Thread: Which winch?

Have a look at Runva, good stuff, Regards Frank.

Originally Posted by Primalanton

Hi all!
I am new to the site & hope this is the place to post the question - Which Winch?
I have just bought a 2004 Defender and am looking at fitting the vehicle with a winch.
My research shows that there seems to be two types of winches on the market - The "Name" brands at very expensive prices and the"others" at prices from high $300 to $ 600.
Does anyone have experience with the cheaper brands? In particular I have been looking at the "Kogan" 12000Lbs or the "I-Max"12000Lbs winches.
Am I wasting my time and money on these items?
I am very interested to hear people's views.
Thanks.

Originally Posted by Tank

Have a look at Runva, good stuff, Regards Frank.

Runva seem to be doing very well over here. Will be getting myself one when I decide I can't get a PTO or hydraulic set up

If you are really on a budget you can pick up a Rydge Rider winch from Supercheap on sale for bugger all.

My brother and I run Runva, brilliant, and we have submerged them both, perfect

I have heard that the ridge rider ones are not bad for the money, also some of there other stuff isn't half bad either.

Sent from my HTC_0P6B6 using AULRO mobile app

Having been involved for a mercifully short time in retailing the things, I was impressed by the Kingone range, however the Melbourne importer was taken over by one of the bigger importers.

The Runva importer seems well established and professional , and we became a dealer just before the business went belly up, so I have had no experience with them. I think they would have parts if you need them and the warranty is probably OK.

Be aware that 12,000 lb winches are usually longer than 9000-9500 winches and may cause fitment problems although the Kingone is the same length with the only difference the rope and the gearing.

The problem with all winches is that it is rarely straightforward to fit them , and sometimes things have to be moved. Today's Gen Xand Y customers expect the retailer to know the exact fitting for every winch for every car and nobody including the importer really knows that, so they get all huffy .

I remember one old bloke who had an ARB bar on a Ford Ranger and the ARB has front mount. We found an offset fairlead for him and it was narrower than the bar hole by a poofteenth, and I offered to grind away the offending material. He went into a rage at this saying we would negate his ADR, until I pointed out that half the grille had to be removed to fit the winch on that bar, which was nothing to do with us.
Regards Philip A

Buy a tirfor and then learn not to get stuck

Originally Posted by koaster

I have heard that the ridge rider ones are not bad for the money, also some of there other stuff isn't half bad either.

Sent from my HTC_0P6B6 using AULRO mobile app

I bought my brother the Ridge Ryder compressor, and I secretly wish I kept it for myself. Its descent for the price!

Originally Posted by gusthedog

Buy a tirfor and then learn not to get stuck

The trifors over here cost as much as a electric winch!

I have tried several brands of inexpensive winch, and finally decided that in future I will buy Warn. The cheaper winches are not too bad if you service them monthly, they allow water and mud to get in and if not removed quickly they will rust and die. Warn winches will also allow water ingress, but only under far more extreme conditions.

Some of the cheaper units perform well, other less so. The big problem is that they come and go from the market, and even if the brand is still going they might not have spare parts because the models change. Remember that few if any of the cheaper products are made by the company selling them, so if the Chinese factory goes belly up then so will the parts supply! Warn, on the other hand, still supply parts for very old winches.

Importantly, do not trust the reviews because they "favour" the brands that pay for more advertising, and certainly do not trust the winch company's quotes from the reviews. I have a winch from a company that say they won "best winch" a few years ago, but in fact Warn won "Best Overall", this company won "Best Value". Not the same thing at all!!

Three other things to consider. Firstly, if you buy a second hand Warn you can save money and be assured that spare parts are available if you find it needs them. Secondly, a PTO winch will run all day and not overheat. No, it won't run if the engine isn't working, but without the engine an electric winch will flatten the battery long before it's pulled you out! Thirdly, if you fit a winch you will also need a winch mount bar, and a front suspension upgrade. Otherwise the added weight will have you bottoming out the stock suspension.

Lastly, if you drive intelligently you will probably never need a winch. If you drive with another vehicle you will probably never need a winch. Unless you deliberately look for trouble, you will probably never use the winch that you fit. And because monthly servicing is a pain and soon gets forgotten, if you do ever need your winch you'll probably find a cheap one will have died.

Whilst the Tirfor won't impress anyone, it actually has some massive benefits and is a far better option unless you intend winching on a regular basis.