Warn Tabor line to be discontinued.

[R_Lefebvre]

One bit about winch maintenance and the need to confirm they work before going on a trip, it wouldn't seem to be enough. On my first trip, somebody needed to be winched a decent ways on flat ground. The winching truck had a Champion (you can see where this is going...) and they hooked him up.

They pulled him about 100feet until the winch gave it up. Just stopped. Now, I figured the motor burnt out or something. That would speak to winch quality more than maintenance.

Thing is, it turned out to be a bad ground or something like that. When they got back to the shop, this is what they discovered, cleaned it up, and it works again. So, obviously this was a maintenance issue, but it also sort of goes against the idea that if you test it before a trip you should be good. Because in this case, it worked for a bit, then stopped.

 

[Alaska Mike]

Grounding is a huge issue with winches, considering the large amount of amperage that run through them. One thing I did with my winch is add another ground to the chassis in addition to the winch's battery/chassis-mounted ground. Amazing how a little corrosion can gum up the works.

 

[robert j. yates]

I ran an M8000 for years and primarily used it when I was deep into the hardcore rockcrawling scene out at Johnson Valley. That winch pulled my TJ (which is no lightweight) up and over some rather rediculous obstacles. I also used it once to recover a Grand Cherokee that had slid over the edge of Miller Jeep Trail up above Lockwood Creek. That recovery was actually pretty hair raising as there was a very real chance that the Grand could have dragged us both over the edge. The M8000 never flinched or stalled.

As others have said, even an 8000lb winch has the potential to wreak havoc on your vehicle so you need to have the right equipment such as snatchblocks, rated shackles, a good extension (critical for the M8000 due to its low line capacity), gloves and a couple of good straps.

I personally do not think you will have a problem with and M8000 on your Rover and in fact, my old M8000 is still working just fine on my friends D90. I passed it on to him only when I upgraded to a Warn 9.5XP. I wanted the additional strength due to the fact that these days I usually have a AT Horizon attached to my rig.

 

[madizell]

I have also had equipment failures on the trail, with winches that worked just fine in the driveway. It took two trips with two consecutive winch failures (same winch) before I found the problem -- a burned off brush lead that made intermittent contact and would not take a high amp load. So testing at home does not always find every problem. My earlier point was that one should not make assumptions only to find out on the trail that something does not work at all. Regular testing and maintenance will generally let you know when your equipment is good to go and when it isn't. There are always exceptions.

Alternative path to ground is a pretty good idea I think. I ran for years with a long cable to the negative battery post, and it always worked. I switched cables to really heavy gauge style a few years ago and changed the ground to a short chassis ground without a battery lead (to save routing issues and cost I suppose). It would probably be a good idea to run a stock sized cable from winch to the negative battery post as well, just for the insurance value.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Does anybody have any input on the new Superwinch LP8500?

These are available at Canadian Tire, the largest chain store in Canada (sort of like our Target, not a Walmart). They are $400, so the same price as the Titan 10k.

It makes the choice that much harder.

Titan 10k, sort of unknown name but looks well made from the inside, guy selling them lives about 2 hours drive away.

Superwinch LP8500. Name brand but of unknown quality, probably built down to a price. Replacements may be available damn near any small town anywhere. I don't know for sure, but they seem to stock 1 in most stores.

And then the Warn M8000. Old faithful, but the weakest and most expensive of the bunch. With shipping, it's probably 50% more expensive.

 

[madizell]

If I lived two hours from the guy who makes the Titan, I would make the drive, let him talk, then decide. His price is certainly competitive. Perhaps if you see his facilities, your doubts will disappear.

 

[robert j. yates]

...And then the Warn M8000. Old faithful, but the weakest and most expensive of the bunch. With shipping, it's probably 50% more expensive.

Where are you looking? Its very possible to get an M8000 for right around $500 with the hause fairlead and 80' of wire rope so I don't see the 50% differential over the $400 Superwinch.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

I live in Canada. $500+shipping, +brokerage, etc... It'll be $600 easy.

 

[robert j. yates]

Ah....sorry. That pretty much sucks because the M8000 is a great winch at $500.

 

[Alaska Mike]

Superwinch has a great rep, so it would be worth a look-see, but if it looks like the Champions or Smittybuilts, you're just paying for a name. The availability is a plus, but if you're constantly trying to get it fixed or replaced, it's no bargain.

The Titan sounds very interesting, and might be justification for a road trip. Then again, the money spent on that road trip would go a long way towards a Warn. Tough choice, there.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Yeah, I'm siding with the Titan, if only because I've seen the internals. The Superwinch, would love to see the guts, but of course they don't like doing that.

How would I know if it's the same as the Champion? They pretty much all look the same to me.

As for the road trip, yeah, it's a factor. Of course, if I end up going with the ARB bumper, I'll have to drive out to the exact same place to pick it up from the dealer anyway. Basically one trip could save me two shipping charges, one of them very big.

Now, if only I could carry the bumper, I could actually do it by train and do a little bit to save the world.

 

[SOAZ]

I was wondering about how much force is really required. My biggest fear is the suction from mud pits. I don't have experience with this with trucks, but I do with bikes!

My WR250 only weighs 225lbs. I can pivot it up on my knee and lift it off the ground. But I dropped it in a mud puddle once, and it took me about an hour to get it out by myself because of the suction. And if it hadn't been for some rope I found in the woods, I never would have. I saw a 350lb KLR650 stuck in a mud puddle once, upright. The rider just got off and it stood up. I think it took 5 men to pull it out.

How does it compare with trucks?

I do know that you can use a snatch block to double up the force, if you have a suitable attach point close enough...

I think virtually all winches suffer from the packing problem you're talking about, because of their design. I had read that the integrated solenoid models were better because of the bridge design instead of the rods. Is that not true?

I was doing a little reading up on this winch and had a flashback while reading about your dirt bike.
I was stuck in the mud on my xr400 and my buddy was stuck on his xr650 for hours and hours until long after dark in the blue mud down in Rocky Point Mexico. I'll never underestimate the suction power of mud again. OR its ability to harden into an abobe concrete. That bike still has some blue mud on it!
PHEW!