Winch question

[Blue88Comanche]

I know that Warn is a great brand, they just cost a pretty penny. I found a Viper Max MX9500 on eBay for less than $400. And I found several good reviews on other 4x4 sites, saying it is comparable to Warn. Has anyone used that brand?

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 97.c0.m619

[camjeep3]

Never heard of the brand, but I know the 4wd mags frequently do a cheap winch shoot out. I would see if you can't find that, they had some good stuff to say about a few. If i remember right one was just a warn with a different sticker, the warn remote even worked for it. But that being said, a winch is not something to cheap out on. Whats the point if when you need it the most it won't work? :wrench:

[mvusse]

Never heard of it. I run a Smittybilt XRC10 and have been happy with it. $400 at 4wd Hardware.

[Comanche County]

The stats look competitive on it, I'd try to find a third party review before you buy though. Most 9K winches draw more than 350 amps so its low amp draw, may make it a good choice if you're running a stock battery and charging system. Also for a few bucks more you're in the range of a Warn M8000 and you get a limited lifetime warranty instead of a 1 year warranty - or could pick up a used winch off someone. I'm also wondering why with a 265:1 ratio its line speed, 6.4 fpm, is similar to my Warn HS9500's line speed of 6.67 fpm with only a 156:1 ratio. Seems like it would be much slower with a deeper ratio, unless the spool is larger which would reduce (numerically) the gearing and speed up the line.