[Bogger]

As the title of this thread asks, How old is your Warn High mount M8274 / M8274-50 ?.

The WARN M8274 is probably the best-known and most recognized winch Warn Industries makes. Introduced in 1974, it replaced the original Belleview winch that was made from 1959-1973.
The M8274 has remained basically unchanged since '74, with only minor tweaks including upgraded electrics throughout the years, and a few cosmetic revisions. In 1998, to celebrate Warn Industries' 50th anniversary, the name was changed to M8274-50, and there were some slight cosmetic changes. In 2008, to celebrate the company's 60th anniversary, a limited-edition M8274-60 was offered, each individually numbered, equipped with synthetic rope, painted black, and shipped in a special wooden crate.

By the way, have you ever wondered what M8274 stood for? The M stands for "model," 8 is for its 8,000 lb. capacity, 2 is for "two-way" (freespool and power-in), and 74 is the year it was introduced.

Warn Industries - The history of the WARN M8274 winch

 

[Bogger]

My M8274-50 was bought new in 2000 making it only 13 years old , its having a mild make over with S G Leslie & Sons Pty Ltd.

New 6hp motor to be stripped and rebuilt, oil fill and drain plugs, breathers, clutch pinned, brake shoe upgrade, I also have a new Gigglepin main shaft to go in, Delta-tec 76mm longer free spool drum, 3 braces to keep it all lined up and the rest of Mal's wealth of knowledge to build which should be the Icing on the cake for what I believe is the best winch ever built.

A big call maybe but the proof is in the pudding talking with Mal and looking around his work shop he was showing me a 1972 model that had been through a bush fire and was rebuild ready to go again.
When I bought my drum from Roadrunner Cam mentioned his was 35 years old and had been used as a comp winch after being rebuilt from scratch. In this day and age were the majority of products aren't built to last its nice to know some are still kicking and only getting better.

 

[Sméagol]

1993 still original except for dyneema rope.

 

[Jamie4800]

Any tips for identifying the year? Seeing are there are virtually unchanged?

Love to know how old my two are

 

[Bogger]

Any tips for identifying the year? Seeing are there are virtually unchanged?

Love to know how old my two are

The first post has a link to the web site where I got this information, but yes given they have been around for so many years and changed many hands if you have bought a second hand job finding out the exact age could be a challenge. Hope this helps :

Identifying early M8274s
Since the M8274 has been around for nearly 40 years, there are quite a few of them out there, many still performing regular recovery duty. We get a fair amount of requests to identify how old a specific M8274 is. Here's a way to identify them up until about the early 1990s.

On the top of the upper housing there will be a code with two letters and a number. For example, we'll use FB6.


The first letter stands for the month the winch was made (A=1, B=2, C=3, etc.). Therefore, with our example, F would equal the sixth month: June


The second letter stands for the working day of the month, not including Saturdays or Sundays. Our example says "B," which would be the second working day of the month.


The ending number represents the year the winch was made during the '70s or '80s. In this example, it's 6, so that'd be '76 or '86. (Remember, M8274 production started in '74 and this coding system stopped in the early 1990s, after that, Warn used serial numbers.) Beginning in about 1980, Warn switched from a metal socket on the control pack to a plastic socket. So, depending on which one your winch has would determine which year your M8274 was manufactured.


So an M8274 with the code FB6 and a metal socket on the control box would've been made in June of 1976 on the second working day of the month.

 

[Bogger]

This is a list of web sites that maybe of assistance with information gathering regarding the Warn High Mount M8274-50:
Warn Industries - The history of the WARN M8274 winch

Warn 8274 Twin Motor.....

Warn 8274 rebuild

GigglePin 4x4 - Home : Home of the Twinmotor winch : Jim Marsden

http://delta-tek.co.uk

Gigglepin Australia -Twin Motor Winch -Air Free Spool Winch - Competition Winch - Warn 8274 Winch Upgrade

Flamin Fabrications - Flamin Fabrications

http://www.patrol4x4.com/forum/auto...mount-mandatory-upgrade-during-install-82570/

Warn Industries - Replacement Parts

S.g. Leslie & Sons, Heidelberg West VIC 3081 - Mechanic - TrueLocal

Maybe think of it as a bit of a reference , feel free to add any other sites that have information or products available for the M8274.

 

[Leethal]

Good on you Bogger for compiling that info, not a five minute job I'm sure.

All the high mount info you could possibly ask for is there. I call for the mods to make it a sticky or include in the bible of info or something as people are always after info on rebuilding the good lord's own winch...

 

[brando4x4]

Some more videos:
Warn 8274 winch rebuild series #1, disassembly of winch - YouTube
Warn 8274 Rebuild video # 2 Re-assembly of winch - YouTube
Warn 8274 winch rebuild series #3, Mounting the 8274 winch - YouTube
Warn winch rebuild video #4, Albright solenoid install - YouTube

and a good thread on here that wasn't included

http://www.patrol4x4.com/forum/diy-...-40/warn-highmount-8274-reconditioning-93201/

 

[Bogger]

Thanks Leethal, the last thread Brando put up was the one I was reading that started the ball rolling for me. One of those things on the to do list but after researching here and other sites bit the bullet and set my winch up to suit what I wanted.

Was considering rebuilding it my self and I did tear in down for a look but I've heard many a good thing about Mal Leslie and just wanted his experience and knowledge gained from building XXX amount of winches for competition use. Glad I did because has improved on a lot more then what I could have, what he has done is built my winch up to something that with a bit of care/maintenance should last me my life time.

http://forum.ih8mud.com/winching-recovery/197470-my-warn-8274-rebuild-part-1-a.html

 

[Bogger]

Picked up my high mount today from Mal Leslie, few dramas setting it up but all sorted now. All the usual modifications very happy with the quality of work performed, and attention to detail. The little things make a difference like chamfering the edges on the drum to eliminate any potential for the rope to catch and get drawn in to the sides of the drum. Bushings in the gears to keep it all alined and stripping the motor and painting the internals to prevent rust etc.



The plan is if the Victorian comp scene gets back on its feet to have a crack at Vic Winch, set up a Gigglepin twin motor gearbox top housing and faster gears. For now I'm happy with my set up and should get years of service out of it to come.

 

[duckmansweb]

Hi guys - whats the difference between these 3 motors ?
#26628 - MRV-B-4
#26626 - MRV-B-4
#25314 - MRV-B-7

all have the same endcap - ive contacted warn "we have no record of these motors" lol

 

[Haggie]

#26626 - MRV-B-4

Mine has the same number #26626 - MRV-B-4. No idea what the difference is? The plan is to replace it with this..

Winch Motor RRO Bullet 6.8 HP Comp Spec Warn 8274-50 high mount 9.5xp upgrade

Winch Motor RRO Bullet 6.8 HP Comp Spec Warn 8274-50 high mount 9.5xp upgrade - Road Runner Offroad

www.roadrunneroffroad.com.au