best winch - seems it been a while since this topic has been raised

G'day Croaky,

First up I am no ones expert on winches but here goes what little I have experienced.

I have a T Max 10,000 non wireless just the plug in harness.
From what I can see the build quality appears OK. As far as usage goes mine has only had 2 runs. Once to make sure it actually worked and to bed the steel rope in properly by pulling my Cruiser up a bit of a slope. The other to pull another bloke out of a soft sand patch. It seemed to handle that OK even though he had well and truly buried it.
AFAIK the synthetic rope heating problem is only with the brake mechanism inside the drum, but you seem to be onto that one anyway.If I had occasion to replace what I've got I reckon I would go wireless remote but I'm not too sure about the synthetic rope although there is apparently quite a substantial weight saving. I guess if you are going to pull a boat out of the water synthetic would make sense.

Cheers
Pop

Superwinch is another to consider?

Cheers, Baz - The Landy

Hi Croaky
I have a 7 year old remote Ironman 12000lb with rope, purchased second hand 5 years ago from a 4wd instructor.
Recovered 2 fully loaded landcruisers out of wet beach sand up to their bellies on 2 seperate occassions, though a lot of digging, 2 other vehicles connected to my rear for anchorage and a few hours of stress from tides, we got them out AOK.
The way i was taught to operate a winch is to take as much stress of the winch as possible, give it a rest after every 30 seconds of use for 15 seconds.
The last time i used the winch was 2 years ago, pulled a few smaller stumps out of the garden.
I only use it as a last line of defence these days, max tracks, tyre pressures, snatching and driving knowledge has pretty much put the winch on permanent holidays .
I can not stress enough the benefit of having a remote with a good range and a few spare double A's.
Cheers

I have a Premier and a Tigerz Although the Premier is several times the price, both have been brilliant.

Everyone is going to recommend what they have so you aren't really going to learn much.
I suggest you get a list of the names that members reckon are good and then Google them all for fault reports.

All winches are wonderful till they crap out when needed most...

My old 1999 model Warn XD9000 is still fine but if your after waterproof maybe one of these is for you they have a 5yr warranty how does that compare to the others
https://www.sherpa4x4.com.au/

I have a 8ooolb warn 30 years old not a spec of trouble

Try Terrain Tamer - they like most others import theirs from China.
What they do is pull the winches apart, check all components and replace what is suspect, new load of grease before they sell them.
They offer as good a warranty as anyone else with similar IP ratings
Remember IP is not water proof.
Good luck

Thanks all for feedback, seems everyone is pretty much happy with what they have.
Remember my criteria was;
- Around 12000LB
- Synthetic rope
- At least IP67 water and dust rating
- A good wireless option
So that rules out a lot of winches mentioned.

I've also ruled out the el-chepo under $600 options which there are many.

The top of the pile IMO is;
- Warn Zeon premium and platinum - top dollar top winches

Then I've dropped straight down to the $800 to $1600 dollar range, all Australian design and specification but made in china like the majority of winches;
T-Max
VRS
Runva
and a stand out as far as I can see is a relatively new contender the Carbon Winch RRP $849, 12000LB, full IP68 rating and light at under 20kg (23.45KG total weigh all components fitted).

I'll keep you posted on my final decision, hopefully I'll decide early next week.

regards
Croaky

Have you seen the punishment the 4x4 adventure team put their TJM winches through and their pulling a lot more gear around than the average 4WDriver does. Yes we can't see what happens off camera but they seem to be putting the winches through a torture test that most 4WDrivers would never encounter.

Hi Croaky,

You mentioned that you were unsure of Runva's wireless and quality. I find it excellent. Good range and reliability.

I am not a big winch user so I cannot comment on long term reliability under frequent hard use. But it does work every time I give it its bi-monthly maintenance run :-)

I chose Runva after reading this. You also may find that link useful, particularly in regard to warranty comparisons and water ingress.

Cheers

My apologies to those who thought this was a comprehensive post on winch recommendations for all, as, my post was to gather information for myself, to decide what winch to buy for new vehicle.
Again, I was after 12000LB plus winches with at least IP67 rating with good remoted.

It seems that most of you are happy with the winch you have, albeit not fitting my criteria.

The link posted by Frank P is a comprehensive listing of 'Buy' and 'Walk' recommendations, primarily bases on warranty regarding water and customer service, this is the link;
Winch 'Buy' or 'Walk'

There has been a lot of time spent on this link, and a lot of you wont' be happy with your winches listed on the 'Walk' list, but remember this link is based on 'warranty' particularly in regards to water and customer service.

Cheers
Ken