Red_Chili

Had a couple friends try the Warn knockoff, the Magnum Chinese one, and have been extremely happy. Just another option.

Dirty_Yota

I got my hf winch for about 100 bucks, it has a 8800 pull capacity, but not that fast of a tow line, it hasent let me down yet. ive pulled many of my friends out of the mud without any problem, also used for a fulcrum when we were replacing u-bolts on the edge of a cliff with a hi-jack, no fun at all

colsoncj

Dirty, what HP is yours rated at?

data

Spend the extra money and get a warn...nuff said.....

customcruiser

my brother has a MM and he has been thru a motor ($50 core) and both solenoids (replaced for free) didnt even ask him when he purchased the E9000

he is hard on his stuff and the mud/sand mix that ruined the winch got into his brakes also and he went thru 2 sets in 2 days??????

MM has awsome customer service!!

westy44runner

a winch is like a roll cage, its nothing you cut corners on in my opinion. If you are considering putting a winch on your truck then you obviously are preparing for some possible extreme situations and I would pay the extra $250 or so just for the quality and strength factor of a Warn, MM, etc...but not a knock off. If its too $$$ then maybe look for a used one? Good luck...

Dirty_Yota

Hey cory, mu hp is rated at 1.8, it may not be that fast but it will get the job done without any fuss or let downs.

bamachem

well, if money is an issue, then get a used WARN and NOT a HF one.

if you buy the HF one and it breaks, then you're pretty much SOL.

if you buy the HF one and you decide later to upgrade to a WARN, then you won't get $100 for it used.

if you buy the used WARN to begin with, it's LESS LIKELY to break/fail, and if you decide that it's overkill, you can easily get most of your money back out of it even years down the road.

in the long run, even though more expensive, the WARN is the better investment and also the SAFEST choice IMHO.

colsoncj

Heres my thing, money is a huge issue, i can't afford a winch right now because of the bumpers and rock sliders im making right now. I really want a winch, mainly cause theres some spots on trails i ride i can't make it through, plus im always pulling other people out. plus i've noticed when i do manage to get myself stuck, it usually takes at least 2 trucks to get me out, and i don't always have 2 with me. my idea was to get a hf winch, make it last a few years (2-3) and by then i could afford to upgrade to a HD winch like a warn.

bamachem

can you afford to throw away $300 then on something that may or may not last you? it sounds like you'd actually use it a decent amount on the trails and pulling others. it may serve you well and it may leave you stranded.

if you buy one and use it a good bit over 2-3 years, then it won't be worth anything when you decide to upgrade, so then you've spent $300 now and another $600 later for a new warn.

if you get a USED warn now for $500 (only $200 more) you won't have to upgrade later and it will serve you well with no worries. if you decided to sell it later, it would probally get $450 or more even if it were several years down the road as long as you take care of it.

so, get a HF now, then a new warn in two years and it will be at LEAST $700 in expenses after selling the HF and you might get in a bad situation if you get in a jam and the HF fails.

if you get a WARN now, then it's cheaper in the long run and it will not be as likely to fail.

it was an easy decision for me when i looked at it that way. if you KNOW that you're going to use it, then get the warn. if you want to "look cool" cause you have a winch and you might use it occasionally (2 or 3 times a year) to show off, then get the HF. when i got mine (in a trade) i figured that i'd rarely use it. since i got it about 8 months ago, i've used it at least 10 times pulling myself and other people out.

Sherpa

Why hasn't anyone mentioned Ramsey winches? Are they equal to Warn and Mile Marker? What is the collective opinion on Ramsey and their Patriot line of winches?

bamachem

1. Warn

2. Ramsey/Mile Marker/Magnum, etc

3. HF and other cheapies

westy44runner

"I really want a winch, mainly cause theres some spots on trails i ride i can't make it through, plus im always pulling other people out. plus i've noticed when i do manage to get myself stuck, it usually takes at least 2 trucks to get me out, and i don't always have 2 with me"
from what you are telling us, i wouldnt even THINK twice about getting a cheap winch, if it takes at least 2 trucks to pull you out sometimes then why are you even considering getting something second or third rate? thats a no brainer in my opinion. your truck or someone elses will be on the line, literally...and winching is no joke.
HF may serve you well but the fact that it could fail anytime is bad news and from the few problems I have heard with them I would never buy one.
used warn gets my vote even if its just a 6000lb.

westy44runner

used Warn 9k for sale -
XD9000 Warn used

3 hrs left...

ChickenLover

IMO if you are going to spend any time or money at all, you might as well do it right. Get the Warn. You've made it this long without a winch. What's another couple of months? How long could it possibly take you to save up the extra $? A winch is a tool of necessity, you don't want to limit yourself in anyway whatsoever.

I've been stuck in snow so deep that it actually bogged my warn 9000lb winch to a near stall. How do you think a HF winch would have faired in that situation? The HF winch is a bad idea. Not to mention that 90 percent of all the stuff I have bought from HF has broken.

colsoncj

Hard thought has brought me to the point of decision. I'm going to get a warn, but until then, just have more trucks around.... I'm thinking I can afford one in about 2 years, so we'll be good. (the reason i can't now is the bumpers, rock sliders, and my new boat).

Dirty_Yota

good choice, just dont spend the money you save on other stuff for the truck thats cheaper, ie: lights, tools ect. i have a problem of doing that lol.

wrenchmonster

Cory, I notice in your sig that you have nice rims, exhaust, an inverter, and a nice stereo set up. It's going to take you 2 years to save $500-1000 bucks? Get a second job (or sell some crap) and bog down for a month or two and you'll have your winch, a good Warn one.

Yes, being a 4x4 enthusiast for years, get a Warn. Hands down the best out there.

-Wrench

neil_P_smith

So has any one burned up a winch motor? I fried one on a warn m8000 and then called warn and they wanted 100$ for a new motor. I took my motor apart to see what had happened and on the inside of the stud a copper coil was broke free. It looks like they were epoxy it to the stud and the epoxy got too hot bad burnt. I took the stud out and the little plastic grommets off of it. Then soldered the copper coil to the stud. That was a major pain, as it doesn’t want to bond to the stud very well. But it works now and I will give a report after I put it through a good test.

bamachem

Spend $100 on two good tow straps and a "Come-A-Long" for now...