Introducing The Next Generation of WARN VR Winches

[67cj5]

I'm fully aware of how the world works, but you have your criteria, I have mine. I'm not currently in the market for a new winch but Warn has been super supportive when I needed parts for my XD9000. If I had to replace mine it would be with another XD9000. The world is a competitive place so China has just as much right to compete on the labor market as we do.

No Dave you have taken what I said out of context, If they are made to Warns Specs then all is well, My Point being is that seeing as Asia can and does lead the world in many areas there is no reason as to why they can not do the same with Winches, Warn Being the Market Leader would not Take such a risk if it meant a drop in quality because it is their standards that have kept them at the Top year after year. J

 

[lithium1330]

This new VR looks awesome!
I'm about to buy a winch in next week....and on the fence between Warn and another popular brand.

Question for Andy@Warn (or other Warn reps here)
In doing research, there have been posts, at least 1 video showing 100F+ temp, and (of course) product collaterals of other brand(s) on heat & inside drum brake setup.
From the diagram, it looks like the new VR still has the brake inside the drum.
I'm planning to use synthetic rope... so, naturally heat from drum is a concern for me.
I would like to understand from Warn how big of an issue is this (brake generates heat that's transfered to drum)... but more importantly, what Warn did to the products (in current or new) to resolve or mitigate the heat on rope issue.

Thanks!
Cris

 

[LR Max]

Just briefly looked over the specs. Overall it seems to compete with their traditional M-line of winches in terms of specs. The biggest benefit with this new series is the Contactor solenoid and the synthetic rope, straight out of the box. The solid state solenoid is extremely nice to have from what I see, but the synthetic rope is pretty much a requirement. If nothing else, sssssoooooo much easier to unspool off the drum. This doesn't seem like much, but when you've got to tie the winch rope around your waist and use your arms and legs to get up the hill, it is quite nice.

Question for warn: I assume the contactor solenoid has a 100% duty cycle (I think the old solenoids were like, 30% duty cycle?). Is the motor and the rest of the winch 100% duty cycle as well? Not assuming one is powering out, btw.

Basically, I doubt anyone would run an electric winch at 100% duty cycle, but I have done two back-to-back full pulls and the old solenoids were NOT happy with me. I would hit the winch remote to spool in, and then 3 seconds later, the winch would kick in. Being able to do two full pulls under pretty much full load is pretty much the worst case scenario for an electric winch. If these puppies can do with without any issues, then that is a big win. BTW, my winch is a M12000 with 100ft of rope, my truck weighs a touch under 5k, so I'm probably not overloading the winch too much unless I'm doing something completely stupid.

 

[Warn Industries]

This new VR looks awesome!
I'm about to buy a winch in next week....and on the fence between Warn and another popular brand.

Question for Andy@Warn (or other Warn reps here)
In doing research, there have been posts, at least 1 video showing 100F+ temp, and (of course) product collaterals of other brand(s) on heat & inside drum brake setup.
From the diagram, it looks like the new VR still has the brake inside the drum.
I'm planning to use synthetic rope... so, naturally heat from drum is a concern for me.
I would like to understand from Warn how big of an issue is this (brake generates heat that's transfered to drum)... but more importantly, what Warn did to the products (in current or new) to resolve or mitigate the heat on rope issue.

Thanks!
Cris

Cris -- first, we recommend using WARN synthetic rope on our winches. It's the only rope we test on our winches. Our rope has a heat sleeve to help protect the rope from heat. However, we have done extensive testing on all of our winches with our synthetic rope, and it's totally 100% fine.

Secondly, heat is only generated during power-out, not power in. So keeping power-out to a minimum is a good idea. Use freespool whenever possible.

- Andy

 

[lithium1330]

Cris -- first, we recommend using WARN synthetic rope on our winches. It's the only rope we test on our winches. Our rope has a heat sleeve to help protect the rope from heat. However, we have done extensive testing on all of our winches with our synthetic rope, and it's totally 100% fine.

Secondly, heat is only generated during power-out, not power in. So keeping power-out to a minimum is a good idea. Use freespool whenever possible.

- Andy

Thanks for the info, Andy! Appreciate the insight.

 

[Warn Industries]

Question for warn: I assume the contactor solenoid has a 100% duty cycle (I think the old solenoids were like, 30% duty cycle?). Is the motor and the rest of the winch 100% duty cycle as well? Not assuming one is powering out, btw.

Basically, I doubt anyone would run an electric winch at 100% duty cycle, but I have done two back-to-back full pulls and the old solenoids were NOT happy with me. I would hit the winch remote to spool in, and then 3 seconds later, the winch would kick in. Being able to do two full pulls under pretty much full load is pretty much the worst case scenario for an electric winch. If these puppies can do with without any issues, then that is a big win. BTW, my winch is a M12000 with 100ft of rope, my truck weighs a touch under 5k, so I'm probably not overloading the winch too much unless I'm doing something completely stupid.

Duty cycle and DC winches is a complex thing. There are so many variables that can affect the outcome: Weight of object being pulled, how much line you have, diameter of the line, how much power your battery has, and so on. I would go as far as to say that no electric DC winch on the market has a 100% duty cycle if you've got any decent load on the line.

Contactors are more reliable and deliver power more efficiently to the winch's motor. But two full pulls back to back without any rest is going to be extremely tough on any electric DC winch. (And remember, the winch's rating is on the first layer of rope on the drum.) After lots and lots of winching, you end up running into the scenario where the motor is pulling more power than the battery can supply, and that ends up generating a lot of heat, which kills efficiency.

By the way, on a winch with solenoids, coils can overheat if used for long, continuous pulls. Eventually, heat can cause the solenoid to become too weak to overcome the return spring and they stop working. In addition, the solenoids can just stop working until they cool off. Back in the day, we actually sold this as a “safety feature” to protect the motor from overheating. Maybe you've experienced an overheated solenoid. You will hear clicking and nothing working. that's because the first bank of solenoids have overheated and the second bank are engaging.

I hope this sheds some light on your question. Feel free to call customer service at 800-543-9276 if you need more in-depth information regarding this.

- Andy

 

[TwinStick]

There is a reason that WARN winches were/are standard equipment on Dodge/Ram Power Wagons. Quality. 2005- currently. Great winch. In the case of my 2008 Doge Power Wagon, Dodge dropped the ball big time in the execution of the entire electrical system---pertaining to the winch. Certainly not WARN's fault.

The Power Wagon needs factory dual battery's & the 380 amp dual alt option as standard euipment.