Winches is there really a difference?
01-01-2013, 09:36 AM
#21
JK Super Freak
^^^^ yes the recon is painfully slow. Add a Snatch-block and its like watching paint dry. But if it gets you out of a jam who cares how long it takes. There is also a video on youtube where they do a line speed test with 2 jeeps across a parking lot. Needless to say the superwinch was done and the recon was only halfway. But if it gets you out of a jam who cares unless you in a hurry to get stuck again 
See the chart here from Quadfratec that does a comparison on some of the cheaper winch options including one from Warn.
Quadratec Exclusive Q9000 - Quadratec Q9000 Self Recovery Winch - Quadratec (click on product details)
with regards to service, if people are concerned with getting parts, the good news is that a lot of the chinese made parts are interchangeable. Or, if you prefer, grab the Smitty and get all your replacement parts from 4wd (4 wheel partrs). They own Smitty....no shortage of replacement parts and fast shipping on that.
I remember reading a thread here where someone was recommending Warn like it was the best thing on earth. Their reasoning was because Warn replaced their brand new non-functioning winch in about a weeks time....Hmm...so the Warn didn't work out of the box but you recommend it because they sent you a replacement after you sent in the broken one....hmm.... I'm pretty sure my Smitty winch had the same warranty but I bet Bryan from 4wd would have shippied me a new one immediately rather than ait for me to return it if something like that happened.
I'm not against Warn and I would probably look to them or Mile Marker if I was looking for a constant duty winch. But for the monthly wheeler, and the fact that I wheel with others in a club that all have winches, I am not afraid of what would happen if my winch failed. I have backups...as everyone should when going off-road.
01-01-2013, 09:54 AM
#22
JK Junkie
Yes line speed is directly connected to gear ratio and how the guts of the winch are designed. Personally I would rather have a slower winch so I can react to things that are happening while I'm winching. if you go fast you might pull you jeep into something deeper than what you could see. If your running slower you can react and if needed reposition your line to another angle out of a bad situation. Another thing you might want to look at is the Amp Draw. Stock battery's really dont do well in 500 amp situations. If you get a monster Winch that draws that much you might want to consider upgrading your Alternator or running a dual battery system and/or both.