My buddy swore I'd regret buying a cheaper winch and he was dead right

Last year I thought I was being smart saving $150 on a no-name winch from Amazon. Took it out on a ride near Silver Lake Sand Dunes and the thing seized up halfway through pulling a buddy's stuck Raptor. Had to call another friend with a tractor to yank us both out. My buddy Dave told me to just get the Warn and I figured he was being a brand snob. Now my wallet hurts twice as much because I bought the Warn anyway plus the tow fee. Anyone else learn this lesson the hard way?

3 comments

3 Comments

felix38514d ago

Read somewhere that cheap winches use pot metal gears that just crumble under load.

seana146d ago

Boy, that's a rough way to learn. A few bucks saved isn't worth getting stranded for hours in the sand. I stick with the name brands now and sleep better at night.

ivan87314d ago

Silver Lake Dunes... man, that brings back some bad memories. I took my old Jeep there a couple years back and my buddy's Smittybilt winch basically melted the motor on the first real pull. He bought it because it was half the price of a Warn and thought he was getting a deal. We ended up having to winch him backwards with my truck's recovery strap and it took like two hours. That pot metal gear thing is real, I saw someone's cheap winch explode a gear right on the trail and sent shrapnel flying everywhere. Now I just tell people to save up for the real deal or don't bother buying a winch at all.