LR4 Winch

[Krisbarger]

Which winch is commonly thought to be best?

I assume that the warn is best but i saw superwinch also. And I also see synthetic cable and I am curious as to why it cost so much more than the steel, is it that much better?

I see also that a few guys have sprung for the 9000 pound warn. Why is that the magic number? Is there a minimum quality or style of winch or strength I need to shoot for?

I have questions about mounting... Hidden or not hidden? Why?
I was told to not hide it because it is much easier when you have access to the winch when you put the cable back on there. But my wife likes the looks of the hidden. What are the pros and cons of each.

Mounting options...
OEM very pricey. Not hidden and looks nice. Are there other bumpers of A-bars out there that work/look good with the OEM mount? Does this mount cut down on approach angle? Is there an after market non OEM version that is of the same quality or better?

As far as hidden there is the Devon and I saw a front runner hidden also but not sure how that works with the factory bummer. And what the disadvantages would be.

Also, does adding a winch require modifying the suspension?

I plan on finding a class or something about winching as I am sure done incorrectly could result in damage or injury. This is not like the ones I had on my ATV's!

I looked for a winch thread for LR4 options and could not find one. This thread has the potential to solve just about every question for this newbie and future ones also.


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[Expat93]

Nothing to add here, I have a lot of the same questions so I'm really looking forward to this thread. I'd also like to throw in the new Viking 9000 winch to the opinion thread.


Regards,

Expat93 (Kevin)

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[Warn Industries]

I see also that a few guys have sprung for the 9000 pound warn. Why is that the magic number? Is there a minimum quality or style of winch or strength I need to shoot for?

Personally, I would go with a 9,500 lb. winch for an LR4 due to its weight.

A winch and mounting system will increase the weight over the front wheels. A WARN 9.5xp-s weighs 68 lbs. You don't have to modify the suspension to put a winch on.

As far as a winching class, it's a great idea. You can also download our Basic Guide to Winching Techniques PDF, which is a great little booklet with winching dos and don'ts.

- Andy

 

[Krisbarger]

Thanks Andy. This is good info.


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[Dmarchand]

I would highly recommend you take a couple days and make a trip to OEX in CT or GA and get some fundamental training. This isn't just for yourself but anyone you wheel with benefits and is safer for doing so and retaining/practicing. The dynamics of winching with a large vehicle are completely different and infinitely more dangerous than ATV's.

With that, I can say that in another week or so when my winch shows up, I'll be installing the terrafirma hidden winch tray and zeon 10 winch. So I'll have more followup. Only a few options on the market. ARB bull bar, retrofitting RTE or other LR3 bumpers, Factory winch tray that is outside the bumper, and the hidden winch trays such as Devon or Terrafirma.

I'm going hidden because the LR4 is more of my family vehicle and i really like how the stock front end looks. I also want it to be minimalistic in a sense because my d-90 is a modified beast.

 

[JAK]

I have a Warn 9.5XP with synthetic line. In keeping with the Land Rover goal of over engineered I choose the largest winch that would fit. At 9500lbs it is not quite double the vehicle weight. I'd stay away from the low cost winches <$500. In the long run a winch from Warn or Superwinch is a better investment in safety and recovery. I run a hidden mount on the LR3, harder to do on the LR4 as the bumper is not as big so you will not have as many options. If you go with an bull bar you will have many more options of course but the look of the truck will change significantly.

I run my winch of a second battery with a wireless remote. The winch is not normally powered as I do not like the idea of having 800 amps of live welding cable on my front bumper. I use a Blue Sea Systems sealed solenoid to cut the power to the winch. It is rated at 400A continuous duty.

 

[Krisbarger]

So super winch is good also?

The bumper is smaller on an LR4 vs. a LR3?




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[I Leak Oil]

Yes, Superwinch makes a good product as well.
I also recommend getting some training\experience with it before you need to use it in anger. How to use a winch is one part of it, how to use it with your vehicle is a whole different animal.

 

[03rubicon]

I know they dont have it now, but keep an eye out for Superwinch as they have some really good deals sometimes. I remember late last year they were doing a 50% off sale on all their winches. I wish I needed another one or I would have been all over it.

 

[jungblud]

Synthetic rope saves a lot of weight up front, is safer upon fail, and is easier to live with ie. no steel barbs when it begins to collect damage.

Go as big as you can as winches are rated by weight pulled on a 30º incline and the amount of pulling power changes vastly based upon where on the spool you are when pulling.

 

[discotdi]

So super winch is good also?

The bumper is smaller on an LR4 vs. a LR3?


Superwinch was used by LR as factory winch for the Camel Trophy. LR currently uses Warn winches for North America factory option. I believe they use both Warn and Superwinch in Europe. Really it's whichever you like best both are good.
Synthetic cable is lighter, safer, and just easier to work with. But it can break and still needs to be well maintained.
I've purchased Synthetic line and other products from Masterpull. They can explain the benefits and recommend the right size for your application.

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[Warn Industries]

Go as big as you can as winches are rated by weight pulled on a 30º incline and the amount of pulling power changes vastly based upon where on the spool you are when pulling.

I can't speak for other companies, but our mounting systems are rated for about 1.5 x gross weight vehicle weight. If you put a 16,500 lb. winch on an LR4, for example, you could potentially damage the mounting system or the vehicle. Then again, it probably wouldn't fit in any pre-made bumper.

I have never heard of the 30º incline thing. We rate our winches using a straight single-line pull.

Synthetic cable is lighter, safer, and just easier to work with. But it can break and still needs to be well maintained.

Synthetic is great stuff. But what I tell people is that although it is lighter and doesn't store the potential energy, it is easier to break than wire rope since it is easier to abrade than wire. Both wire and synthetic need to be inspected regularly and should never be used if compromised.

- Andy

 

[aek50]

Once you use synthetic you'll never go back. So much lighter, so much easier to work with and so much safer! Well worth the money in my mind. Just be sure to change up your fairlead if you switch from steel so you don't get burrs.

Don't have much experience with the LR4s but I have a warn m12000 on my classic (12,000 lbs). These are not light vehicles and a few extra pounds of pulling power often comes in handy. I wouldn't want to go under 9500 lbs personally.

Be sure to get your tree strap and snatch blocks too. Amazing what doubling, or tripling! that line can do. If you don't know what I am talking about then you really will want to take a class or spend some time with someone who does.

 

[LR Max]

Do some research as there are a number of aftermarket hidden winches available. IMO, if you aren't looking to get into trouble with your truck and just want insurance, go this route. I've seen one winch mount that the guy installed his front license plate over the fairlead. Unless you went poking around in the grille, you can't even tell there is a winch there.

On the flipside, if you aim to misbehave with this truck, the ARB winch bumper is a good bumper or something similar. Having the winch easy to get to is quite nice.

X34586739084734 on synthetic. Epic win. I've had mine for 10 years. Still going strong. Super safe, light, and easy to work with. Also one thing I've noticed, the 10k and up winches are really only applicable for the 1 ton trucks and such. I've seen a more M8000s save the day than all other winches combined. And they've been on some fat rigs.

That said, a Warn winch in the 9500 lb flavor would be quite awesome in a LR4. It'll fit behind that ridiculously large If you are worried about capacity, buy a pulley block.

Side question: how strong are the stock recovery points? I know the stock recovery points on the D2 aren't anything to be proud of. Did they fix that in the LR3?

 

[khronus79]

I'm also in the market for a winch and see that most people use the the warn9.5, but isn't 9500lbs a bit on the low side for a fully loaded lr3/lr4?? Since these vehicles can easily get up to 8k lbs in weight? Would the 9.5k winch be able to pull the vehicle on an incline or if stuck in mud or sand?