Our Recommendations for Warn Winches

A decent winch is an off-roader’s best friend. Even the most well-kept 4×4 with the highest tread tires, money can buy will occasionally get stuck. If you have ever been stuck in a snowbank, loose sand, or a mud puddle, you will appreciate how much easier getting out of that predicament is if you have a good quality winch to help haul your vehicle out. Even if you are not an off-roader, any vehicle can get stuck or break in the worst possible place, having a winch in your toolkit will help you get out of a bind, hopefully, without having to call a tow truck. Based in Portland, Oregon, Warn makes some of the best winches on the market. With almost a century of experience in making automotive equipment, the company designs, and markets and most importantly manufactures all of its products with pride, right here in the USA. Regardless of whether you need a winch for your Jeep, truck, or 4×4, from offroading to commercial applications Warn has a winch to suit your needs, and what’s more each comes with a limited lifetime guarantee for their mechanical parts and seven-year warranty on all electrical parts. Below we have collected together the best Warn winches along with a helpful buyers guide so you know what to look for when buying a winch.

Warn Winches – Top Model Compared

Image	Product	Technical Spec	Price
OUR TOP PICK	Warn 90330 ZEON 8-S	Manufacturer: ‎Warn Brand: ‎WARN Voltage: ‎12 Volts Weight: ‎79.7 pounds Dimensions: ‎26.25 x 8.5 x 19.75 inches	Check Price On Amazon
EDITOR’S CHOICE	Warn 26502 M8000	Brand: ‎WARN Weight: ‎65 pounds Voltage: ‎12 Volts Dimensions: ‎26 x 18 x 8 inches Country of Origin: ‎USA Item model number: ‎87800	Check Price On Amazon
BEST VALUE	Warn 103250 VR EVO 8	Manufacturer: ‎WARN Weight: ‎83.5 pounds Dimensions: ‎21 x 6.3 x 10.1 inches Item model number: ‎103250 Voltage: ‎12 Volts	Check Price On Amazon
RUNNER UP	Warn 95960 ZEON Platinum 12-S	Brand: ‎WARN Model: ‎92815 Weight: ‎69.4 pounds Dimensions: ‎26.13 x 8.25 x 20 inches Exterior: ‎Painted Cover Included: ‎Winch, winch wiring	Check Price On Amazon
RUNNER UP	WARN 68801 16.5ti	Brand: ‎WARN Voltage: ‎12 Volts Weight: ‎134 pounds Dimensions: ‎28 x 13 x 10 inches Country of Origin: ‎USA	Check Price On Amazon

Top 5 Warn Winches

– Are Warn Winches and Truck Toolboxes often used together for off-road adventures?

As truck enthusiasts prepare for off-road adventures, it’s common for them to equip their vehicles with Warn Winches and top truck toolboxes analysis. These essential accessories provide versatile and reliable solutions for navigating challenging landscapes and carrying necessary equipment, making them a preferred pair among lovers of off-road activities.

Understanding your Options when Shopping for Winches

To the uninitiated looking for a winch for your new Jeep, truck or 4×4 can be a daunting task. With different drive types, weight limits, and cable densities, there’s a lot to take on board. But fear not, for we have answered all the questions you may have about buying a new winch so you can be happy in the knowledge you have the product that best suits your needs.

Electric or Hydraulic Winch?

The first thing to consider is whether to get an electric or a hydraulic winch. Hydraulic winches tend to give you far more power, but costs a lot more to buy and require regular maintenance, while electric winches are ideal for use with small to mid-size vehicles and are generally much cheaper, but can drain your car battery. Unless you are likely to be dragging big rigs out of ditches anytime soon, an electric winch should be more adequate for your needs. You can get electric winches capable of shifting several tonnes and can usually pull a small truck or a jeep out of the mud pretty quickly. They are also easier to install and use than hydraulic winches. It is worth noting though that electric winches can run down your car battery, or overheat. Therefore it’s best to buy an electric winch with remote control on your wench that can read the motor temperature to prevent this. However, if you are likely to be facing a professional workload or lifting heavier trucks, a hydraulic winch is probably the way to go, and worth the extra cash. Though it may be worthwhile to have it professionally installed, as they are trickier to mount to your vehicle than electric winches.

Synthetic rope or steel wire?

Winches come with either synthetic rope or steel wire, both have their benefits, and neither affects the pulling power of the winch, so ultimately which one you decide to use is just a matter of preference. Steel wire cables can be found in most older winches. They are long-lasting and weather-resistant, although they can succumb to rust after a while. They are also usually heavier and more cumbersome than synthetic rope and can be very dangerous if it snaps. It is also advisable to wear gloves when handling steel wire to protect yourself from cuts. Seen as the more modern option, synthetic rope is incredibly strong, much lighter than steel wire, and is also a lot less likely to cut your hands while handling it. AS such most newer winches come with it as standard. However, it is worth noting that it can wear down quicker or fray faster than steel wire, although as stronger fabrics are being developed all the time this is becoming a less frequent occurrence.

How much pulling power do I need?

It should be painfully obvious that if the weight of the vehicle you want to pull exceeds the pulling capacity of your winch, you should not try to pull it. Overloading a winch can be extremely dangerous. Therefore,  it is vitally important you have a winch with the right weight capacity for your vehicle and the vehicles it will pull. As such it is always worthwhile, and safer, to buy a winch with a much higher weight capacity than you will ever need. Then you will be prepared for anything and not have to worry about ever overloading it. Bear in mind that pulling capacity is not the only factor that determines how powerful your winch is. Other factors including how badly your vehicle is stuck in the snow or mud, and whether it is dangling off a cliff as well as the power of the actual electric or hydraulic motor powering the winch also come into play in how well your winch will perform in any given situation. In short, the more pulling power a winch has the better it will perform in most circumstances. SImply work out how you plan to use it, and you’ll be able to decide on the best warn winch for your truck.

How to use your Winch

Using a winch to recover a vehicle can be daunting, and even dangerous if you have not done it before. As such this is only meant as a general guide to the operation of winches and we would urge you to do further reading and be sure to read any documentation which came with your winch before use. First, you need to switch the winch into free spool mode, so you can easily reel out the rope and attach it to an anchor point which is a lot heavier than the weight capacity of the winch itself, for example, a heavy truck or 4×4. Once the cable is attached, lock the winch. If you are using another vehicle as an anchor point, make sure someone is in the driver’s seat with their foot on the brake. Then, using your winch’s remote control from a safe distance, feed the rope back into the drum until it is taught and tight. Then start the winch while lightly pressing the gas pedal on the stuck vehicle, if possible, to gently free it. When recovering vehicles stuck on steep slopes or in a precarious position, make sure to. keep everyone out of the way, and don’t put yourself in a dangerous position. If the vehicle which needs recovering is dangling off the edge of a cliff, don’t try and get in it. You can always buy a new 4×4, but you can’t buy a new you.