Recommendations for a winch?

[trophyhunt]

Looks like the newest winch thread is from 2013, I have a 2006 gmc 2500 hd and was thinking about putting a winch on it.  Sounds like warren is the best but not sure I want to spend that much, looking for 10,000 lb minimum and would rather it fit inside my stock front bumper. Wouldn’t use it much but thinking of that one time I’d need one. Thoughts?  Also, looking at some and I’m seeing a few w ropes in stead of steel cable? They all say the rope is stronger than steel??

[fishngamereaper]

Recently put a warn vr evo on my kids Taco. Synthetic rope reduces the overall weight and is supposed to be more durable than cable. So far he's pulled a couple trees out of the way and righted his buddies Taco that they somehow rolled...so far so good. Runs smooth and no issues.  You get what you pay for..

[Buckhunter24]

I've heard good things about the harbor freight winches, for how cheap they are its the route I will go if I add one to my truck

[ghosthunter]

Well I would ditch the bumper Mount and get a Portable capstan winch. You could use it for a variety of jobs besides pulling you truck. I got one as a retirement gift and the thing is awesome. If you need more pulling power just add a pulley block or two.

I carry the winch,200 ft of rope, four blocks and three tree straps in my truck. Pulled 3 ft by 100 ft logs with it.

Check them out. My buddy pulled two elk at one time years ago with one.

[bigdub257]

Well I would ditch the bumper Mount and get a Portable capstan winch. You could use it for a variety of jobs besides pulling you truck. I got one as a retirement gift and the thing is awesome. If you need more pulling power just add a pulley block or two.

I carry the wick ,200 ft of rope, four blocks and three tree straps in my truck. Pulled 3 ft by 100 ft logs with it.

Check them out. My buddy pulled two elk at one time years ago with one.

[HntnFsh]

I've heard good things about the harbor freight winches, for how cheap they are its the route I will go if I add one to my truck

The Badlands have always got good reviews.
Very popular with the 4 wheeler crowd.

[trophyhunt]

Found these, hmm do I need 12,000?

https://www.harborfreight.com/automotive/winches.html

[Mudman]

Yes, go bigger.  I have ran HF winches on atv/utv's and mostly been quite good.  Warn is also good stuff but 2x's price or more.  Honestly if its a once in a blue moon use I would go HF.  As for stock bumper if thats wat ya got I wouldnt.  I think fitment may dictate your choice?  On my Ram I would only run a 12k winch and it might be a HF as well.

[ghosthunter]

Found these, hmm do I need 12,000?

https://www.harborfreight.com/automotive/winches.html

There are lots of guys driving around with a bumper Mount that never use it.
Think long and hard.

Bumper mounts need electric to run.
They are restricted to the front of the rig, unless you do some fancy rigging.
They can over heat.
Pull strength changes depending on how much cable is on drum.
Restricted to how much cable the drum will hold.
Wire cable not fun in cold weather.
 

[millerwheeler]

Go bigger always , have 2 sets of snatch blocks , always extra straps for the what if , never can have enough shackles. Hi lift , shovel , and a Pulaski nothing will stop you  I will say  as mentioned above synthetic cable is way better and if your concerned on  your battery don’t shut it down for while winching

[highcountry_hunter]

I have a badlands 10k on the front of my Cherokee that sits on a winch bumper, very happy with it. I don’t know how much I’d trust a harbor freight winch, their electronics can be hit and miss. If you’re in a position to use your winch then that extra hundred bucks could be the difference between pulling yourself back onto the road versus a long cold walk home.
As far as rope vs cable, the rope is supposed to be stronger and lighter but my concern is how well it holds up to the salt and deicer they put on the roads. Every time I use my cable when I get home I unspool the line then spool it back up nice and smooth. Takes 5 minutes and it always unspools nicely.
If your handy with a welder it’s not too tough to mount a receiver on the front of your truck then mount the winch onto a plate that’ll slide into the front or rear receiver, could pull your truck front or backwards. Simple and pretty cheap to wire it in front and rear.


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[millerwheeler]

Well I would ditch the bumper Mount and get a Portable capstan winch. You could use it for a variety of jobs besides pulling you truck. I got one as a retirement gift and the thing is awesome. If you need more pulling power just add a pulley block or two.

I carry the winch,200 ft of rope, four blocks and three tree straps in my truck. Pulled 3 ft by 100 ft logs with it.

Check them out. My buddy pulled two elk at one time years ago with one.

Those aren’t pulling a  full size truck out suctioned down in mud , or winching  the truck with 3000 extra pounds of snow and ice they have a place but pulling a full size truck isn’t it

[follow maggie]

I’ve used Mile Marker winches on my trucks for many years now & never had a problem. They’ve always worked when I needed them to.  The only time I’ve gotten a new one is when I’ve gotten a new truck. Out now I drive a chevy 2500hd w/ a 15,000 pounder so it can pull the pickup with a camper on it.

[HntnFsh]

I have a badlands 10k on the front of my Cherokee that sits on a winch bumper, very happy with it. I don’t know how much I’d trust a harbor freight winch, their electronics can be hit and miss. If you’re in a position to use your winch then that extra hundred bucks could be the difference between pulling yourself back onto the road versus a long cold walk home.
As far as rope vs cable, the rope is supposed to be stronger and lighter but my concern is how well it holds up to the salt and deicer they put on the roads. Every time I use my cable when I get home I unspool the line then spool it back up nice and smooth. Takes 5 minutes and it always unspools nicely.
If your handy with a welder it’s not too tough to mount a receiver on the front of your truck then mount the winch onto a plate that’ll slide into the front or rear receiver, could pull your truck front or backwards. Simple and pretty cheap to wire it in front and rear.


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Badlands is Harbor Freight.

[Jason]

I love my Warn VR12. I use it at least half a dozen times each year or more. If I was in the market for another winch I would for sure take a very hard look at the Harbor Freight Badlands 12k winch. As mentioned there is a lot of wheelers running them and there’s a pile of off-road recovery guys using them with great luck too.

Here’s a picture of me stuck by myself. Bumper mounted winches have a purpose.

Try running a capstan style winch and your truck at the same time