my2302s

I am currently in the market for a winch to mount to my 98' Cherokee. I don't plan on using the winch heavy as in off road competition and what not, just a winch to be there when nobody else is. That said, I'm not going for the uber fancy synthetic rope and super-duper line speeds ect. I have basically narrowed it down to the three winches:


Smittybilt x20-10K
http://www.4wheelparts.com/Winches-W..._pn=S%2fB97510


Smittybilt XRC10 10,000lb
http://www.4wheelparts.com/Winches-W..._pn=S%2fB97210


Superwinch Tiger Shark 9500
http://www.4wheelparts.com/Winches-W..._pn=SWI1595200




I'm pretty comfortable with the 218:1 gear ratio they all offer that says "don't worry, I may not be quick but I'll get you out."


My hang up is, the two Smittybilts are the same price, but the X20 is a second gen IP68 "waterproof" winch. The draw back is the 6.6HP motor (I think), which gets to my question.


My concern with the 6.6HP motor is feeding that beast juice. The others have a 5.5HP and a 5.2HP motor. Does anybody know how much of a difference this 6.6 motor will be to feed compared to the smaller motors? Smittybilt's site recommends a battery of at least 650 cold cranking amps for both the 5.5 and the 6.6. I assume the 6.6 would drain the same battery a lot faster though... correct??


In all reality the Superwinch Tiger Shark 9500 would be plenty, but for an extra $50 I can get the super spiffy IP68 waterproof X20.


Any advise?

wiggles

My suggestion
http://www.seriousoffroadproducts.co...H-RUGGED-RIDGE

SeriousOffroad

And I was going to recommend checking out the Vendor Forum.

wiggles

I got you frank! Lol

my2302s

I haven't even came across that Rugged Ridge 8500. I thought I had searched pretty extensively, but I guess not. I'm not sold on it, but its definitely a strong candidate. Thanks!

macgyver35

That's a good deal from Serious. And really, you don't need more than an 8000-8500 pound winch. By themselves, they are already capable of twisting the XJ "frame" like a pretzel. Going with a 10,000 pounder is just asking for trouble. If the 8 won't get you out, you need to stop and rethink the situation. Swatting flies with a hammer usually leads to no good.

dirtyjerz

http://truckandwinch.com/tuff-stuff-...ery-winch.html

this is what i went with for the price u can't beat it…

Blown03SVT

Was also looking at the Rugged Ridge winch. Did some lite research and it seems like a good choice for the light duty wheeler like myself. Of course I know you get what you pay for but at this point in time I don't have Warn money laying around, at least that's what my wife facial expressions say.

caged

warn makes some very good winches with very competitive pricing.

warn and don't look back.

fritzthekatt

I'm running the Smittybilt X20 8 Comp. Its a nice unit with more than enough power to get me out of any situation i put it in. Just my 2c

I concur with Mac you don't need more than 8k lbs

Rock Toy

Love the Swatting flies with a hammer reference, and you are correct that you don't need more than an 8,000 lb winch and that anything 10,000 lb or over will be heavier and will run the risk of damaging your rig.

my2302s

I think I'll take the advise on the 8K's because they are a little lighter, cost less and a ****** block in the correct place can damn near double the pull.


My thought was a 10K rating is under optimal conditions, level, hard pavement with the tires properly inflated, the vehicle is "rolling" or in neutral and there is nothing restricting it like being stuck in mud; kind of like a Wal-Mart parking lot rating. Furthermore, the more layers of line on the winch reduces the pull. For example a 10K winch that had 4 layers spooled is pulling somewhere in the 5500 - 6000 range under "Wal-Mart parking lot" conditions.


OR... I could go with like a 15K. I figure if something like a 10K is swatting flies with a hammer a 15K would be like shooting flies with a .45. That sounds cool!


Thanks for the advise!

Fred/N0AZZ

I checked them all out before I bought one and like you I needed a dependable winch as we wheel alone most of the time, a long way from anywhere.

I ended up with the Superwinch Talon 9.5 steel cable and they were the only company that offered a 2 yr. warranty all others were 1 yr. or less. It was waterproof also which was a good point for me as I go through a lot of creeks and shallow river crossings.

SeriousOffroad

Oops...You need to fix your Warranty Looker-Upper.
http://www.omix-ada.com/instructions/15100.01.pdf (pg. 14)

B-lo XJ

Quadratec has some nice winches and pretty good prices....along with free shipping on orders over $75!!!!