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Which winch?

Roger said:
Winches really are a case of you get what you pay for (except Warn 8274 - overrated and need £'000 spent to make them work properly). I personally don't get caught up in the speed trap, speed is only necessary for the serious winch competitor, or bragging rights - steady and reliable works fine for most and is much safer.

Agree on the comments for plasma - advantages usually outweigh steel ten times over but steel has the edge if you plan to use over rough / rocky ground.

Nobody has mentioned Superwinch Huskey Or Ramsey worm drives - excellent bit of kit, worm drive so self braking and very reliable. I had 2x Huskeys fitted to my Unimog and they never failed - I upgraded them to BOW2 motors.

As mentioned, dont ignore Goodwinch Goldfish - decent for the price, if you talk to David he will admit that he buys winches in cheap from Asia, but has done his homework and knows which ones are good, he then strips them, replaces some seals and bearings and adds the Bow Motor.

A friend of mine has a "RED" winch - superb and beautiful winch but pricey.

Also, typically our Cruisers are heavy - personally I think a 9500 is too small for serious stuck - my front 16,000lb really had to work a few times at Seven Sisters recently. One of the vehicles with us (Patrol 4.2) had a power take off driven
winch with 16mm plasma - what a tool, just wish we had the option of PTO on the transfer.

Also, good advice on getting good solenoids - cheap winches come with cheap solenoids (even the albright copies) - they will let you down, especially if only used occasionally. I have settled on these TG Thompson 500amp solenoids, they are excellent and really do take the abuse, my rear winch solenoid is mounted in the worst place for getting hammered with stones, water, road salt, mud and crud and its still going strong after 4 years.

View attachment 109470

Also, you should really take your time to wire in properly with decent cable, you can lose so much power through poor cable. Isolate the winch also, you will need it for emergency stops and if there is an electrical fault - pulling 300amps can make a mess!

I have this isolator solenoid - excellent, just operates from the dash like a normal relay would, again 500amp continuous:
View attachment 109471
My preference for a cruiser would be:

Power Take (if your transfer box allows you)
Hydraulic - something Im planning on next year
Ramsey / Superwinch Worm Drive
Goodwinch Goldfish / Warn / RED
Comeup
Others.
Click to expand...

Interesting post Roger, thanks for that.

I've got an ageing 10 year old Superwinch 9000 at the moment, as basic as they get, but it's still pullin' and never misses a beat :thumbup:.

However, due to its age and a bit of recent abuse, such as grinding it to a halt on a few occasions, I'm thinking to replace it in the not too distant future.

I'd like to upgrade to something with an electrically operated clutch, and your mention of Superwinch Worm Drive sounds interesting...

I'm also considering a wireless remote as the practicalities of the muddy cable remote have recently pissed me off ...

I also agree that 9k lbs is on the light side for an 80 in the sticky stuff, so I'd be looking further up the muscle scale circa 13k.

I'm not after speed per-se, but I've found my cheapo Superwinch to be painfully slow of late, suggesting that it might be getting near to retirement.

Any idea whether there will be problems fitting the Superwinch Worm Drive behind my front ARB? The Superwinch needed spacers to get it to fit and there's no free space twixt the mounted winch and the grille if the new one is bigger (front to back).

Thanks for posting.... sensible stuff. :thumbup:
 
Hi Clive,

I think you might struggle, unfortunately the Huskey doesn't conform to the typical mounting patter of most winches in that size range and will require the mount plate re-drilling at the very least. If its reasonably tight already I doubt it will fit, as you rightly point out the Huskey is raised (to clear the rear gearbox).

I did neglect to mention that the Talon range from superwinch is gaining a good reputation in my circles. As the brand in general does - the biggest battle is price compared to goodwinch.

With regard to remotes I must admit to only retro fitting elcheapo's from Ebay (about £25 ebay IIRC) - they seem to work well with a good range (Ive never ran out). I always bin or move the winch solenoids and hard wire in a return to centre rocker switch in the dash and near to the winch - which is another reason to isolate and stop rogues operating.
 
Thats a good write up, I like his non-biased approach.

He sums up the Huskey nicely:

"It’s also important to note that, while the Superwinch Husky suffered in the scoring for nearly all empirical results, this winch is designed for ultimate reliability, not speed. The Husky has the best controller in the group, and I have used these winches with great success on several treks. Reliability and durability are the ultimate characteristics a winch should possess, and the Husky has those in spades."
 
Just a though on yours Clive - could you not just change the motor (a bow motor would be a nice upgrade)
 
Roger said:
Just a though on yours Clive - could you not just change the motor (a bow motor would be a nice upgrade)
Click to expand...

I guess so Roger, I have no idea really. I'm a bit of a shirker when it comes to taking stuff apart and rebuilding it, I've lost my confidence over the years.

I'm quite happy to fit something as it comes out of the box, or arrange some fabrication if it doesn't fit, but changing a winch motor is something I haven't considered.

I stripped the winch down to a degree a few years ago to grease it and stuff, but I didn't have the courage to go as far as I should have and have the gearbox apart. The free-spool is very tight on mine, almost unusable.

Are the BOW motors interchangeable? is it just plug & play?
 
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They are more or less plug and play Clive - if you call David at Goodwinch he will tell you if they are compatible or not - my gut feel is yes. Usually just two very long m6 bolts hold the motor in place normally with a locating dowel.

Check the terminals are the same order (F1, F2, Power, Ground) and thats about it.

On a spanners scale of 1 to 5 I would give a motor swop a comfortable 2.

Generally speaking most winches are actually quite simple affairs, perhaps a bit fiddly at times. A strip out and clean down would do it a world of good. Internal drum brakes can be awkward to reset but nothing beyond patience - and something you dont have to remove.
 
my goodwinch is badly corroded the finish is poor. last time I used it, it made all manner of groaning noises so I need to have a look at it. the corrosion holes need filling and the whole thing needs cleaning up and repainting, if I can get It working again properly. I am one of those that uses it only a few times a year. I went for the 12000lb version as I used to use it a lot for logging. I like it being "slow" as I can keep an eye on whats going on.

plasma rope all the way on something like a land cruiser imo.

yes I off set mine against my tax as its a work item...
 
Roger said:
They are more or less plug and play Clive - if you call David at Goodwinch he will tell you if they are compatible or not - my gut feel is yes. Usually just two very long m6 bolts hold the motor in place normally with a locating dowel.

Check the terminals are the same order (F1, F2, Power, Ground) and thats about it.

On a spanners scale of 1 to 5 I would give a motor swop a comfortable 2.

Generally speaking most winches are actually quite simple affairs, perhaps a bit fiddly at times. A strip out and clean down would do it a world of good. Internal drum brakes can be awkward to reset but nothing beyond patience - and something you dont have to remove.
Click to expand...

Ooooh, I know (remember) the long M6 bolts you referred to! I had them out to remove the motor, I even checked the brushes which were way less than 1/2 worn, so they went back in with a wipe over :lol:.

I'll give it some thought and try to get the courage up! It works fine, even though it has suffered from exterior finish degradation. I think it was about year 3 when all the exterior paint came off in sheets :icon-rolleyes: . I don't wade with the truck, so I think that helps longer term.

Thanks Roger.
 
I run a 9500lb on the 80 with a bow2, pulls really well and hasn't struggled to haul it. Now I don't do play sites anymore so no sticky boggy mud.
Same winch (fitted to my isuzu) had previously pulled a unimog out of holyMoorside mud that was properly stuck, that weighed more then the 80 and didn't struggle.
 
At last - bought a Rhino 13500 lb, plasma, 2 remotes and a cabled control
hides away nicely :)
20170902_133755.png
20170902_133742.png
20170901_163414.png
 
Just in and out - free spool is easy enough - 1 finger to lift lever and turn 90 deg. As for 30m in knee deep mud..........thats what passengers are for :)
 
Steel cable weighs a ton, rusts all the time and then spirals before kinking.... but when pulling through rocks or deep mud it works...
On the flip side Dynema rope spools better allowing a longer length rope on the winch (apart from all the other positives) (( the suns screws the rope, however))
All depends on your intended usage (and budget)
 
What a fantastic idea, what are the negatives? Cant think of any at the moment
 
Similar capabilities, different approach.

I like the look of the bush ground anchor though...
 
The only negative I can think of is fitting it when you're up to the top of the tyre in goo.

Who mentioned ruts?
 
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