Good grief I saw those on so many mall crawlers during Trailhero. Wish I would have invented it, can’t imagine the profit margin. I had no idea what they were.
Which Winch?
- Thread starter Stephen
- Start date
- Location
- The Village of Kay
Depending on the shiny thing, they are quite useful. I have a Warn link on my winch rope but feel some of the factor 55 solutions are better for the applications I use most frequently. Depends on your end goal and most used application.
I run synthetic line on my winch. It works for me. I do watch for abrasion points, but you should with steel too. I personally love that synthetic doesn't have memory so it's easier to respool. I also like that synthetic stretches less than steel.
But, to each their own. Get what fits your needs and budget.
I run synthetic line on my winch. It works for me. I do watch for abrasion points, but you should with steel too. I personally love that synthetic doesn't have memory so it's easier to respool. I also like that synthetic stretches less than steel.
But, to each their own. Get what fits your needs and budget.
- Location
- Grand Junction, CO
Far as wire rope vs synthetic rope, you need to decide on what works for you and your needs. Personally, I have dragged HEAVY steel cable around (get 50' of cable out and drag it up a hill.... it gets old, fast), dealt with strands that have broken, kinked rope (it's junk at that point) etc. The fact that it will hold tension and will recoil when it breaks is pretty sketchy.
If a synthetic rope breaks, it falls straight to the ground (I've seen it happen, was pretty neat actually). It's way easier to handle when you get a bunch of it out, it won't penetrate your hand if you have a broken strand, etc. Yes, you have to be smart about using a protective sleeve if the rope will be dragged over rock. But IMO the pro's out weigh the cons. You can also splice a synthetic rope, if it does break!
Far as winch quality and cheap winches, I'm a Warn or nothing guy. For me, I do stupid things and get myself into trouble. When I need a winch to get out of a bad situation, I want a winch that I know will get me out. The last thing I need is getting stuck, trying to winch out and having my cheapo winch fail and leave me stranded.
If a synthetic rope breaks, it falls straight to the ground (I've seen it happen, was pretty neat actually). It's way easier to handle when you get a bunch of it out, it won't penetrate your hand if you have a broken strand, etc. Yes, you have to be smart about using a protective sleeve if the rope will be dragged over rock. But IMO the pro's out weigh the cons. You can also splice a synthetic rope, if it does break!
Far as winch quality and cheap winches, I'm a Warn or nothing guy. For me, I do stupid things and get myself into trouble. When I need a winch to get out of a bad situation, I want a winch that I know will get me out. The last thing I need is getting stuck, trying to winch out and having my cheapo winch fail and leave me stranded.
So I’ve always heard that and thought it was overstated until I saw it in person. I was blown away by how there’s ZERO energy stored in it. It was cool.
- Location
- Grand Junction, CO
The one I saw break was under a tremendous amount of tension. It was during an attempt winching a broken Jeep up a 30' rock ledge. (The winch vehicle at one point had the rear tires 4' off the ground!) The synthetic line rubbed on the rock for a while when we weren't paying attention, then finally broke and the rope dropped straight down.
That’s awesome. I’ve only seen one break during winching once and it was very anti-climactic as well.
I’ve seen a few suck down winch lines break which is not surprising because a lot of people use undersized rope for them. Ryan’s broke on course in Farmington and I just tied a bunch of knots in it 🤣
Chalk that up as another win for synthetic.
While you're at it, grab a few of Brennan's soft shackles to go with that synthetic line. He makes a great product for a fair price.
Soft Shackle
Soft Shackle. This unit is constructed out of 7/16 'Amsteel Blue' SK-78 Dyneema in the 'improved' dual leg design. This gives a minimum breaking strength of 45,500lbs! This results 3:1 safe Working Load Limit of 7.5 tons. Each unit includes a long abrasion guard made from reclaimed wildland fire...brennans-garage.com
Clicking on that link cost me a few bones! But I like supporting a guy that has put out so much great tech info over the years so
.I really like the Warn uprights. We have one on the '48 and one on the FJ80. Fast, dependable, low maintenance, etc. Never tried any of the smaller Warn stuff so I can't say much about them.
My wifes' JL has the Badlands 12k and it is honestly a great package for the price. It's not as fast, and doesn't have the duty cycle of the Warns, but it does the job and comes with *EVERYTHING* you might need to install it. Wireless is cool, too.
My daughter's Commando has the X-bull 14k. I doubt it will pull at rated for longer than 5 seconds (I've never tried.) Has a very low duty cycle. It's also wireless and it is super slow even compared to the Badlands. I hate slow winches, but it was exciting for her so I helped her install it. It replaced an old Bellview 6000 that needs a rebuild.
- Location
- Grantsville, Utah
He's got some really smart ideas. I've had a lot of discussions with him since he built his own single axle trailer. I found him a Waggy axle a couple months ago and traded some of his products for it. I asked for two soft shackles and one of his tool bags and he threw in a monster soft shackle for free.Clicking on that link cost me a few bones! But I like supporting a guy that has put out so much great tech info over the years so
I plant to keep most of my recovery gear in this bag.
I got his snatch ring package and 2 soft shackles. I deleted the bag from my cart after remembering that I have way too many bags laying around now.
- Location
- Never Far From Nowhere
Found a really good price on a Warn VR EVO 12-S, so I've pulled the trigger on that and it should be here next week along with the bumper.
Decided on Warn for the same reason as @Greg. I'm not knocking anyone who goes with the cheaper brands, but I just feel like the known quality and reputation of Warn gives me piece of mind for when my gigantic land barge actually needs a tug, it will work. And went with synthetic line because it seems like there are no negatives other than the price.
If the stars align (meaning wife, child, and weather) I may be able to get it installed next weekend.
Decided on Warn for the same reason as @Greg. I'm not knocking anyone who goes with the cheaper brands, but I just feel like the known quality and reputation of Warn gives me piece of mind for when my gigantic land barge actually needs a tug, it will work. And went with synthetic line because it seems like there are no negatives other than the price.
If the stars align (meaning wife, child, and weather) I may be able to get it installed next weekend.
- Location
- Never Far From Nowhere
Next thing on the list would be a battery upgrade. In all my other vehicles I've always run Optimas and never been disappointed, but I understand Opitmas are not as favored as they once were? What's a better option? Odyssey?
lhracing
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Layton, UT
Northstar AGM. or Batteries+ X2Power Premium AGM which is a rebadged Northstar.
- Location
- Never Far From Nowhere
Isn't Northstar Odyssey's parent company?
Tonkaman
Well-Known Member
- Location
- West Jordan
I am running an odyssey in the Tacoma. I’ve warrantied it twice, each after about 1 year. The latest one works, but doesn’t tolerate the fridge like I think it should. I think it just doesn’t like drawing amps for extended time
- Location
- West Jordan
Most AGMs require higher charging voltage than a typical FLA battery, and they usually don't get it from a stock charging system. Most AGM specs require over 14 volts to charge properly, while most stock charging systems output less than 14 volts. In short, most AGM batteries never get fully or properly charged in typical installs, and therefore get a bad rap. Either modifying the charging system to output higher voltage or installing a DC/DC charger is needed to keep them happy.
- Location
- Stinkwater
Huh. Today I learned.
- Location
- Grantsville, Utah
lhracing
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Layton, UT
So I just picked up a 2006 Rubicon and it has a Badlands 9000 winch on it, I don't have a great feeling about it but it does work.
Any input on these?
Any input on these?
- Location
- West Jordan
I think this is the general input.