ginxer86

Hey guys,
I'm a noob at buying a winch.
Need some help. can I just buy a winch from anywhere and it will fit my jeep jk XRC bumper?

I'm looking at something like this from princess auto

6,000 lb 12V DC Utility All-Purpose Winch | Princess Auto

Anything I should look out for when buying a winch?

ronin2120

I'm not familiar with that line of winch but two things helped drive my choice.

1. Select a winch that can pull twice my Jeep weight.

2. Quality, because when I'm using my winch clearly I'm in a bad spot. With that being said I'm not familiar with that line of winch and would certainly dig deeper researching it.

GJeep

Optimally, at least twice the loaded weight of your Jeep, including the weight of extras like steel bumpers, etc'.
6,000lb sounds too little.

Synthetic line.

JK08MCS

They are not leaving you much cable. I have the Smittybilt XRC-8 winch with a little less than 100 ft., because of the price at the time. It's so easy to take apart and work on. The solenoid box, I mounted under the winch plate out of sight. Then even set up a fixed switch in my console. Came out working and looking nice when all was done.

This one here is water proof and that is the reason I had to take mine apart and oil it up again 97380 - Smittybilt X2O-8 Winch - Quadratec

SpicedCrusher

Your MINIMUM winch size should be able to pull 1.5x the weight of your vehicle. That's if you're gonna use it for very light duty. Pulling yourself (or someone else) out of deep mud, up an incline, etc, may require a larger size.

There are a bunch of things you need to consider before buying a winch. One is line speed, or how fast the winch can let out or take up cable. Winches with faster line speeds are generally more expensive.

Buying a winch with synthetic cable will save weight. It's also safer than cable, since it's not as dangerous as wire cable if it snaps and whiplashes back at you. Any winch you look at should come with a remote, so you can stand off to the side (much safer) while operating it. You should also use a damper on the line (coat, blanket, etc) to keep it from whipping back if it breaks, regardless of whether you have synthetic or wire cable.

The Princess Auto winches are more for quads and side by sides. Depending on your budget you can get lots of decent 8k or 10k winches. I got an ENGO with synthetic for under $400 and it's been great for almost 4 years without an issue. Check reviews and keep reading and pick the best one for you.

nthinuf

I get that you are trying to save some money, but do you really want an ATV/UTV winch for your Jeep? Wouldn't be my first choice...

There are a bunch of lower cost options available these days, doesn't have to be a thousand dollar plus top of the line model. Warn has a value series. For a while Engo was the budget winch everyone talked about. Smittybilt, Recon, Quadratech. Even Harbor Freight winches get decent reviews. Any of them can, and do, have problems, so just keep researching until you find the one that fits your needs/budget.

And when you are looking, pay attention to the warranty and where it is built and how available replacement parts (or replacement winches) will be.

ginxer86

Got cha!!!! thanks everyone for the help!

GJeep

While at it, I warmly suggest to read all you can about using a winch, and watch videos (with a grain of salt, as they include mistakes).
Without studying the issue, it can be frustrating, even plain dangerous.

Jnorman831

When I bought my winch I got the strongest one possible. I wanted to be able to pull myself up a cliff if need be. Warn has refurbished line of winches as well.

GunDude

Super winch make a nice winch with contactor's instead solenoids. Good prices too!