which winch and bull bar

There are lots of different bars & winches available but probably the best of each would be a ARB Steel Bullbar with a Warn winch fitted

Ideally the winch should be between 9000 & 12,000 lb capacity (the bigger winch will do the job easier but as the go up in capacity the also go up in weight)

I have a ARB Bar & a Warn 9.5xp but the xp is a bit severe on amp draw compared to other Winches of similar capacity (it has a fairly quick line speed) so if i was buying another one i might look at a different type Warn instead

If you look at ARB or Warn web site all the winches are shown with there specs

Warn are at the dear end of the price range & there are a lot of cheaper winches on the market at the moment but i have had a good run out of Warns over the years

Regards Don

Mick,

Give Ironman a call.

Take it from someone inside the industry, they are value and quality.

Cheers,

Jim Best.

There a lots of cheaper bars & winches available that all look similar externally but i would be careful of anything that is to cheap

If you search the web you will find comparisons where the testers have dissasembled various winches & reported on the quality of the internals

Regards Don

don't always look to the electric winches there are some hydraulic ones that run off the power steering pump that are just as good

Mick,
I have a TJM steel bar and a Premier winch on the LC100. The winch works well on the few ocassions I have needed it. The bar remains untested but it was rated well in the recent magazine test.

I have a steel bar with a TJM Ox winch on the 75 series troopy. The bar has been tested and remains good after many kms. The winch works well though it has never really been stressed.

Reminds me that both winches are overdue for their clean and test.

For the bar look at things like strength of mounting points, full welds not partial, built in recovery points and hilift jack slots.

cheers

G'day Mick, I'm not trying to be negative on Bars & Winches, but they are a big expense & very low on my list of stuff you need for general touring.So ,if you have all the other stuff you really need, go for it, but if not, maybe the $$ can be better spent, IMHO.If we are talking serious offroad stuff, get them by all means. I may get shot down on this, but I havent needed either on any of the
outback trips we've done & have no intention of fitting them...but, then again...
I am a miserable old f**t...:)))....oldbaz.

I am looking at the Opposite Lock bar with the fog lights. Great looking bar, well built and only around $1400 as opposed to some others. I will go for the Ironman 12000lb again without a doubt and would recomend the Ironman 12000lb for your vehicle, the extra grunt is peace of mind and the winch does not work as hard.

I use a 95000lb Ridge rider winch on my boat trailer. it was a cheapy on special from Supercheap for $500, RRP $700 I think. It pulls my 6.5 boat off the beach onto the trailer without a sweat. Simple design, cant complain at all.

The Tmax is another that people like, They range in price, there is shop in Albany WA selling them for $700, 9500lb.

There is nothing wrong with a second hand bar, ebay is always a favourite.

Get onto part search websites,
it is partfinder or findapart, one of the two. Put listings up in the wanted categories on sites such as this. If your not in a hurry, something will turn up.

I have made the winch the first option on any vehicle. At the end of the day if you get stuck, you CAN get out. Lockers and all the other expensive bits can only get you so far, a winch will get you all the way, it may take a bit longer but you will get through.

We have just fitted a winch because we intend to be totally self sufficient.

We want to be able to go where the roads take us and not have to rely on others to help where we stuff up. Single car along the CSR or up in the hills where clay tracks and rocky roads. Nothing extreme just careful planning and driving in the well set up car.

Two things about choosing and fitting a bar and winch. Don't pay cheap and get a steel bullbar. Sure the cheaper ones may work and work well. But damned if I want to trust my car, that is teetering over the edge of the track in the Vic High Hills, on a cheap winch. No thanks. Even if I only use it once in my lifetime. I do not believe its worth it. Our group had one car in such a position recently and it scared me even looking at it. No way!!!

We chose an Ironman bullbar and a Warne winch.

Phil

On the 4wd forums lots of people are using the Tigerz11 winches, they apparently are the ducks nuts.