Just after opinions on cheap winches (e-bay, Aldi, Repco etc.) from people that ACTUALLY OWN them, not just opinions from guys that think that they are no good, or a friend of a friend that has one. Would be interesting to hear responses.
Cheap winches
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Cheap winches can be great, they don't wear as well but if your only using them in the odd occasion they can be very good for the price. I have a Aldi, Tigerz11 and a Warn and can tell you they each have their flaws, all round I probably would prefer to go the Aldi for occasional use not being submerged to often, the Tigerz11 for occasional use being submerged often and the Warn for heavy use being serviced appropriately. Remember all winches need servicing. How often do you go off roads and where do you drive?
They are great extra weight hanging over the front wheels! If your far from hardcore and meet the odd bit of horizontal mud they are good, especially with a snatch block. But other than that, you need to seriously think about investing more. Or it gets dangerous.
Cheers.
Cheers.
Usually drive down the Otways, and l would be lucky to use it more than 2 or 3 times a year, and even then it would most likely be stuck in a rut on flat ground. Servicing is something that would be done on a regular basis. Just something too think about. E-bay has some very cheap winches, and l know that you get what you pay for. My thinking is that a cheap winch is better than none at all. Thanks for the info so far, keep it up.
Hi, I bought a cheap chinese 10,000lb, remote winch from ebay about 3 years ago, it cost me $400 delivered, fitted it up and so far have not had any problems, dont use it that offten, only trouble that I have had was not with the winch but with the so called TJM winch bar, doing a recovery and front of bar started to bend and rip front section. So if you are only a person that likes to go for a play now and then a cheap winch should do the trick, as others have said do regular maintenance and services and use a snatch block, it should do eveything you need. Hope this is a help.
Thanks Blue, yes it is a help. A snatch block would get used with a cheap winch, just for a bit of added insurance. Bad what happened to your TJM bar, thankfully mines a ARB.
Hi,
I am not sure why my TJM bar decided to start to break apart, it is a proper winch bar, but sh*t happens, the front were the winch bolts to is all bent, to such a point that I can no longer disenguage the free spool, also the bottom of front plate section has started to rip from the sides were it mounts. We did do a resonable recovery, but not that hard so just one of those things that happen. Got 2" bodylift kit to put in soon so once that is done I am going to change bullbar anyway.
I scored a GU original Nissan winch bar for nothing, It is all really well reinforced for a winch. So the plan is to modify it to fit my GQ wagon, also make it into a comp style bar, also scored a warn 12,000lb high mount, so the cheap winch will either end up on other half's pathfinder, on a mates shorty MQ or as the solinoids are stuffed on warn, I might try and fit the solinoids from cheap winch onto warn, that way the warn will be remote controled as well as cord controled, then I will gut new plasma rope for warn also. But if worse comes to worse and cant fit warn winch up will keep and mount chinese winch upto new bar.
I am not sure why my TJM bar decided to start to break apart, it is a proper winch bar, but sh*t happens, the front were the winch bolts to is all bent, to such a point that I can no longer disenguage the free spool, also the bottom of front plate section has started to rip from the sides were it mounts. We did do a resonable recovery, but not that hard so just one of those things that happen. Got 2" bodylift kit to put in soon so once that is done I am going to change bullbar anyway.
I scored a GU original Nissan winch bar for nothing, It is all really well reinforced for a winch. So the plan is to modify it to fit my GQ wagon, also make it into a comp style bar, also scored a warn 12,000lb high mount, so the cheap winch will either end up on other half's pathfinder, on a mates shorty MQ or as the solinoids are stuffed on warn, I might try and fit the solinoids from cheap winch onto warn, that way the warn will be remote controled as well as cord controled, then I will gut new plasma rope for warn also. But if worse comes to worse and cant fit warn winch up will keep and mount chinese winch upto new bar.
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8,299 Posts
well my cheap crap chinese / ebay winch has lasted me 6 odd years so far and has never missed a beat, although the end of the cable that attatches to the drum has been pulled out a couple of times but that might be due to the fairlead that i made , it gets submerged in water often , the control box is under the winch and also gets submerged in water often , i cant complain at all really, it just keeps going, the chrome cross bars did start to rust but i just took them off and sanded, primed and painted them so they looked pretty
so far i have had good value for money and i cannot complain at all
so far i have had good value for money and i cannot complain at all
i bought $350 chinese ebay winch about a year ago and it works pretty good. doesn't get used that much. once i spend almost an hour winching two cars through the bogholes on daniels point road and nothing happened to it. however you should not really rely on it as your only means of recovery. just consider it as better option to no winch.
by the way, i reckon this topic pops up every month, and probably never ends.
by the way, i reckon this topic pops up every month, and probably never ends.
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9,501 Posts
Water kills most winches regardless of if they are cheap or several thousands.
For cheaper/mid (really mid price now compared to ebay) have a serious look at winches with rubber seals on the drum flange to gearbox / motor. Tigrz11 and the Mako Avenger 9.5 both have as good a sealing set up a any of the top range Warn.
For cheaper/mid (really mid price now compared to ebay) have a serious look at winches with rubber seals on the drum flange to gearbox / motor. Tigrz11 and the Mako Avenger 9.5 both have as good a sealing set up a any of the top range Warn.
I checked out the new Tigerz models while I was in Melbourne. They have a new style solenoid pack and wireless/remote switch. Look a lot more water resistant than the previous ones. Brought a couple back to put in my shop. There's a Tigerz 10,000lb twin motor comp winch coming soon too.
X a million.
I have a blokes Warn in my workshop right now for an overhaul. Clutch lever is jammed and wont disengage, thing looks like it's been through mud soup etc.
I've got a 9K Warn myself which I overhauled and sealed a few years ago but it doesn't quite have the grunt of the Tigerz 12K, which I'll swap with in the near future.
Dont count out condensation either. A warm/hot winch in cold water can sometimes create condensation inside it.
$330.00 to my door via china/ via west melb/ member "oz-plaza, via ebay." ($279+ 47 postage)
12000 lbs/ 5.443 tonnes , wireless, 30m- 10mm cable.
If it saves me once, or helps pull out stumps in me backyard, its paid itself off 10 times.
12000 lbs/ 5.443 tonnes , wireless, 30m- 10mm cable.
If it saves me once, or helps pull out stumps in me backyard, its paid itself off 10 times.
Thanks. Read the article last week. Pity it didn't have "cheap" winches from e-bay etc.
I own a little Supercheap winch. Gets used about once a month.
Always used with a snatch block they go well, but don't do a single pull. I found the bols to be of bad quality in their load rating and finish, so they have been replaced. However, it's a good little winch that hasn't let me down for a while now.
Cheers,
****
Always used with a snatch block they go well, but don't do a single pull. I found the bols to be of bad quality in their load rating and finish, so they have been replaced. However, it's a good little winch that hasn't let me down for a while now.
Cheers,
****
My "cheap" chinese winch has been on the Patrol for 6 years and it's still going strong.
Sure it makes wierd noises and is slow but it works every time I need it. Atleast 10 times a year. It depends on how many stuck Cruisers I come across.
I changed the solinoid pack for a Tigerz one a few years ago after the second one snapped off my bullbar from driving on corrogations. The winch itself has never been serviced. I am however planning on giving it a service before my cape trip later this year.
Sure it makes wierd noises and is slow but it works every time I need it. Atleast 10 times a year. It depends on how many stuck Cruisers I come across.
I changed the solinoid pack for a Tigerz one a few years ago after the second one snapped off my bullbar from driving on corrogations. The winch itself has never been serviced. I am however planning on giving it a service before my cape trip later this year.
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