I've been toying with the notion of getting a winch and I'm looking for a little information. Encouraging, discouraging, slap me in the face....whatever, just a little feedback please

I need something that will fit & work with the shrock bumper. I'm looking at the the Warn 9.5xp... I think this will work and I think some people have this one. So far so good? Any opinions?

I know that the sooner the better, I'd like to replace the wire rope with synthetic. This winch for example uses 5/16" x 125' wire rope. From what I've read so far it seems that 5/16" x 125' synthetic rope is the proper replacement? Makes sense.... Any recommendations on brand of synthetic rope, size to really use, special coatings to look for, etc. I know Ken is a rep. for masterpull and that name pops up all over the place.

Beyond the basics, they seem pretty basic to install, but I'm sure there are some intricacies. For example, do you have to modify the winch or the truck to mount it properly in any way? Does the solenoid really fit well in the bumper? Is there an extension wire to run from the solenoid to the pre-existing hole in the top of the shrock bumper which I think is for the remote to plug into?

If you had been at the b2s run, you would not be considering a winch, you' be ordering one

as for recommendations, sorry i'm clueless when i comes to winches.

scott?

I know after Micah's little Richford incident I too have been considering a winch. But right now I don't see spending $900+.

I am guessing a lot of recovery work at B2S run. Much like April Fools?

I think I saw more recovery work at the B2S run than I've heard about since joining the boards.

But, thanks to those tires that you sold me, I wasn't in the group that needed a pull... I was like a mountain goat at each of the two challenging points.

Erik, I'm not that bright with winches. But as you pointed out about Ken being a rep for Master Pull you might want to check with him to see what kind of price he can get you.

Just a thought.

That is great to hear. They looked like they would clear mud really nice.

Are you kidding?
I mean it when I said that I was like a mountain goat with those things.. I think there was maybe a half second where I spun wheels on the second climb, but other than that, I was able to power up and keep the line that I picked the whole way.

time to hijack.
Very nice. Too bad I was unable to witness it. I know that my stock rugged trail tires suck in the mud.

At April Fools.

Erik, That is the same winch I have and it has been great. I have had no problems at all and have made a lot of use of it. Last year at the Old Florida Road run, I must have used it 30 times and had no problems with it failing.

The synthetic line is much niceer. I replaced mine with 5/16 Amesteel or something like that...it comes in blue.

Shop around. For the winch, Winchdepot.com had the best prices and for the line, ewinches.com had the best prices that I found.

Installation is really quite easy and takes about half a day.

I have a Milemarker E8000 electric winch that was brand new for $325 with $25 shipping when they first came out. I used it for recovery probably at least 10 times total.
Recently it was used to remove at least a dozen trees and shrubs. It ripped the root ball right out of the ground. Pretty crazy.

If I had to do it all over again, I would have gone with the E9000 or the E12000 Milemarker winches.
The 12k winch is about the same price as the warn winch you are looking at..

As far as synthetic winch line...
As Jeff mentioned, I am a Masterpull rep.
If you call up masterpull and mention that I refered you, you'll get between 10%-20% off. The last few people that ordered winch lines received 20% off their order.
The also are a Warn retailer and might be able to give you a discount on that as well, in addition to ARB.

I swear by my masterpull line. Unbelievable stuff.
I also recommend getting a masterpull snatch strap.
Well worth the money.

BTW.. I get no money or anything off of you buying from Masterpull or not. Just giving you a solid reference on good quality products.

Good luck..
Do your research on the winch and be sure to check out the ebay stores for really cheap prices on new stuff.

So what are the main advantages to synthetic line? I'm pretty sure one of them is that it dosent bind and is easier to spool back in than true steel line... but what else? How's the strength and play of it?

There is a HUGE weight savings.

...and stronger than steel...and a hell of a lot safer.

It's safer because it doesn't have the elasticity that the steel rope does... it won't snap like a rubber band if it breaks, which could literally cut you in half.

It floats on water (minus the hook), takes about 30lbs off the front end of your truck, will not KILL you or remove a leg or arm if it snaps. It just drops to the ground if it snaps. There is no need for a winch weight or blanket on the line to weigh it down.
The line is much stronger than the steel line it replaces.
My 5/16" masterpull line has a rating of 14,500lbs.
The 3/8" Steel line from Milemarker was rated for 12,000lbs.
You dont need to wear gloves to handle the cable unlike steel.
Aluminum hawse fairlead as opposed to a roller fairlead.
Thinner and stronger line, not to mention since it's thinner you can add additional length to the line.
I went with 5/16" x 125' instead of the 3/8"x100' of the steel line.

I hope that helped out a bit.
Check out www.Masterpull.com