Looking to get a winch

[Chevyguy]

The old Warn upright 8000 pounder is a good one. I believe it's a #8274. Had one on my 87 V-20 since 1990.

Clayton

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[K5_489]

I often see people mentioning the receiver hitch mounted winches and how great of a concept it is, and yet, in 30 some years of playing with 4x4s, I've yet to hear of a single person that _actually_ runs a receiver mounted winch saying that they LIKE the winch set up that way.

I tried it once years ago, and while it DID seem like a great option as, like many, I figured I could use the winch in the front OR the rear of the truck without having to buy two winches. It continued to see like a great option the first time I popped it in the front receiver, and did a test by respooling the cable in the driveway.

I quickly reversed that thought the first time I needed that winch....in sloppy, cold, snow covered mud. That thought came to me right about the time the throbbing in my leg started to subside after losing my footing in the mud while walking the winch from the bed of the truck to the front, my backside hit the ground, and 200 pounds of Warn winch and mount landed on my right thigh, lol.

I also have one of the HF 10K winches...and there is absolutely no way, no how, that it's going to pull anything even remotely close to a 10K load. I originally had bought it as a cheap trailer mounted winch, and it eventually had found it's way on to the front of my Suzuki Vitara (same thing that was rebadged as the Chevy Tracker from '99-'04, after the Geo brand went away). It struggled to pull that 3K pound SUV up a small short, smooth hill. I pulled cable only because it was covered in loose gravel, and there was a short section at the bottom before a 100 foot drop off to a lake, with a similar drop off to one side. I likely could have driven up it, but was concerned that if I got loose, I may not be able to stop before dropping off, so I pulled cable to be safe.

Had I been in a full size truck, there's no way it would have pulled that hill single line, and I'm not even positive that it would have worked double lined. On the other hand, my neighbor has one of the Smittybilt 9K winches on his Jeepster on 37s, and it has worked surprisingly well, more so considering it's a $300 winch as well. It's slow compared to the higher end Warns, even a bit slower than my Warn M12000, but for most people, it's still plenty fast enough.

 

[Arkansas_V8]

I often see people mentioning the receiver hitch mounted winches and how great of a concept it is, and yet, in 30 some years of playing with 4x4s, I've yet to hear of a single person that _actually_ runs a receiver mounted winch saying that they LIKE the winch set up that way.

I tried it once years ago, and while it DID seem like a great option as, like many, I figured I could use the winch in the front OR the rear of the truck without having to buy two winches. It continued to see like a great option the first time I popped it in the front receiver, and did a test by respooling the cable in the driveway.

I quickly reversed that thought the first time I needed that winch....in sloppy, cold, snow covered mud. That thought came to me right about the time the throbbing in my leg started to subside after losing my footing in the mud while walking the winch from the bed of the truck to the front, my backside hit the ground, and 200 pounds of Warn winch and mount landed on my right thigh, lol.

I also have one of the HF 10K winches...and there is absolutely no way, no how, that it's going to pull anything even remotely close to a 10K load. I originally had bought it as a cheap trailer mounted winch, and it eventually had found it's way on to the front of my Suzuki Vitara (same thing that was rebadged as the Chevy Tracker from '99-'04, after the Geo brand went away). It struggled to pull that 3K pound SUV up a small short, smooth hill. I pulled cable only because it was covered in loose gravel, and there was a short section at the bottom before a 100 foot drop off to a lake, with a similar drop off to one side. I likely could have driven up it, but was concerned that if I got loose, I may not be able to stop before dropping off, so I pulled cable to be safe.

Had I been in a full size truck, there's no way it would have pulled that hill single line, and I'm not even positive that it would have worked double lined. On the other hand, my neighbor has one of the Smittybilt 9K winches on his Jeepster on 37s, and it has worked surprisingly well, more so considering it's a $300 winch as well. It's slow compared to the higher end Warns, even a bit slower than my Warn M12000, but for most people, it's still plenty fast enough.

Cant speak to your experience but I can say the 12000lb Harbor Freight winch pulled this anchor out of some frame deep mud and up quite a few rock ledges dragging tail.

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It is not the strongest. It is not the fastest. Carry a snatch block no matter the winch.

 

[AuroraGirl]

Huh, not bad ideas. I think I might get a hitch mounted winch and start with that on the rear. If I ever feel the need to have one on the front I guess I could go that route, but at least a hitch mounted one sounds handy. I then guess I have a few remaining questions
1) Is the HF winch decent for its price for you other guys
2) is the HF winch hitch mounted
3) How do you run wiring to the rear of truck(gauge, along frame, direct to battery, switched in cab, etc)

 

[Snoots]

1) Don't know
2) Don't know
3) 2 AWG welding wire, along frame, switched in cab from battery

 

[Arkansas_V8]

Here's a receiver winch mount-
https://www.harborfreight.com/hitch-receiver-mount-for-winches-69106.html

Here's the winch-
https://www.harborfreight.com/zxr-12000-lb-trucksuv-winch-63770.html

We are spoiled today with all the information at our fingertips. Go to YouTube and watch the winch in action, or search online for reviews of it.

 

[bucket]

I often see people mentioning the receiver hitch mounted winches and how great of a concept it is, and yet, in 30 some years of playing with 4x4s, I've yet to hear of a single person that _actually_ runs a receiver mounted winch saying that they LIKE the winch set up that way.

I tried it once years ago, and while it DID seem like a great option as, like many, I figured I could use the winch in the front OR the rear of the truck without having to buy two winches. It continued to see like a great option the first time I popped it in the front receiver, and did a test by respooling the cable in the driveway.

I quickly reversed that thought the first time I needed that winch....in sloppy, cold, snow covered mud. That thought came to me right about the time the throbbing in my leg started to subside after losing my footing in the mud while walking the winch from the bed of the truck to the front, my backside hit the ground, and 200 pounds of Warn winch and mount landed on my right thigh, lol.

I also have one of the HF 10K winches...and there is absolutely no way, no how, that it's going to pull anything even remotely close to a 10K load. I originally had bought it as a cheap trailer mounted winch, and it eventually had found it's way on to the front of my Suzuki Vitara (same thing that was rebadged as the Chevy Tracker from '99-'04, after the Geo brand went away). It struggled to pull that 3K pound SUV up a small short, smooth hill. I pulled cable only because it was covered in loose gravel, and there was a short section at the bottom before a 100 foot drop off to a lake, with a similar drop off to one side. I likely could have driven up it, but was concerned that if I got loose, I may not be able to stop before dropping off, so I pulled cable to be safe.

Had I been in a full size truck, there's no way it would have pulled that hill single line, and I'm not even positive that it would have worked double lined. On the other hand, my neighbor has one of the Smittybilt 9K winches on his Jeepster on 37s, and it has worked surprisingly well, more so considering it's a $300 winch as well. It's slow compared to the higher end Warns, even a bit slower than my Warn M12000, but for most people, it's still plenty fast enough.

I have a front reciever winch and like the concept. So there you go, lol.

If you are ever going to be doing anything where there's a good chance you will need the winch, just put the thing in ahead of time while it's still easy. Just like locking your front hubs before you get buried in muck. And while I could put the winch in the rear, I don't have cable going back there yet. But do often use a 22ft tilt-top deckover trailer that I have a receiver welded to the front of the deck. I often use my winch there, which is super nice to have. Which btw, I have a cheapo Champion 10k winch that does a fine job pulling heavy trucks up that steep slope when the deck is tilted. It also has no trouble pulling heavy full size trucks out of the mud. A little slow compared to a Warn, but it doesn't struggle.

So anyway, I've got a cheap winch that I can easily plug into two different trucks (when time allows, my other trucks with gain a front reciever as well) and two different car/equipment trailers. It's a simple and cost-effective solution that does the job well for me.

 

[shiftpro]

I'll say it again... a receiver mounted winch needs a strong enough man to put it in. Pretty much need synthetic rope imo. Good synthetic rope is pricey AND requires extra care over a cable.
Your front and end tires appreciate not having that extra weight on it, so that's another win. I would make a little mount behind the cab, a receiver mounted to a plate to hold the winch in place when not in use.

 

[idahovette]

I have a Harbor Freight 12,000 lb. winch on my car trailer. Don't use it a lot but it works great when I do. Very reasonable on sale at $289.99 when I got mine

 

[shiftpro]

I have a Harbor Freight 12,000 lb. winch on my car trailer. Don't use it a lot but it works great when I do. Very reasonable on sale at $289.99 when I got mine

Yeah that should be enough to pull a car onto the trailer!


For under 300 bucks hell ya!

 

[shiftpro]

Just to mention guys, the pull rating a manufacture claims is the first wind of the drum. Keep in mind that the more cable or rope on your winch drum, the lower your pull torque is until of course you are un-spooled to begin a pull.

 

[K5_489]

I have a front reciever winch and like the concept. So there you go, lol.

If you are ever going to be doing anything where there's a good chance you will need the winch, just put the thing in ahead of time while it's still easy. Just like locking your front hubs before you get buried in muck.

That is legitimately the first time I've heard it, but I always figured SOMEONE had to like them, as the mounts/cradles have been getting sold for a long time...couldn't ALL be getting sold to the image off-roaders, lol. For me, I never expected to need it that day, and wasn't planning on playing in the mud. I was a young dumb kid that thought I was taking an easy detour around an accident, and didn't expect the conditions I ran in to nor was I expecting a failure of the CAD on that old Dodge. Schmitt happens, and now I'm just an older adult that's slightly wiser due to learning a lot the hard, and usually painful, way

On the other hand, I've never been a big guy either. Rather I tend towards the smaller end of the average scale, and that old Warn is a big winch that's always had steel rope on it....that whole set up weighed about as much as I did back then, and synthetics weren't around then either. I'm sure they were available on some level, but it wasn't a big thing for 4x4 use.

Oh, and for those that think I'm some kind of HF hater...I do happen to love the 2.5K HF ATV winch that's bolted to the garage floor. That was the one of the best ways I've ever spent $50, and it has been getting a workout the last few weeks winching the K5 up and down my inclined driveway as I've been working on the engine swap. I'm actually impressed by that one - pulled out every bit of the cable to pull the K5 up, in one continuous pull, on a single 18Ah battery, and it didn't even get warm. Even used it once to pull a buddy's newly purchased K30 diesel project truck up on to my trailer, though it had to be double lined to get it up the ramps.

 

[bigcountry78]

I’ll throw my opinion in here. I had a Ramsey 9500 winch on my 98 Silverado, in a warn brush guard. When I sold it I kept the winch, but couldn’t afford the warn setup for my 06 since the prices had tripled. So I bought a receiver cradle for it and ran wires to the rear bumper. I never used it to pull the truck out because I never put that truck in a situation where I needed it, but I did use it a couple times for work purposes. Honestly, it got really old really quick moving that thing around. I eventually welded a tube on my equipment trailer and put the winch there permanently for dragging scrap cars up the ramp. If i was to put another winch on a truck, it would be a permanent mount on the front, hands down. This was before synthetic line as well. I think that particular winch has 125’ of steel line.