, if you stretch a metal line then you are way over loading the winch, im not saying one is better than the other, cause its up to user preference, but if its not needed why spend the extra $150 on line to save what 40lbs? eh if your not racing or in a competition then i dont think 40-50lbs is gonna hurt. i would love to have synthetic line, but in my opinion its just too fragile, i play a lot in the mud and rocks and those to dont mix well with synthetics.

in all my years of off roading, 4wheeling and working around winches i have never had a steel cable break on my, i know it can happen, but if you are smart and inspect and take care of, and dont over load your cable it wont break. i have uses winches on everything from a 1200lb trailer winch to winch a car onto the trailer to a 80,000lb track skidder hydraulic winch. all have been steel line, they are perfectly safe, just know how to use it and what not to do, and when to not use the winch or cable.

sure if i had the extra $$$ is probably get a synthetic line but id rather put that extra $$$ into having a good quality winch(ie a warn) over synthetic line any day of the week. dont get me wrong synthetics have their pluses, they dont have to be spooled "perfectly" and are lighter weight, and yes can be less dangerous if your not careful about winching

 

[cordrayj1]

once again. safety for me is first, longevity on an item that is not putting my life at risk daily is a different deal.

sooooo. application/deepness of pockets specific.

 

[the great him]

so what i got from that is you might have a spare one your willing to part with? lol

negitive, i need at least 2 more winches before i will be set, two 9.5xp. one in the ARB front bumper, and the other under the back where the spare used to be, along with two yellow tops. gonna cut a hole in the rear bumper and put a fairlead there. and when i get a rear CBI, i hope i can talk them into doing something custom for me to intergrade my rear winch setup.