Buying cheaper comes back to haunt me

OK, So I saved $1000 or thereabouts by buying a BRAWN imported electric winch instead of a WARN.

The BRAWN has worked well for 3 years but developed a problem last year. It would slip out of gear when winching, and then freespool.

I have narrowed the problem down to the Clutch Handle assembly. It has a small protrudence which makes the Slinding Ring Gear do its job so that you lock or freespool the drum. But this protrudence is of inferior quality build and has broken off so as to make the Sliding Ring Gear operation not work properly.

Now!!!!!!...........BRAWN has gone out of business here in Oz. When I bought the winch a T-Max brochure was included so I thought,..... Well!!....Mebbe!!....... Rang the company whose details were on the brochure. They do not handle Tmax but Aunger in Brisbane does. They gave me the phone number and I then rang Aunger. A very helpful fella said he needed to see the offending part and so I emailed pics this arvo and hopefully will hear from him tomorrow. He said that the BRAWN was a copy off the T MAX/OX winches. Maybe, just maybe, a Clutch Handle may fit.

I wait with bated breath...........................lol

Cheers