I would Definately recommend a smitybuilt winch now

[souske]

Not the point. We all know Warn is better, prettier, shinier, etc. at a price that does not make much sense.

The Smitty products are reasonable in price and do a reasonable job. That is the point that is made here.

Considering the parts (mostly imported) and manufacturing are very similar, one cannot understand why Warn would cost 3 to 4 times more for a similar power rating.

Did you even read my posts? My point was that by the time you buy the winch ($249) plus the synthetic line (another $200) you could move up to the next level of winch.

some may consider a budget winch fine, and I agree for certain uses (on a car trailer, etc. However for my jeep, I figure if things are going bad enough that I need to use my winch, its bad enough that i cant afford to have the winch fail on me. Take that however you want.

Anyone got the link for the $249 smitty?

 

[Boss Cherokee]

I got you all topped I won a Warn 9.5 cti, that's right no semolians, no Obama tax, no postal shooter charge FREE so how many winches Super soakers, Ramsey Lambsies, Viking troll, Long Dong Lee winches can you get for free??None, zippo, nada. I take that back 30 tickets for $20.00 but only one ticket won it so that's .67 cents for you math majors. WOOOOO HOOOOO But in all seriousness I have had since I built my 1st XJ a Warn 8000 on the rear and a 6000 on the front that's over 20+ years maybe I don't get stuck too much.

 

[zachandandy]

http://www.4wheelparts.com/Winches-Winch-Accessories/XRC8-8-000-lb-Winch.aspx?t_c=18&t_s=300&t_pt=100702&t_pl=6426&t_pn=s%2fb97281&gp=1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=froogle&utm_campaign=product&emlprox=out&gclid=CNrv3Ob_obICFQfhQgodCX4AcA
Looks like 4wheelparts raised thier price a bit. $269. Your adding winch with steel cable price to synthetic line price and comparing that to a winch with steel cable? For the price of the warn, you can nearly buy an xrc8 and a spartan locker. Just think how much less you'll need the winch than if you had spent all the money on just the winch. Still never been in a situation where a winch failure would be the end of the world, a hi-lift will get the job done in a pinch.

 

[yaromb]

I read your post. The Warn you get for $449 might require a synthetic line

Warn makes great winches. The cheaper ones are just fine for winching and the $$ difference is substantial enough to buy a locker (or two)...

Did you even read my posts? My point was that by the time you buy the winch ($249) plus the synthetic line (another $200) you could move up to the next level of winch.

some may consider a budget winch fine, and I agree for certain uses (on a car trailer, etc. However for my jeep, I figure if things are going bad enough that I need to use my winch, its bad enough that i cant afford to have the winch fail on me. Take that however you want.

Anyone got the link for the $249 smitty?

 

[srmitchell]

I run the xrc8 with synthetic line.

Had to use it during Sierrafest, and it worked awesome. Its pretty light too, right around 60 pounds.

 

[souske]

When someone has a 30 year old smittybuilt to test lemme know, I will put it against my 8274, which will be 50 years old by then....

 

[98stocker]

When someone has a 30 year old smittybuilt to test lemme know, I will put it against my 8274, which will be 50 years old by then....

Awesome... My buddy and I got stuck in an apple orchard one time. His winch was a precursor to the 8274, probably 30 years old then, and had no problem pulling out a couple trees before we found one strong enough to unstuck his fj40. I know, not relevant, but whatever!

 

[souske]

^this

 

[Vanimal]

When someone has a 30 year old smittybuilt to test lemme know, I will put it against my 8274, which will be 50 years old by then....

i'd call you a winch snob, but then you'd probably stop pulling me off of crap :eyes:

 

[Peteyg]

Smittybilt doesn't try to be Warn, but they do support their product, and the price point is really their main selling point.

The only Warn winch that you could claim heritage on is the 8274, and that is not a fair comparison. The 8274 will outlast most WARN winches, let alone anything else. It's in a different class. My HS95000i was a great winch, but I still went through 2 motors and 3 cables on it. That wasn't Warn's fault....I use the hell out of my winches.

My SB winch should meet my needs just fine, and the 10K winch is stupid overkill for the XJ. Time will tell on whether it lasts more than the 3 years my Warn lasted before it burned up it's first motor.

 

[85xjwoody]

I have owned a SB 10,000 for four years now and would not hesitate to put that thing to hard use. One person mentioned that the load hold brake was not working on their SB 8000. The same thing happened to me. I boxed it up and shipped it to them and they sent me a brand new winch. Other than that the 10,000 I currently have had for two years has not let me down and I have put that thing through some hard pulls and under water quite a few times. The free spool is decent in my books. The first couple wraps are a bitch but after that I can pull 80ft without a problem. I paid $450.00 shipped to my door for my winch with a lifetime, no questions asked warranty and a fancy cover.

 

[Ronbo]

Amazon has a Warn M8000 for $569 including 2-day shipping if you're a 'Prime' member.

 

[yaromb]

For that price I can buy the SmittyBilt 10K AND the synthetic line...

 

[Ronbo]

And you still have a Smittybilt.