For all the hype I heard about their big "competition", I was let down to read their results. Very lacking in actual quantitative data & scientific approach.
How much did the Jeeps themselves weigh? Sounds minor, but a 500 lb difference could change the results drastically... They didn't weigh any of the rigs prior to the competition, at least not that was mentioned. For some of the pulls it didn't matter, but others it surely would. I see they had a 5k lb scale, why would they not have used one capable of measuring the actual loads they anticipated?
Batteries? They made no mention of wether or not the batteries were all at least a consistent size, the difference in winch performance relative to the battery is huge. It could likely be the difference between a fried winch motor and not.
The synthetic rope on the T-Max, was it used with less wraps on the drum than specified by the manufacture? Pretty subjective to DNF a winch because they used it improperly IMO? I'm not a huge fan of synthetic, but seen it used extensively, I've never seen one pull off the drum when used correctly... and If "Joe Consumer" can't figure out a way to put the rope back on the winch and keep going... "Joe Consumer" surely shouldn't be driving a Jeep
The "temperature after pull"... How do you even begin to compare these?? Does every electric motor design run at the same temp, begin to fail at the samp temp? It is a great benchmark for the SAME motor, but to compare and rank temps between winches, lame. Does Car/Driver use motor temps before and after a drive to rank a car? Do the winch manufactures publish a temp. threshold at which their winch implodes? They should have measured the output noise too... because that really matters when your rig is hanging on the side of a cliff.
Where in this test did longevity come into play? They ranked the Chicago Elec. winch #3, while acknowledging the fact it was near death. How do you recommend something that you know will fail? I don't buy expensive items for my rig... just because they will work initially.
It was a neat idea, and they did a good job given their experience I suppose. I wish another group would do some hard data testing. Honestly after reading all through their test, I have more questions than answers.
