Rebuilding a Warn M8000

[katuah]

I know very little about winches so I'm hoping somebody here will.

I've been looking at a Warn M8000 on eBay, the guy is local so I messaged him about picking it up if I buy it. He sent some pics of its current condition (much worse than what is in the ebay pics, surprise surprise) and it looks like the housing is cracked open and the silver crossbar on the front/top is very bent. He claimed it was dropped by the shop that took it off, but it looks to me almost like it was hit with a glancing top blow while mounted. Either way, it is definitely bent/broken. He claims it still works and can show this.

If it does work - how hard is it to replace the exterior housing, bar, etc? And would it be necessary to do so? What are those silver bars for? does the plastic housing around where the bar mounts in do anything besides hold the bar - such as sealing a vital component?

Any advice appreciated.This may or may not be worth the bother.

 

[1911]

I know very little about winches so I'm hoping somebody here will.

I've been looking at a Warn M8000 on eBay, the guy is local so I messaged him about picking it up if I buy it. He sent some pics of its current condition (much worse than what is in the ebay pics, surprise surprise) and it looks like the housing is cracked open and the silver crossbar on the front/top is very bent. He claimed it was dropped by the shop that took it off, but it looks to me almost like it was hit with a glancing top blow while mounted. Either way, it is definitely bent/broken. He claims it still works and can show this.

If it does work - how hard is it to replace the exterior housing, bar, etc? And would it be necessary to do so? What are those silver bars for? does the plastic housing around where the bar mounts in do anything besides hold the bar - such as sealing a vital component?

Any advice appreciated.This may or may not be worth the bother.

Warn parts are readily available, but quite expensive. Is it the motor housing that is cracked? If so, I wouldn't pay much if anything for an M8000 in that condition personally, but YMMV.

 

[katuah]

I snagged this section from the pic he sent thru ebay:



Is that the motor housing? Or the spacer?

 

[1911]

Is that the motor housing? Or the spacer?

It's not the motor housing, it's the drum support. Maybe not fatal to the winch, but that winch has been dealt a hard blow. The purpose of the drum supports on each end and the rods that connect them is to keep the drum and its bushings straight with the motor and input shaft. If the those are not straight and running true, the bushings are not going to last long and it won't do the motor and input shaft any good either I'm thinking. The drum supports are about $60 each and the tie rods are $26 each. I'd go ahead and replace the bushings while I had it apart.

 

[Hill Bill E.]

That's some damage, and IMO it wasn't caused 'from being dropped' Plus, there is no telling if the winch was used after damage, or how much use.

Seeing the repair it needs, I wouldn't spend more than $50 on it.

I picked up my Warn x8000i for $490 NIB.

 

[katuah]

This one is already well over $300 on eBay, so I'm going to be passing on that. Somebody else can buy his problem.

I hope I can find a decent deal on a good Warn, soon, though. I'm somewhat limited by what will fit in my bumper - I have the OR-Fab rock krawler tube bumper, it's very sturdy, has great frame tie-ins, and is very light, but the mount is slanted such that I can't use any winch with the solenoid/box integrated on the top - like the x8000i. And since my "expo wish list" involves a lot of time deep in the backcountry of the Four Corners, I will not be purchasing a cheap Chinese winch.

 

[psykokid]

For something with that much damage that is way too much. I picked up a working warn M8000 off of CL about a month ago for 150 along with with some sort of mounting bracket for a jeep and a roller fairlead. Only negatives were that the solenoids in the pack had seen better days and it didn't come with a cable. Found a cable the next day on CL for 40 bucks that was a take off from a guy that had bought a new M8000 and swapped synthetic line on one month in. Came with an isolater too. So for 300 and some change i've got a completely use able warn M8000.

Keep an eye out on Craigslist, search for wrongly spelled ads.. search for "wench" . Search by warn, just watch out for those clothing ads posted by the less than literate. Just takes time. I've been looking for about 6 months and the deal finally worked out.

 

[LR Max]

Keep an eye out on NC4x4 (since you are in NC) and craigslist.

Also the Smittybilt winches are good to look at. I've seen them in action and they work, however their owners talk about upgrading. Nevertheless if you are on a tight budget, it might be worth it.

Lastly, once you buy, use your winch at least once a month. In a parking lot or whatever, pull the cable all the way out and with your truck in neutral, do a full pull. This will keep your winch internals in good condition, so when you need it, it'll actually work! If you let a winch sit, it can rust up inside. Then it is fully crapped up and won't work when you need it.

 

[BIGdaddy]

yup, agreed. I'd keep looking. My m8000 was $300.00 on craigslist. Fully functional, very little wear and tear. I waited and looked for about a year, though. Just have to be patient.

Mine pulls like a champ. Now that I own it, I might consider a refresh of the case paint, and other assorted parts, but that's simply because I got it for half of a new one, so I figure if I throw $50.00-$100.00 at it in the next few years, it's still a good deal.

Then again, the patina on the winch body matches my jeep very well.