Picking a winch

Runner1234

Observer
Ive narrowed it down to two winches. The 10000lb vortex winch wich comes with a wireless remote. The 8500 lb Rugged Ridge winch with a fairlead that can hold 2 off road lights. My question is wich one do you think is better for me? (My truck weighs in at about 7000 lbs)
 

warrpath4x4

Adventurer
i have no experience with either one but its recommended you get a winch 1.5-2 times your vehicle weight. with that being said a snatch block is a powerful friend.
 

HARDTRAILZ

Certified
The 8500 lb is not enough for your truck. You should look more at 12K. I have good luck with my 12,500 tuff stuff winch. That is right in your price range.
 

Buliwyf

Viking with a Hammer
Split the difference with a Warn XD9000.

I'm a Warn winch snob. If you need to really pull for more advanced "stucks", get the M12000.
 

Revco

Adventurer
I have the Rugged Ridge 8500. With a Snatch Block it's plenty enough to pull my heavy Suburban out of most anything.
 

warrpath4x4

Adventurer
or theres always an old school 8274 thats rated at 8,000 but is more like a 12,000 winch. new ones are some coin but you can get used ones off craigslist for $500 and less
 

fyreles

New member
I am also a warn winch snob. When you call them with an issue you can talk to someone. Great factory support. I have seven warn winches. The M8000 and the 9000 fast pull are my favs..
 

Buliwyf

Viking with a Hammer
I am also a warn winch snob. When you call them with an issue you can talk to someone. Great factory support. I have seven warn winches. The M8000 and the 9000 fast pull are my favs..

Exactly. If you live in the rust belt states, the extra cost of the Warn is worth it for the customer service and parts availability.

The lesser winch brands have models that just disappear sometimes, and then I can't get parts. There is no way to seal up a Winch in salty snow weather, eventually they all need maintenance. I won't touch the bargin model Warns, I'll stick to their good stuff, it's cheaper in the long run. Some of those models have been around forever.
 

98 SNAKE EATER

Adventurer
Even though the quality of today's Chinese winches seem to be getting better, I still prefer the big 3 (Warn/Ramsey/SuperWinch) :cool:

The main reason being that I know I will be able to get parts for them 20 years from now :)

You're much better off finding a deal on a quality used winch than a new no name brand on the cheap IMHO :eek:

As for the actual rating, it's always best to get the biggest you can afford, but unless you plan on burying your truck in waste deep mud, a decent 9k winch and a couple of snatch blocks will be more than sufficient for the average stuck :cool:

My SuperWinch EP9.0 has pulled my 80 out of some deep trenches without even breaking a sweat :)

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Back in the day, it was the best bang for the buck winch available ($539.99 shipped with a 20,000 SW snatch block)

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A few weeks back, I landed a smoking deal on a used Husky10 for only $300 bucks and added it to the rear :ylsmoke:

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If you're interested, I know someone with a Ramsey Pro-Plus 9k winch in good condition looking to unload it cause he never uses it (came with his cargo van that he uses to stock soda machines)
 

bftank

Explorer
runner are you saying that your truck weighs 7k loaded? if so it is good to see you considering that.

i seriously doubt your 2wd 1500 weighs 7k empty. my f350 diesel crew weighs that empty.

keep checking craigslist for deals in your area. i see warn 12k pop up for $6-800 every now and again.
 

82fb

Adventurer
Have used a superwinch 9k before. Worked fine, pulled strong, but sssssssssssllllllllllllllooooooooooowwwwwwwwwww. Have owned 8274, xd9000, m8000, and hs9500i. The high speed winches are the only way to go. If packaging is not an issue, the 8274 is the way to go. If you need it to fit in a smaller space, I would go 9500, then xd9000, then m8000. And I would take a used warn at the same price as a new chinese anything.
 

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