Baystate Jeepers

so my plan is to finally get a winch in 2011. while i know santa won't get me one, i'm sure he can afford some of the accessories. seems to me like the most important items are a snatch block, tree saver and some d rings. any recommend brands? anything to stay away from? any other items to consider?

Big halabaloo about the Smitty Built xp8000 for only 299.00 . Couple months ago they tortured a bunch of winches in one off the mags. It fared very well ! Im sellin my Ramsey (never had an issue with it) to get one. My 2$ ,worth . Nothing cost a cent anymore !! FjR68

My 2 cents, get two snatch blocks and 2 or 3 tree savers. I have a snatch block and a tree saver but no winch, I have used mine a ton helpping others out. Once I get a winch I will be picking up another snatch block and more tree savers.

Also look for the larger D-rings, they are really nice when hooking up the snatch blocks. The extra room to get both ends of the strap and block is really nice.

In-cab remote control wiring kits are pretty nice.... A few companies make/sell them.

I rolled my own -- bought my own switches and figured out how to wire them to the solenoids -- and I haven't had to break out my remote since then... It is easier to connect a hard-wired remote if you have an external solenoid pack winch...

You already have a million wires you added under the hood... A few more won't hurt!

JW

i actually am planning on going with a 12voltguy.com panel. i have a number of his panels in my rig and they are great! first things first, i need a winch and bumper i agree with the external solenoid pack, i may even stick the solenoid under the hood.

good point about the larger d rings. any recommended brands? hard to tell the size from online pics...

Baseshakers wrote:good point about the larger d rings. any recommended brands? hard to tell the size from online pics...

I don't think the brand matters... 3/4" shackles w/ a 7/8" pin are what I typically see in the kits and for sale. You can go up to 1", but they get heavy really fast.

JW

I get the 3/4 and 7/8 shackles from the local farm supply for about $12-14 /ea. It's call Klem's on Rt9 Spencer and isn't far from the private trail that's near me.

Baseshakers wrote:so my plan is to finally get a winch in 2011....

It's about time!

Stick with the best and buy a Warn.

With that said, I have a Superwinch EPi 6.0 I'll sell you cheap, has remote, two extra remote recepticals (wire one in the cab), an extra motor and solenoid pack. Needs a cable (or rope).

wow doug, that is tempting! pm with a price

i was waiting for someone like kurt to make a comment!

My Warn has put up with 6+ years of torture.
Has work flawlessly & never let me down.

I agree with others. A couple of tree savers, several large D-rings and at least one snatch block are in order.

ZAEDOCK wrote:I get the 3/4 and 7/8 shackles from the local farm supply for about $12-14 /ea. It's call Klem's on Rt9 Spencer and isn't far from the private trail that's near me.

I love Klem's! My brother lives in Sturbridge and I go there whenever we are down that way. That said, I got mine at Mckittrick's Hardware in Lowell.

Ryan: Dont forget the cable weight . I got mine from Poly Perf and it locks onto the cable at any spot. Most people have sand bags . Something is better than nothing. I get my D-ring at Tractor supply. Guys , which month was that winch test ? FjR68

Frank, I think it was July 2009.
Here's a link to their on-line version of the article ---->http://www.jpmagazine.com/techarticles/ ... index.html

If you don't want to buy a fancy weight bag you can make a winch weight from the pant leg of a old pair of jeans and some sand. Just sew the cuff end shut. partially fill with sand, sew across the middle of the pant leg, and fill the balance of the sand and then sew the end shut. You can make two of them from an old pair of jeans. Works great!

Frank wrote:Big halabaloo about the Smitty Built xp8000 for only 299.00 . Couple months ago they tortured a bunch of winches in one off the mags. It fared very well ! Im sellin my Ramsey (never had an issue with it) to get one. My 2$ ,worth . Nothing cost a cent anymore !! FjR68

The Smittybilt's a re-badged T-Max, not a bad winch.