Hiya. I've been thinking about getting a winch for my 88F150. There are a lot of choices out there. Was wondering if anyone had any "this is a good choice" suggestions? What about mounting it on the truck? I notice Ramsey(R) sells front bumpers that the winch mounts inside. Most of the ads I've looked at just say "mounting kit for above..."

 

I have used Ramsey, Superwinch, and my favorite -Warn. All are good, the controls on the Warns seem to be a little more ruggedly built. I have a XD8000i on the front of my 78 F-150. It has pulled me (and many others) out of whatever situation has come across (deep mud mainly). Most fun I ever had fourwheeling was in my former Isuzu the first day we had the winch installed and mounted, got stuck 10 times in one day, and got unstuck quickly every time. Double lined, my winch on the same truck (91 Isuzu p'up) pulled out a 7000 lb Bobcat mired to the top of the wheels in mud (resting completely on the skidplate). Ramsey and Warn both make different kinds of mounting equipment, one piece bumpers, brush gaurds, removable mounts, hidden mounts.

George

 

I have used Ramseys and they are OK,the new one they have out (the Platinum 9000) is suppoosed to be very good,they are also very affordable.But my 1st choice is Warn.I have a M12000,on my F250 and I have never had it stuck enough to really use it to extract my own Rig.I Compete almost every weekend in Mud Boggs though,and am often asked to use my rig for extracting trucks unable to make it through the pits,It has no problem with any size truck stuck up to the doors in mud.I also have an X8000I that I just recently mouted on my Wrangler.I have purposely been getting it stuck just to winch it out,it works great.Warn makes a series of bumpers for almost every truck,and they are good quality,I went with a Renel bumper on the F250 they are very strong,but a little spendy.
Jeff

 

Does Warn happen to have a website I could peruse? If not a catalog I could order maybe?

 

www.warn.com Ive never been to the site,but its probably very interesting,they make a lot of quality parts.Make sure to get a Roller Fairlead when you get your winch,other wise your kind of limited to pulling only straight ahead of your vehicle with any efficiency.With a good roller fairlead and some pre set attatchment points with roller guides under the truck,you can even pull from behind your rig,(provided your not so stuck that you cant fish the cable underneath).I welded a bar that attatches to the tow bar mounts on the front of my jeep,and sticks out about 3 feet with a roller guide at the tip it has another bar that attatches at the axle to keep it from being able to move in any direction.From the winch i run the cable to the roller guide then back and under the jeep through two more roller guides,it works well,but I wouldnt want to try it on the much heavier F250. Later,
Jeff

 

<center><font size="1" color="#ff0000">LAST EDITED ON Jul-30-99 AT 12:15&nbsp;PM (EST)</font></center>

Wench, winch wench?

I'd have to recommend a WARN winch. I've been four-wheel'n for 14 years and have seen many different trucks pulled out by many different winches. The WARN wins hands down for power and reliability. They might cost a few more dollars, but they're worth it.

As far as mounting: It you want to keep a factory look I would recommend a combo kit (sold by WARN). It's basically a push guard with a tray to mount the winch. If you want, you don't have to use the sidebars that go out and around your headlights.

Other recommendations:
Buy the accessory kit that includes a tree strap and a pulley. If you run the wench cable through the pulley and back to you truck you double the pulling power. It's also good when you don't have a direct line to pull out your buddy's truck (if stuck, probably a Chevy!).

Mount a set of tow hooks with spring clips to the combo kit. You can hook to these when you double the cable back or for being pulled out when the winch isn't necessary (beats digging in the mud looking for frame mounted hooks).

If you have the room, mount a second battery for the winch. WARN winches pull less current than most other models but we're still talking about around 80 amps, DC. That's quite a load and it could triple when you initially start wrinching (known as inrush current). I bought a second battery tray for my truck from a dealership. The diesel model for my year truck had a second battery and I just bought those parts, including the windshield washer/coolant box.

Get a battery isolator (also sold by WARN). It detects which battery is lowest and charges it. If your only charging one battery at a time, you'll save your alternator and won't need a new voltage regulator.

The whole point of the second is to use the second battery for winching only. This way you always have your primary battery available to restart the truck. Oh ya, make sure to turn off your engine while winching. Otherwise your alternator will share the load and it could be damaged.

If you have any other questions, fire me a direct email.

 

Get warns new 9500I its awesome.

 

 

i have never had a winch, i've only been pulled by one, and i say pulled instead of pulled out because it was getting pulled to me while i was stuck hub deep in ice that i broke through. i recently lost out on getting a winch for cheap at a yardsale because it was sold instantly(they made a flier so i knew they had it, i just got there too late) i have friends with a few winches, but they are mini truck guys and buy accordingly. i drive fullsizes, so i won't buy any less than a 10,000lbs model if i ever do buy one. i live very close to j.c. whitney's warehouse, catalog company that sells auto accessories and has a factory outlet store. they sell milemarker brand winches. i was just wondering if anyone has had experience with this brand, seeing as how i know people who work there and can get a 25% discount on purchases from them through said employees. just concerned with longevity and parts availability for the replaceable items on them. thanks in advance
hey prozon, techtechtechtechtechtechtechtechtechtech

 

if im not mistaken the military used to put mile marker hydraulic winches on the hummers when they first got popular. never looked at one on the truck to verify that though. im also interested in any experiences people have had with them since they seem to be a little more affordable than the rest.

 

Thats why I have a winch. Most of my buddies wheel mini-trucks. They may have 37's but they still weigh thousands of pounds less. They just have a lot of trouble recovering me. A winch is always nice to have.

I don't know about winches, but i've seen other mile marker parts crap out in no time. I prefer Warn.

Thanks.

 

I have a 9500# Ramsey and after owning it, I will not recommend a Ramsey to anyone. Mine has been a complete piece of junk. I've had trouble with gears & electric with it. Get a Warn.

 

I would recommend Warn. Only winch I have seen stand up to oulling fullsize trucks without blowing up. (besides my 25 year old Mercury winch on my 78)! HA

 

i have an ancient ramsey 8k worm drive and have no complaints besides how slow it is. of course worm drives are slow. but it holds 150' of cable. i cant afford a warn as much as id like to have one. if i had to buy another i would have to buy a cheaper ramsey superwinch or mile marker or simply not have a winch.

 

I have an 8000# spur gear drive warn winch and it has never failed me yet. It helps me and my 10,000 plus pound trailer when I get stuck in the snow.