Bronco Forum - Full Size Ford Bronco Forum banner

another caution on cheap winches

11K views 61 replies 41 participants last post by  pfun41 
#1 ·
So HF has this advertised, a $600, 9k winch for $400 (actually my flyer says I can get it for $350)!! :

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?function=Search

Now go open up the spec sheet.
No HP for the motor, no spec on gearing, no pull by line like ALL other winches that are decent, no amp draw even (a less efficiently designed motor can draw a ton of amps). Only a little graph that shows if you pull with it on a flat surface, with vehicle able to roll, it will pull 9k (cool, I can also push 9k on a flat surface I imagine). If this changes by 20*,still assuming rolling surface, pull drops to 3k. There is no other way to compare it to a known winch, I would be very careful with considering buying a winch such as this.
 
#27 ·
Ragged_ol_86 said:
I went to harbor freight today. I didnt have my phone on me to take a pic of the specs. It seems decent in line speed and capacity. If I have time I'll go there tomorrow and take a pic of the specs on the box. But shadow the shelf price was 599.99. And I'll be damned if it aint IDENTICAL to the MM.

Josh
They work...but SLOWLY...LOL...I got spoiled by an 8274 for line speed...but my philosophy is, If it gets you out of what you got into...it's a good winch...LOL
 
#28 ·
Champion winches

Ran across the "caution on cheap winches" item. My family does alot of four wheeling and four brothers have the Sam's Wholesale special - 7500 winch from Champion......every single one of them has to constantly order parts to keep them going....they are always left on the trail with some sort of problem with either full failure or partical failure due to cheap construction.....my Warn 9.5 has not given me a single problem in the last seven years that I've owned it....and we winch a lot.
 
#29 ·
i had a warn 9000 on my tj. never had an issue with it whether it be pulling my jeep over rocks, out of mud or hauling some dumbass in a dodge ram 2500 with a cummins up an ice covered parking lot when he parked nose downhill. i'm a firm believer in warn's products as i've known lots of guys that have issues with anything else. i can tell you for a fact that the large majority of big time rock crawlers in southern az use only warn winches. once i save the money back up i'm getting a warn 9000i for my new bronco.
 
#31 ·
i would never buy a winch from a company that can't list the specs...

anyways, this is the winch i recently picked up for myself.... check the specs.

The smittybilt 12k lb electric winch. http://www.4wheelparts.com/Winches-...8&t_s=300&t_pt=100700&t_pl=7146&t_pn=S/B97212

i bought it because i have seen this same winch perform on a friends F150. The winch pulls pretty fast and so far after a years worth of constant use (he likes mud, so he gets stuck alot) it still hasn't failed him yet... and the price is RIGHT, at just over $500 after taxes and shipping. I'm not looking to have to use my winch everytime i go out, like my buddy; but i did want the extra assurance, just not at the cost of the warns.
 
#32 ·
#35 ·
Three well-known winch companies with a "Made in the USA" label are Warn (not Tabor), Ramsey and Superwinch (very few).

With any winch, upgrading to continuous duty solenoids is a must.

When we're exploring BFE Nevada, we're usually 100+ miles from the closest civilization (e.g. gas station) and 200+ miles from any parts store. Chinese junk is not what I wanna rely on to save my life or truck.

People will claim that the American made winches aren't 100% USA, which is likely true. But the American made stamp means that someone in the US is working because the company believes that the country we live in is worth more than a larger shareholder profit statement (selling a China winch @ USA prices).

It's entirely possible to buy brand new Warn/Ramsey "Made in the USA" winches for far less than retail price...it just takes patience and perseverance. Months ago I bought a brand new Patriot Profile 12000 for ~$600 and a barely used RE12000 for $500. Now with the economy in such stellar shape, better deals are likely possible.
 
#36 ·
I am all for American Made Products. I hate to burst your bubbles, but like with most products, there is 1-2 factories mass producing these winches and selling them OEM to whatever "manufacturer brand" will buy them. Even the "American Made" products get a majority of their parts from these few factories. So they buy the same parts and assemble them in the USA. This makes them "American Made". Are there slight differences? Sure, some of the brand names may ask for a different quality part to be used, but in reality you are paying for a name.

I am not new to offroading. I have used Warn, Chicago Electric, Smittybuilt, Ramsey, and a few other "cheap brands".

"You get what ou pay for".....often times you are just paying for a sticker with a brand name.

I am a wholesale electronics distributor and have visited the factories overseas. I am not just spouting off heresay. I have seen where the "American Made" products or components are actually manufactured. I have seen assembly lines with products rolling off one after another and going in two or three different "manufacturer" packages. Same exact product, but sold by different companies at different prices.

Is there a difference? Sure there is a difference, but saying that paying more money gets you a better product is ignorance. That isn't always the case.
 
#37 ·
This'll be fun...

Care to provide links and factual data for those assertions?

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/business/adv/bus03.shtm
What is the standard for a product to be called Made in USA without qualification?

For a product to be called Made in USA, or claimed to be of domestic origin without qualifications or limits on the claim, the product must be "all or virtually all" made in the U.S. The term "United States," as referred to in the Enforcement Policy Statement, includes the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories and possessions.


So there's a Chinese made equivalent for this winch??


Who knew??

Hate to burst your bubble, but putting an American worker to work is far better than the Chinese equivalent, even it if costs the US purchaser more money.

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/buying-american-made-clothing-and-products-makes-good-sense.html

Any more "truths" to be invalidated? It's scary to hear that people rely upon false information and hearsay to validate opinion.

Nice story, but where're the pictures or the websites/company profiles that document these Chinese factories manufacturing every winch and boxing them according to manufacturer.

BTW - I emailed Ramsey to inquire how much of the RE12000 and Patriot Profile 12000 are "made in the usa."

Response - remote is foreign, everything else is USA.

And I haven't even contacted Warn, MileMarker or Superwinch for the made in usa %'s

How's that crow taste?? :tinfoil
 
#38 ·
the problem here though unreng is what I keep saying....older days vs. last few years.

As I recall I can find on my warn plate that it specifically states made in the USA. This winch is about 6 yrs old and before Warn got swamped with all this cheap shit. These days I wonder if the warn stuff is made overseas for less labor cost (I believe it might be). I still believe the warn stuff requires better parts unlike that cheaper brand they also sell "Tabor", used to be "magnum" (now that one would go down the champion, HF, whatever assembly line). I'll have to go wander around their site here and see what it might say.

Anyone that thinks Warn or Ramsey or Milemarker is just overcharging for a name and that their stuff has nothing better inside than knock off chinese, I just absolutely don't buy that. your cheapy china just hasn't let you down this pull.

Edit: yea, my warn from '04 is made in the USA. Limited lifetime warranty. the new warn cheapy Tabor has a 1 yr.
double edit:

http://www.4wheelparts.com/Winches-...lbs.aspx?t_c=18&t_s=300&t_pt=100702&t_pl=6407


wow, winches have continued to get more expensive. This Tabor is $655, unrated HP?? The Warn XD9k I have is now over $1k (at least on 4wheelparts sites). I bought this winch for like $670 with shipping. No wonder everyone tries a cheapy these days. $1k+ is a lot. I was having trouble with anything above $700 for what I'd be using it for (back in '04)
 
#39 ·
The Warn factory is 10 minutes from my house. There's Americans in it, making American winches. Right now. The castings are done locally and machining is done in-house. They fix em there too.
As for the advertised specs;
My Warn M12000 weighs 136 pounds.
Superwinch and a couple other imports say their 12k winch weighs 94 lbs.
Do they weigh them with an empty drum and no fairlead? That's 42 lbs difference.
 
#40 ·
Didn't the HF winch take 3rd in the 4wheeler's winch guide?
(not the article but has specs on MANY winches)

Motor: 4.5hp 12-volt DC Permanent magnet
Rated Line Pull:9,000-pound single-line
Line Speed @ 4,000 pounds:7.3 fpm
Line Speed @ 9,000 pounds:4.3 fpm
Cable Length: 100 feet
Brake: Automatic load-holding brake
Gear Train:Three-stage planetary
Clutch:Ring
Weight:82 pounds
Dimensions (LxWxH):21.45x6.00x6.38 in
Country Assembled:China
Information:Harbor Freight, 800.444.3353, www.harborfreight.com
 
#41 ·
yea, didn't Warn, and what, Ramsey? place better? The other two were no namers and one was a brand new winch that some group was getting ready to put on the market and they had an electrical gremlin right from the git go??

I like how that article ends:

"And finally, like most any product, you do get what you pay for."


I'm not sure when they started doing this, but I found it very interesting that Warn now gives you some indication of "duty cycle" on their winches (at least the older ones that have been around, plus that tabor). It's one of the things they are pointing to that provides a real difference between those tabor's (lower duty cycle) and their Warns. Kinda like getting duty cycle specs on a welder I suppose. Cheapers ones always have a lower duty cycle.
 
#42 ·
a good cheap winch

I've got a really good cheap winch, it's an "outback" winch, made in australia, sold by JEGS. I bought it in 2006 and have used it in my classic car business, It works awesome. I bet I've pulled 3 dozen old shitty, set in a field for 30 years cars out with it. If the car wouldn't budge, it would pull my 4 door f-250 and 20ft trailer backwards. One time we hooked up a lifted chevy scottsdale with super swampers to the front of my truck, hoping it would help to pull the car, nope, pulled my truck, trailer, and chevy scottdale...

I bought mine for 600 bucks and it's a 10k winch, I think they're charging a little more now, but jegs has free shipping so that helps because they are heavy...

The only complaint that I have is it came with a little too much cable (90 ft.) and if you don't stop to reposition it it can get bound up. I keep meaning to cut some off, but at the same time, it's nice having 90 ft. of cable there.

anyhow thought I would post this here, I've had mine for going on 4 years and it still works like it's new, never one problem. anyone looking for a cheap winch should check this one out...

btw, I live right up the street from tellico, all the local rock crawler shops recommended the outback winch over any of the lower grade warn, mile-marker winches. There were several shops I stopped at and they all had good stuff to say about the outback winches.
 
#51 ·
I've mounted a hf 8000 lb winch to my trailer and it's been used multiple times although its slow it never quits pulling. And I do believe u get what u pay for, I purchased a Ramsey 9500 patriot and never liked it, it let me down many times when it easily should have pulled me or a stuck friend to safety. The motor went twice and the relays went out so many times I lost count.
 
#52 · (Edited)
I really debated purchasing a really good 10,000lb Warn winch.. and because of the steep $1200+ price had been going back and forth between the Warn and MM , however i ended up going another direction which was the Champion.

I did a bit of research and more often then not it seemed like most people were satisfied with them - however slow they are.

In the end it was the price, i got it off the sams club auction site for $290 shipped.. i figured It should last the few times i need it.. when/if it fails i will purchase the best Winch i can. I haven't used it yet, i just re-spooled the cable behind my house.. and it IS slow.. but it works.

I know its chinese crap.. like most things that come from there hence the cheap prices, the old addage is perfect in this case you do get what you pay for. However the $1000 in savings was too much to over look FOR NOW.

I eventually do want to get a good reliable winch however with the money it saved me, I was able to do some other upgrades/mods to the bronco now. When the time is right I will replace it.

I got the package with the winch, snatch block, removable mounting plate, quick connects and what looks like 6 ft of 2 GA cable (How about enough to rewire my battery connections, oh yea!), and a remote.

anyway here are the specs:

# Rated Pull 10,000 lbs (4536 kg)
# Gear Reduction Ratio 294:1
# Motor Series Wound Motor
# 3.6 HP/2.7 KW (DC 12V)
# Drum Size 2.48" (D) x 9" (L)
# 63 mm (D) x 228.6 mm (L)
# Cable 3/8" (D) x 85' (L)
# 9.53 mm (D) x 25.9 m (L)
# Weight 80.5 lbs. (36.51 kg)
# Height 10.63 inches (270 mm)
# Width 7.1 inches (180.34 mm)
# Length 22.4 inches (568.96 mm)
# Bolt Pattern 10" x 4.5"
# (254 mm x 114.3 mm)

"Your C10586 winch is rated at 10,000 lbs. capacity in first layer (max) when spooling the first rope layer on the drum. Overloads can damage the winch, motor and/or wire rope. For loads over 8,000 lbs. we recommend the use of the pulley block/snatch block to double the wire rope line. "

and the fullsite with PDF's of the specs, pics etc.

http://championpowerequipment.com/C10586.php

for me it will probably work out for a while, i'm new to rock crawling and really off-roading in general so I'm in no way an expert, i only try to make my decisions based on experiences, recommendations and my own choices. For me, for now, this was the right choice.
 
#53 ·
Fan of the HF winch.

Since there are alot of folks making assumptions about the HF winch I thought I would chime in. I have had two. A 9k and currently a 10k. I had the 9k on my CJ5. I used it many times with no issues. The 10k is on my Bronco and has performed very well. No issues. Every time I need it it works. I have pulled my truck and jeeps out of the mud. I used it to pull a 20' camper and an old ford pickup off the side of the mountain in vail. Seems I end up using it more to rescue others. It pulls hard and doesn't seem to bog down at all. For the money you can't go wrong. My only complaint is the slow line speed. But if it means getting unstuck I can't wait a few extra minutes.

You know the retail price is around $700 for the 10k. The quoted prices hear are the sale prices.

The bonus is it comes with a mounting plate and fairlead.

If mine ever quites working I might consider a more expensive unit.

My brother has the Champion 8k winch and it has worked very well. We did have it quit working one time. We had to clean the connection on the side of the winch and it works great, just need to keep that clean. This not an issue with the HF winches due to there being no external connections.

For those of you worried about it failing on the trail, I have seen several of the high dollar brands reccommended here broken on the trail. I guess I figure I can buy three HF winches for the price of some other winches. I also never rely on one method of recovery. I carry shovel, axe, hi-lift, come along, and plenty of tow straps.

just my 2 cents.
 
#55 ·
FWIW the harbor freight one is pretty nice. The 2 year warranty is awesome.

I purchased the 10,000lb one for 399.99 and the 2 year warranty a long time ago. My controller messed up one time but I never thought anything about it. Since my warranty was about to expire I called and told them what was wrong and they said I would have a new winch in 7-10 days and for me to just keep the other one.

I was pretty excited because I was about to have 2 working winches 1 of them brand new for the price of 1.

I waited 2 weeks and nothing but yesterday I found a check for 399.99 in the mail from harbor freight. So I still have my winch and now I have 400 back. wooo. get the warranty
 
#56 ·
No Harbor Freight in the Carolinas...seriously...

Harbor Freight has over 330 retail store locations in 43 out of 50 states. It has corporate offices in California, and South Carolina. It is one of the largest employers in Dillon, South Carolina with a distribution center spanning over 1,000,000 square
 
#61 ·
I owned a MM 9k electric for a week or 2. Then I used it once and BOOM. The case blew apart. The MM electrics were new at the time and I never even thought to check the country of origin, I just ass-umed MM's reputation was solid. OOPS. I replaced it with a Warn M12000 and regret not buying it to begin with.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top