Multi-mount winch advice

[KeithT]

I am looking for a multi-mount winch. I have looked at the Warm system and there is a mile marker sytem too I have noticed. I want to be able to use it on my truck (front and back) and also my tractor if needed. My truck is a crew cab diesel so it is heavey. A lot of the multi mounts are rated for 9500# for the first spool of wire on the drum and then down from there. I dont expect to be using it to pull my truck through a mud bog, just vehicle recovery from snow and so forth.

Will a multi mount work for me? Any suggestions for other brands? I expect to rarely use it, how about an "off" brand? Thanks, -Keith

 

[powerstroke444e]

I use a old warn 38631? 8,000lbs of pull it is a little big and heavy but pulls like there is no tommorow. I have had to use a doubler block but have found nothing that I could not pull or pull apart. I bolted to a pieace of 3/8 plate and welded the plate to a reciever that fits in all 2" truck mounts and weld chain hooks on it for use with out a truck. I have tied to tractors trees dump trucks wagons and it works great. I have a 8,000 ramesy on my goosneck which is a good winch but not near as fast or strong as the warn. I'll try to take a photo tonight of it.

 

[Max2310]

I saw a 10500lbs (if I remember correctly) at Costco at around 400$ CAD. It was a Champion brand and was made to hook up to a 2" hitch receiver with everything included. I think that was a great deal. For occasional use, Champion should do it. I had a warn on my ATV that was rarely used and died for no apparent reason. Got 2 cheap Champion for less than the price of a warn and I still have one as a back-up. So far, the Champion outlast the warn (not supposed too).

They don't carry it all year round but usually comes every now and then (if you have access to a Costco).

Cheers!

 

[KeithT]

I use a old warn 38631? 8,000lbs of pull it is a little big and heavy but pulls like there is no tommorow. I have had to use a doubler block but have found nothing that I could not pull or pull apart. I bolted to a pieace of 3/8 plate and welded the plate to a reciever that fits in all 2" truck mounts and weld chain hooks on it for use with out a truck. I have tied to tractors trees dump trucks wagons and it works great. I have a 8,000 ramesy on my goosneck which is a good winch but not near as fast or strong as the warn. I'll try to take a photo tonight of it.

Would love to see a pic. Maybe warn still makes a similar model. Good point about a snatch block for heavier loads. Thanks, -Keith

 

[KeithT]

Thanks Max, I will check it out on the Costco website.

 

[KeithT]

Found this at amazon.com.

Amazon.com: Champion Power Equipment 10587 Winch with Speed Mount Hitch Adapter - 10,000 lb Capacity: Automotive

May be worth it for the price.

 

[archerm3]

I got the harbor freight 289.00 special probably 8 years ago, 8000 lb planetary system, worked fabulously for years up til about a month ago it started binding up, and I havent taken it apart yet. I have it mounted to a plate which is mounted to a 2" bar. I have 2" recievers on the front and back of my truck, and front (bucket) and back (3pt drawbar) of the tractor. Very handy.

I suggest getting a synthetic winch line rope as you can get a lot more length for a lot less weight, and manhandling those winches around can really be a pain in your back.

Make sure you get a snatch block too. Almost a necessity when you need to pull in a location without good anchors and the only thing to anchor from is other vehicles, and the winch pulls your unstuck vehicle into the stuck one.

 

[powerstroke444e]

Here are the pictures not the best as I took them with my phone. All my trucks have 2" recievers up front to use this and it has been abused over the yrs but still works. Yes I should keep it inside but with what it weighs I usually just slide it out of the truck and drop it. I use a 100' extension cord I wired up to control it so I can be way for it if a chain breaks or be riding in the vechile I am trying to recover. The truck has the bumper I put on most of the trucks so you see how I attach it.

 

[ovrszd]

I expect to rarely use it, how about an "off" brand? Thanks, -Keith

That's a loaded statement right there!!!

An Off Brand winch will save you a lot of initial investment money. But what good is that if it won't perform the mission??

In winches especially you get what you pay for. Sure there are off brand winches that people will tell heroic stories about. And I can show you a dozen that failed.

There's a lot to consider, one most important issue is amp draw. You can buy a $200 winch and if your battery won't stand the draw it becomes a boat anchor.

I Jeep, seriously Jeep. When I unspool cable/rope I am STUCK. I need dependability that I can count on. I need efficiency, low amp draw. I need durability because it may have to pull for thirty minutes or more to complete the task. I frequently find myself literally hanging on the cable. Failure is not acceptable.

I never even look at off brand winches. I've retrieved other people's Jeeps that had a winch hanging on the front, but they didn't want to use it fearing it would break or drain their battery. Sunday we were wheeling across a frozen creek and I broke thru. The guy behind me wouldn't winch me out because he didn't think his Champion winch would handle the strain. He's off my Christmas card mailing list.

I've used a lot of battery juice retrieving other people's rigs after their off brand winch failed.

Go for quality. Your need will evolve and you'll find that winch being used often and on hard pulls. Then you'll want quality.

Sorry for the rant.

 

[archerm3]

That's a loaded statement right there!!!

An Off Brand winch will save you a lot of initial investment money. But what good is that if it won't perform the mission??

In winches especially you get what you pay for. Sure there are off brand winches that people will tell heroic stories about. And I can show you a dozen that failed.

There's a lot to consider, one most important issue is amp draw. You can buy a $200 winch and if your battery won't stand the draw it becomes a boat anchor.

I Jeep, seriously Jeep. When I unspool cable/rope I am STUCK. I need dependability that I can count on. I need efficiency, low amp draw. I need durability because it may have to pull for thirty minutes or more to complete the task. I frequently find myself literally hanging on the cable. Failure is not acceptable.

I never even look at off brand winches. I've retrieved other people's Jeeps that had a winch hanging on the front, but they didn't want to use it fearing it would break or drain their battery. Sunday we were wheeling across a frozen creek and I broke thru. The guy behind me wouldn't winch me out because he didn't think his Champion winch would handle the strain. He's off my Christmas card mailing list.

I've used a lot of battery juice retrieving other people's rigs after their off brand winch failed.

Go for quality. Your need will evolve and you'll find that winch being used often and on hard pulls. Then you'll want quality.

Sorry for the rant.

Excellent point, but as a counterpoint...

To justify my own decisions...lol

I would say that a hardcore 4wheeler needs the tops in quality in a winch, probably a warn 8274 comes to mind.

Part time user, look at it this way.

You can buy 2 Harbor Freight winches for the price on one Warn winch, the cheapest one. I got 8 good years of pretty regular use out of mine, a HF one. Hard to judge quality on chinese crap, sometimes. Sometimes the stuff actually lasts as long as good stuff. sometimes not. But if you're in the deep stuff, you can have two winches for the price of one, and if one gives out prematurely, you still have an extra, and now you can judge the quality.

Back in my hardcore 4wheeling days, when I didn't have much money and Harbor frieght didn't exist, that $1000 winch was always something that got put off because of cost. I always had somebody along in the group that had a milemarker. Always had the comealongs and the HiLift, and always managed to get unstuck. When those 300 buck winches came along, money was better, and 300 bucks was more like disposable money, where I could afford to see how long this chinese crap would last. I'd say I got my money and then some out of it. And it still may not be dead yet, just needs a little maintenance on the inside.

But what ovrszd says about amp draw, line speed, raw grunt power, and duty cycle, that is true, and if you need to meet a threshold on those items, only the best will do.