Lets hear your suggestions for a winch for a car trailer.

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sireland67 said:
I have had a warn M8000 on my trailer for about 17 years now, and it still works great.
I have mine mounted to a harbor freight winch plate, and a marine battery is mounted beside it, with a solar trickle charger to keep the battery topped off.

I would not even consider using a cheap winch.
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I don’t know about 17 years ago, but Warn is not being made in the US anymore. According to Summit, their 10k winch is being made in China

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You can also read between the lines on the Warn industries webpage-

“For over 70 years, the small army of engineers, technicians, and machinists who design, engineer, and test our products are the very same people who use them, right here in the rugged Pacific Northwest.”

Notice it doesn’t say “build” or “manufacture” their products in that bit. That’s not an accident, it’s because they outsource their manufacturing now. They say they’ll “ship from our factory in Oregon”, but you don’t see “made in the USA” on their website. Because they aren’t.

Harbor Freight is a US headquartered company too, at least they’re not trying to fool you into thinking you’re buying US made products at US made prices.
 
I have one mounted in the tool box on the front of my trailer. Battery and all. Remote control, not wireless. Sometimes pulling at deck level can create issues like exhaust hanging up etc. I use a heavy wall 40 gallon drum as a roll to raise the unit for clearance there. But.....I have a fifth wheel hitch in my truck. I have seen it somewhere else. Mount a winch on a hitch assembly and the pull is upward easing the issues. I'm probably going to build one. I don't think I will require as much pull either with it relieving the hang ups. A lesser winch will likely pull with greater efficiency up there.

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72bluNblu said:
I don’t know about 17 years ago, but Warn is not being made in the US anymore. According to Summit, their 10k winch is being made in China

View attachment 1716239034


You can also read between the lines on the Warn industries webpage-

“For over 70 years, the small army of engineers, technicians, and machinists who design, engineer, and test our products are the very same people who use them, right here in the rugged Pacific Northwest.”

Notice it doesn’t say “build” or “manufacture” their products in that bit. That’s not an accident, it’s because they outsource their manufacturing now. They say they’ll “ship from our factory in Oregon”, but you don’t see “made in the USA” on their website. Because they aren’t.

Harbor Freight is a US headquartered company too, at least they’re not trying to fool you into thinking you’re buying US made products at US made prices.
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The EVO series have never been made in the US.
The M series always has.
 
gdrill said:
I have one mounted in the tool box on the front of my trailer. Battery and all. Remote control, not wireless. Sometimes pulling at deck level can create issues like exhaust hanging up etc. I use a heavy wall 40 gallon drum as a roll to raise the unit for clearance there. But.....I have a fifth wheel hitch in my truck. I have seen it somewhere else. Mount a winch on a hitch assembly and the pull is upward easing the issues. I'm probably going to build one. I don't think I will require as much pull either with it relieving the hang ups. A lesser winch will likely pull with greater efficiency up there.

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That is a really good idea.
 
toolmanmike said:
Winches are like floor jacks and jack stands, do yourself a favor and size up a notch or two. Larger capacity is much better. Don't cheap out.
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And shops. Build twice as big as you initially think. Same with a winch. lol
 
sireland67 said:
The EVO series have never been made in the US.
The M series always has.
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The M series can no longer claim that it is “made in the USA”. They no longer meet the standard for that, which is why it’s not in the advertising anymore.

It is assembled in the US, but some of the parts are now globally manufactured.

Are Warn Winches Made in the USA?

And yeah, the VR EVO series is manufactured completely in China.

Warn Industries is now owned by LKQ
 
Tulsa Winches and Ramsey winches are about as American as your going to get.
I know people working for both of them in Tulsa Oklahoma.
 
I bought a 9500 badlands winch jut over 5 years ago and have never even taken it out of the box. It was one of those walking around the store and it was on sale and you end up having to buy something! Lol. I had plans of making a mounting kit to use it on both trailers but i guess it went to the back burner. Maybe next week i will move it up to the top of the priority list.
 
I've probably posted this but I spent YEARS, actually DECADES, "leapfrogging" two come-a-longs. They come with slip hooks which are useless. I replace those with grab hooks, and try to convert them so I can "select" whether double or single line. When loading on the trailer, or moving, or whatever, I string out a chain, "grab it," ratchet one up to the end, and string out the second and hook it up so I never have to release tension. You lose a lot of time, effort and ground, if you have to unhook and re connect just one winch.

I STILL to this day ALWAYS have at least one come-along aboard for a project, "just in case." Those days are about done. I have become older, and less strength and stamina, the "big stuff" is about over for me
 
I'm apparently in the .inority here, but I have had terrible luck with harbor freight winches. I have had four (I know, slow learner).
My first 2500 worked well for several years, it just wasn't big enough.
Modified a mount, built a box for battery and the 9000lb winch, that quit working at all, about ten minutes after the warranty ran out. So, I bought another since everything was set up for one. (I know, I KNOW!!)
The second "9000lb" struggles mightily to pull a free rolling 2500 lb car onto the trailer. Last time, I had to add my new 2500 (which I HATE, compared to my first one) to the nine ton to get the car up.
I am shopping for another winch also. I will NEVER consider a hf winch ever again.
 
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I ended up buying a HF 12k winch for my new trailer, along with a HF hitch mount since my trailer came with a receiver exactly that purpose. Have hauled a few cars with it already, no issues whatsoever. Obviously time will tell, but for the price it won't have to do a whole lot before it's paid for itself in aggravation pushing cars, using a come-along etc. Plus with the hitch mount I could mount it to one of my trucks in a pinch, would be a nice addition to my '71 Ford for when I'm plowing snow, just in case.


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72bluNblu said:
I ended up buying a HF 12k winch for my new trailer, along with a HF hitch mount since my trailer came with a receiver exactly that purpose. Have hauled a few cars with it already, no issues whatsoever. Obviously time will tell, but for the price it won't have to do a whole lot before it's paid for itself in aggravation pushing cars, using a come-along etc. Plus with the hitch mount I could mount it to one of my trucks in a pinch, would be a nice addition to my '71 Ford for when I'm plowing snow, just in case.
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I bought a 9500 Badlands on their last sale and picked up the mount with handles. I was trying to get it to all fir in my tongue box but it was way too tight. I want to put my electronics in the box too. Planning on a Group 31 batt. fed by a 75W panel, small inverter w/ 110 plug and 12v acc. plug, 12v air pump, 12v transfer pump, Milwauke battery charger. I'm going to build recessed pockets in the center of the deck between the braces to fit ammo cans of chain and straps. All lockable. The idea is to use the trailer on different trucks and not have to have the winch wired through the trailer plug or rely on the quick connect jumper in the bed (5th wheel/gooseneck set-up). Another goal is to not have to keep anything inside the truck but I ran out of tongue box space.
This is the virgin trailer. Carson California Car Hauler. I’ve added the box but still need to cut it for the fair lead and build a plate and riser. I think a trailer build thread is coming, LOL.

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They're so cheap I decided to just buy another winch for the truck on the next sale. I'll step up to the 12000 for it. The truck is already wired for quick connectors.
 
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33IMP said:
I'm apparently in the .inority here, but I have had terrible luck with harbor freight winches. I have had four (I know, slow learner).
My first 2500 worked well for several years, it just wasn't big enough.
Modified a mount, built a box for battery and the 9 ton winch, that quit working at all, about ten minutes after the warranty ran out. So, I bought another since everything was set up for one. (I know, I KNOW!!)
The second "9 ton" struggles mightily to pull a free rolling 2500 lb car onto the trailer. Last time, I had to add my new 2500 (which I HATE, compared to my first one) to the nine ton to get the car up.
I am shopping for another winch also. I will NEVER consider a hf winch ever again.
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A lot of this may be battery/ cables, and there is always "double line" it

Biggest complaint I have about my HF 2500? 2800? is that the winch drum is NOT large enough, and the drum cross ties cause the wire to bind if you do not CAREFULLY monitor it to "level wind"
 
I'm very happy with my Rough Country 9500# synthetix rope winch. It's pulled my 4300# Charger into my trailer without issue.

It's powered from the 12v battery mounted inside my trailer. Because the frame of the winch is grounded, whenever the winch is not being used, I break the positive batt cable using a $15 welding cable disconnect. That way, should there ever be a short for whatever reason, I don't have to worry about a winch fire when the trailer is parked/unattended.
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I have always used a hand crank boat type winch! But now, I am so old and woreout, if I buy the guys car, he always takes pity on me and does the winching!! Especially if I grab my chest and ask what a heart attack feels like> :poke: :thumbsup:
 
67Dart273 said:
A lot of this may be battery/ cables, and there is always "double line" it

Biggest complaint I have about my HF 2500? 2800? is that the winch drum is NOT large enough, and the drum cross ties cause the wire to bind if you do not CAREFULLY monitor it to "level wind"
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New cables, New battery, jumped the New battery with another good battery, to double available power...... (both indicating 12.6v.) and it still needed the additional 2500, powered by the jumper battery to get a 6500lb truck, oops,my mistake, a 2500lb car, up a I 1/2 foot high trailer.
There is no f@#king way I should need to double line an 9000 lb rated winch to pull a 2500 lb car.


Note! : in my previous post I said it was a 9 ton winch. That was a memory mistake, it's actually a 9000 lb winch.
So STILL, it should have no problem pulling 1/3 it's rating up a low trailer with nice long ramps.

Next time, I'm just gonna try the little 2500, all by itself. The one that isn't near as nice or convenient as the FIRST 2500 one I got fifteen years ago......

Still shopping for a new winch. Kinda hard to do, since I don't buy from amazon or ebay.
 
33IMP said:
New cables, New battery, jumped the New battery with another good battery, to double available power...... (both indicating 12.6v.) and it still needed the additional 2500, powered by the jumper battery to get a 6500lb truck, oops,my mistake, a 2500lb car, up a I 1/2 foot high trailer.
There is no f@#king way I should need to double line an 9000 lb rated winch to pull a 2500 lb car.


Note! : in my previous post I said it was a 9 ton winch. That was a memory mistake, it's actually a 9000 lb winch.
So STILL, it should have no problem pulling 1/3 it's rating up a low trailer with nice long ramps.

Next time, I'm just gonna try the little 2500, all by itself. The one that isn't near as nice or convenient as the FIRST 2500 one I got fifteen years ago......

Still shopping for a new winch. Kinda hard to do, since I don't buy from amazon or ebay.
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Buy a Warn M8000, the last one I bought came from Summit Racing. Buy once, cry once.
I have 3 of these winches, they always work.
The one on the front of my truck has had the crap used out of it, I finally changed the original cable because of kinks. I replaced it with a synthetic line.
The one on my trailer has also been worked hard, no issues.
I just bought a new one for my 2023 Wranger, it has not had much use yet.

I did buy a 12000 HF one for the front of my 47 Dodge, but the truck is still a work in process, so it has not been used yet.
And in both my garages I have a 3500 lb tractor supply winches mounted to the floor, to drag dead cars in, very handy.
 
Well, if I DO end up with another chinese winch, I'm for sure gonna get the extended warrantee. I don't need a fourth dead or dying winch laying around.
 
Warn wants 1260 bucks for a m8000, (part #26502) summit and amazon want $855.
Found it at advance at $734, $675 with a July code.
If that price is legit, and if it ain't chinese, I think I just found my new winch.
Frankly, it LOOKS chinese, and I can't find out yes or no.....
Edit: checked offer again, I was off a bit. $685.
 
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The M8000 used to be an American made winch. You will find that it is now an “assembled in the US” winch that is made from “globally manufactured parts”.

That used to be a $2k winch, the EVO was the one that was around $700.
 
72bluNblu said:
The M8000 used to be an American made winch. You will find that it is now an “assembled in the US” winch that is made from “globally manufactured parts”.

That used to be a $2k winch, the EVO was the one that was around $700.
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It never was a 2K winch, pre covid they were around $500, not sure on the EVO pricing.
I think that you are thinking about the M2478 which is a beast winch, now that one was around 2K now about 3K.

The gears and cases on the M series winches are still manufactured in USA, they do outsource some parts like cables etc.
 
sireland67 said:
It never was a 2K winch, pre covid they were around $500, not sure on the EVO pricing.
I think that you are thinking about the M2478 which is a beast winch, now that one was around 2K now about 3K.

The gears and cases on the M series winches are still manufactured in USA, they do outsource some parts like cables etc.
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Looks like it’s normally a ~$900 ish winch now.

Regardless, Warn is just another US company whose CEO has put profits ahead of everything else.

I’d rather buy HF and know exactly where my money is going than give it to the douchebag that decided to offshore a US company. Those guys are the real problem.

The HF winch is the spitting image of a Warn EVO, and Warn deserves it.
 
72bluNblu said:
Looks like it’s normally a ~$900 ish winch now.

Regardless, Warn is just another US company whose CEO has put profits ahead of everything else.

I’d rather buy HF and know exactly where my money is going than give it to the douchebag that decided to offshore a US company. Those guys are the real problem.

The HF winch is the spitting image of a Warn EVO, and Warn deserves it.
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So true, I bet the HF and the EVO are made at the same facility.
 
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