has anyone had any exsperience with theses winches? for 400 and change you can get a 12,000 pound one off ebay with wireless remote and such.... woundering if any one has used em or heard anything about them...
thanks
nick

 

Im going to assume that its like the Milemarker,Champion,Smittybuilt,and Harbor freight winches,and made by workers wearing funny hats who eat large bowls of rice with every meal,and typically dont drive well! That being said,for the money ive heard pretty decent reports on these imports..... it probably depends on the duty-cycle you put them through,if you run them all the time,for long stretches,at or near there rated limit,i will wager they wont hold up as well as a Warn or Ramsey will.

 

I use a champion winch 500CAD and it works great, and I know another person who has it and it works great for him around 2 years after he bought it. So sometimes these cheap winches are worth it.

 

i see ok yeah i mean i wouldnt be using it all the time and im lookin at the 12k one cus around here i rarely get stuck
thanks for the imput guys
nick

 

It sounds like it just might be a good fit for your application.

 

I'd spend the money on a Warn... the things with a winch is, when you need it you need it!

I seen too many cheaper winches (all differnt brands) fail on the trails (some on the first or second pull), once that happens you're screwed.

That's my $0.02...

 

I,myself have chosen to stick with Warn and Ramsey winches for most applications....I have managed through watching sales,and cruising Craigslist ads to get some screaming deals.....Less than $500 for a Warn M8000 thru 4wp,brand new.Used, Ive gotten a Warn 8274 on a bumper for $450, a Ramsey RE10000 on a chrome bumper for $500 in trade value,a Ramsey QM 5000 portable for $375,and a disassembled Ramsey DC200,8000 lb winch for $90,that i re-assembled in an hour or so,and it works!

 

I would suggest a Warn winch, but thats just because they are the best.

Honestly though, i've never heard of a Viper, but I don't really see your winch failing you as long as its hooked up right, you make sure it works before you need it and you make sure to take care of it.