Thread: What is the best electric winch?

Originally Posted by PAT303

Personally if I was stuck like I once was in a creek in the NT I wouldn't care what winch I had as long as it worked.

This is a good point. I have seen trucks stuck that had the cheapest winch money can buy self-recover easily because they maintain them and installed them well. I have seen others with well-known name brands falter and have to rely on others because of a lack of maintenance or poor installation or both.

I am of the view that whatever you buy, make sure it works well initially and then maintain it like your truck depends on it, because one day it might...

If you have the space, a Warn high mount, if you want a low mount the Premier seem to consistently win any comparison I have read. You get what you pay for.
I have had a Ramsey for around 20 years and it always works well when I need it, which is not very often. I use it more for work dragging heavy items where I need them, straightening fences etc.

Gigglepin4x4 : Home of the Twinmotor winch : Jim Marsden

I got bogged twice so badly I had to get winched out.
I do not have one.
One chap had a cheap winch and did not budge me and also had smoke pouring out of some electric box.
Thw Warn winch attached to a 100 series did the trick and not only that, it showed very little strain. The fella was a wildlife officer and was off duty with his kids, he said if you want it to work it must be a warn, have plasma rope and not too long as you have to clean them from time to time and a long rope is not only a pain but if not rolled up properly can wear pre-maturely or something.
Either way, a cheap winch may work but a quality one will work as I have found out.

The extra weight of the steel cable be a consideration also I guess.

High Mounts are fast and strong, but bulky.. I like them but cant see the justification outside competition

Good strong low mounts, well maintained do an admirable job.

Was always a Warn man (read Brand Snob) but have given a few a go in testing now (real world testing)..

T-Max - Excellent budget winch, strong and reliable.

Warn - XD9000, old faithful, just keep regular servicing because they rust inside quickly.

Warn - 9500XP, pulled faster but again, full of rust in quick order and had done no water crossings (3 months old and vehicle washed once and rained on twice). Repaired under warranty and failed completely just outside of warranty.

Premier... What a winch... External brake (happier with Synthetic rope).. Lots of torque... Made a horrible recovery easy... A similar, but slightly lighter recovery with the Warn 6 months earlier needed a double line pull and still stalled the winch. This would be my preference for a Tourer / Weekend warrior unit. You can land these from the UK (different branding there) for very good prices at the moment.

My HM will recover my deefer but if it's loaded it'll need a double line,I'm of the opinion that using a snatch block is a good idea regardless.With the HM you have the option of fitting a 6hp motor also,if mine ever dies thats what I'm fitting.With regards to maintenance I soak mine in lanolin oil every now and then and drop the oil every few years and remove the side plate and pack it with grease. Pat

No one besides OP has mentioned ironman so I will chuck the name out there. I have used my 9500lb Ironman quite a few times including some very hard pulls, its done a great job each time.

You have not mentioned budget either. Warn $2k plus or Ironman / Tigerz under $1000 with synthetic rope.

I LOVE having a wireless remote. So easy, anyone can winch from a safe distance or in the cab, no cables to worry about.

MAINTAIN what ever winch you get, ie, strip down and repack with quality grease, especially if you have been submerged in muddy crap water for a while.

Good idea (I think essential) to have a kill switch/isolator on the +ve to the winch. I have seen solenoids fused ON before, not pretty, potentially dangerous.

Originally Posted by Tombie2

Premier... What a winch... External brake (happier with Synthetic rope).. Lots of torque... Made a horrible recovery easy... A similar, but slightly lighter recovery with the Warn 6 months earlier needed a double line pull and still stalled the winch. This would be my preference for a Tourer / Weekend warrior unit. You can land these from the UK (different branding there) for very good prices at the moment.

Hey Tombie, what name do they badge them under over there and how much does it cost to land one in Oz? Is it also possible to get parts for them here easy? I'm either thinking I'll get a tigerz11 (not sure which one). Is there any point getting a 2 speed? I was just thinking the 12000lb with plasma on it. It's $845 off eBay from 4x4 direct.

I'd love a Ramsey or Warn but can't really afford one at the price they are ... I see 4x4 Action are doing a new winch comparo in 2 issues time on winches again so maybe might wait and see what they say in that.. not that I believe everything they say