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Which Winch To Use?

In my opinion it's a gamble these days. Honestly the only winches I have ever personally seen fail out on the trails have surprisingly been Warns. I have been beating the crap out of my cheapie eBay X Bull winch for years and it has never let me down. As much as people love to praise Warn I just haven't been impressed with them. :shrug:
 
Interesting thread. Does anyone have relevant cj8 experience with a removable winch? I have class 2 hitches fr & back.
My 8 already starts to get too hot if I sit and idle too long. Plus it's on nice day daily driver status..
 
Mine came with Anderson plugs front and rear w/receivers and a Ramsey in a cradle. It was “bubba’d” for sure, but it works. And it’s convenient. Then to “store” the cradle/winch they put a receiver, vertically, in the front crossmember. One day I will make it right. You may be able to make out the storage receiver in a couple pics in my thread.
 
xplorutah said:
Mine came with Anderson plugs front and rear w/receivers and a Ramsey in a cradle. It was “bubba’d” for sure, but it works. And it’s convenient. Then to “store” the cradle/winch they put a receiver, vertically, in the front crossmember. One day I will make it right. You may be able to make out the storage receiver in a couple pics in my thread.
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Timken used to make front hitches or bumpers with a vertical receiver to do the same thing. Can't remember which model it was for.
 
GreatCJ8 said:
Interesting thread. Does anyone have relevant cj8 experience with a removable winch? I have class 2 hitches fr & back.
My 8 already starts to get too hot if I sit and idle too long. Plus it's on nice day daily driver status..
Click to expand...
I don't like the idea of the cradles in a receiver hitch because you're not pulling cleanly with a winch much of the time, meaning you're not doing straight pulls in line with the vehicle like when towing.

I've had some decently hard side pulls where you would be putting those receivers into a torque/bending loading that they're frankly, not made for IMO. You're also giving the winch a lever arm with the distance from the mounting points back into the receiver that they never have with a bumper mount.

Personally, I'd never run one like that.
 
I'll probably not get a winch then. Besides, I'll have fun but it's gotta drive home too so I tend to wheel accordingly
 
I had the same Warn winch on mine for years and put it to the test numerous times on the trail. It did great and never let me down. It's now on my son's YJ as I purchased an 8274 I've always wanted for the Scrambler.
 
I've always had 8274s until my 8. I have an M8000 on that. We still have an 8274 on the 72 FJ40 which was bought in 1989 (the winch. The 40 was purchased new by my folks). It's been used so many times I can't tell you the number and other than new cable and an oil change it's never let us down.
My 83 FJ40 had an 8274 I got new as a graduation present from college from my step dad in 1993. I used it roughly 100 times over the following 12 years. I sold it with my 83 in 2006 and when I lost track of her in 2015 after she was sold at Barrett Jackson she still had that very winch on her.
My 84 FJ40 LX has an 8274-50 I bought new in 2002. It's been totally problem- free.
My 8 came with an 8274 but I really don't care for how they look on the Jeeps. On the 40 they sit between the frame rails, far below the radiator. On the Jeeps they sit above the bumper. Aside from the twisting moment that places on the top of the bumper, I just don't like how much radiator it blocks nor how much of the grille it obscures. I vastly prefer how the lie-flats look on Jeeps for that reason. The M8000 isn't nearly as torque-ie either so I don't feel like it's putting nearly the twisting motion on the top of the bumper. It too has never given me any issues.
 
Chamba said:
I've always had 8274s until my 8. I have an M8000 on that. We still have an 8274 on the 72 FJ40 which was bought in 1989 (the winch. The 40 was purchased new by my folks). It's been used so many times I can't tell you the number and other than new cable and an oil change it's never let us down.
My 83 FJ40 had an 8274 I got new as a graduation present from college from my step dad in 1993. I used it roughly 100 times over the following 12 years. I sold it with my 83 in 2006 and when I lost track of her in 2015 after she was sold at Barrett Jackson she still had that very winch on her.
My 84 FJ40 LX has an 8274-50 I bought new in 2002. It's been totally problem- free.
My 8 came with an 8274 but I really don't care for how they look on the Jeeps. On the 40 they sit between the frame rails, far below the radiator. On the Jeeps they sit above the bumper. Aside from the twisting moment that places on the top of the bumper, I just don't like how much radiator it blocks nor how much of the grille it obscures. I vastly prefer how the lie-flats look on Jeeps for that reason. The M8000 isn't nearly as torque-ie either so I don't feel like it's putting nearly the twisting motion on the top of the bumper. It too has never given me any issues.
Click to expand...
I would love to get my hands on an 8274 I had one on a cj5 in the 80s loved it now they are crazy money up here in Alaska
 
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