cptmohog

I'm getting ready to purchase my first winch. Everyone I have ever known has had warn( and most of those the xd9000i) I'm finally in a position to be able to afford one, but I'm also not willing to throw 1k on the ground for nothing (difference between the 2 w/ synthetic) any opinions are welcomed... Is warn worth 3times as much ( I have no problem paying it, just don't why to waste money ) I am sold for sure on synthetic as a bunch in my cub have it and swear by it! The quadratech has the option, but so far I have only found the warn with wire and then you need to switch it out. Anyone know where you can buy the warn with synthetic already installed? Tia

scottmphoto

I will start off by saying that I have never had a Warn. They have a good reputation but they are expensive. I currenty have a Quadratec Q11,000 on my XJ, though. I read that they are made by a major manufacturer (looks just like a Mile Marker, both inside and out), just rebadged. The only problem that I have had with it, the drum brake spring broke. I called Quadratec and they sent out a whole drum assembly. I had it in about three days. Now, I do use my winch a lot. I use it to help load logs onto a trailer to haul them to the mill besides the usual recovery work. For the money, I am VERY happy with my Q11,000. Oh, I also have a Mile Marker SEC8.

MikeT2

I just installed the Quadratec Q9,000 on my XJ. I went with it because it draws the less amperage of any other winch that I could find. Also the price was reasonable at around $325.00 to my front door. Also Quadratec has a good reputation for service and parts.
Good luck in your pick

andrewmp6

I would try the Quadratec one its probably a name brand one they just put their name on,Most house brand parts are like that today.

XJmike0122

Mile Marker, Smittybilt, Qudratec they all seem to be the same. I have had a Smittybilt on my TJ for years with no problems but I don't use it a lot though.

Rock Toy

I've never ran a Quadratech winch so I can't compare them to a Warn, but I've ran 4 Warn winches, a 8274, a 6000 lb winch on my CJ2A, a XP9.5, and my current winch a HS 9500I, I had some of them for 20 years. and I've never had any of them let me down.
To me that is why Warn is worth what they ask for them, I would rather pay a little more and not be stuck on the trail with a winch that is broke.

NewKindOfClown

Engo.
http://www.fourwheeler.com/how-to/12...inch-shootout/
/thread

XJmike0122

Nice review.

NewKindOfClown

Engo survived the max pull test without burning up the motor. For $300 I'll replace it if something catastrophic happens. I can't justify a $1,500 winch for what I do. Some people can based on their wheeling habits, but I'm not one of them.

Dean 423

WARN

NewKindOfClown

Why?

Georgia Mike

Because Warn builds most of their winches here in the USA out of mostly USA made components. You'll never have to worry about a pot metal drive gear shattering at the worst possible moment. They have a great warranty (which you'll probably never need) and if you manage to break it out of warranty it will definitely be worth repairing. The replacement parts can be had easily, and since they won't be on a slow boat from China you'll have them in days instead of weeks or months (if you can even get them for those other winches). I have two Warns; an 8274 and an HS9500i. They are both excellent winches with very fast line speeds. The 9500 is over 10 years old iirc, and god only knows how old that 8274 is and they're both still performing as well as the first day I used them. I've installed the winches on several different Jeeps over the years I've owned them. When the time came to sell the particular Jeep one of them was mounted on, I removed it so I could put it on the next rig that comes along. I've also had a Ramsey REP8000 and a Milemarker 8000, which are similar in design, quality, and country of origin to all these other inexpensive "let's slap our name on it and call it ours" winches that all look pretty much like they came from the same factory. They both sucked as far as line speed is concerned. I'm sure they were good winches to pull yourself out of a jam once in a while, but if I used them for long line pulls and used it often, the slow as molasses line speed got old FAST. The fact that I left them on the Jeeps when I sold them should tell you something; they weren't going to be missed at all.

Spend the extra $$ and buy the Warn. You'll want to keep it forever, and since it'll be a solid design with easy to get replacement parts it'll last as long as you want to keep it.

jrw7072009

I don't know about the quadratec winch but I can say that I think its hard to compare them. Warn is a quality brand who prides their company on a good quality product. The Quadratec, Smitty, Tmax, and a couple others are all the same chinese made with cheap china parts.

I have installed countless winches mostly Smittybilt and Warn and the Smittybilts where being returned consistently with issues, while the Warns rarely ever came back.

For the price the less expensive winches can be great, but IMO its hard to compare a Warn to a Quadratec...

Georgia Mike

To add to my previous post:
I'd buy an old used Warn over any new Chinese made winch.

That is all

NewKindOfClown

Did y'all read the link I posted? Four Wheeler torture tested 8 winches a couple years ago, and they summarized their results. Any winch that stops pulling before it burns out has a big advantage over any winch that doesn't. That alone can save your investment.

For the price difference between a $300 Engo winch and a $1,500 Warn winch, I say again, I'll buy the Engo. I likely won't use it but once a year, maybe two or three times if I help people out in the winter.

Some people (not very many on this site) can justify spending the money on a Warn. Most of us can spend that extra thousand dollars in other ways and be just fine without that brand name.