November 4, 2022 Sheryl Rota

What Are the Best Winches and Why Do You Need One?

Here are the top winches available right now, along with each one's benefits and drawbacks.

Whether it's for off-roading or just having one on hand to pull heavy goods, there are many different situations when you might need to buy a winch. But because there are so many alternatives, it might be difficult to select the ideal winches for you. You should choose an off-road winch that delivers the capacity you require in addition to figuring out which models fit your vehicle without requiring major changes. Its pull rating, expressed in pounds, typically serves as the determining factor. You must also decide whatever kind of cable or rope you desire. Wire and synthetic are the two common options, and we'll go through their distinctions below.

If you'll be working with a lot of water, that is something else to keep in mind while choosing the best winch. If so, you'll need a winch with water sealing so you can use it to cross water without worrying about it becoming damaged. We'll examine the top winches available right now, as well as their advantages and disadvantages.

Tips When Buying and Using a Winch

Although we've covered the key characteristics and requirements to look for in a winch, there are a few other factors to consider when choosing and using the best winches for off-road driving. The majority of winches, to start, are powered by the battery in your car, which means they require a particular level of power to function properly. Make sure your car's battery isn't weak or old and that it can support the load a winch requires. Even though it's not as crucial, you still need to make sure that your alternator can at least keep up with charging your battery as it gets discharged from winch use.

Generally speaking, winches fit the idea of "bigger is better." Avoid finding yourself in a circumstance where you wish you had a bigger or more powerful winch. In addition to having more power, larger winches require less cooling time after operation and are less likely to overheat and stall.

Choose the winch product based on what you expect requiring it for. Although not everyone requires the most pulling power, you never know when it might be useful.

WARN Zeon Platinum Winches

The innovative WARN Zeon Platinum series is the industry's flagship and WARN is perhaps the most well-known brand in the off-road winch industry. WARN promises that it is twice as robust as anything else it produces and calls it the most technologically advanced winch in the sector.

The WARN Zeon Platinum comes in four different versions: 10K, 10K-S, 12K, and 12K-S. While the "S" variants include 80 feet of wire rope, the normal versions have 100 feet of Spydura synthetic rope. And as you would have predicted, the 10K versions have a pull rating of 10,000 pounds, while the 12K models have a pull rating of 12,000 pounds.

The WARN Zeon Platinum winch family's new high-speed motor, which has stronger gearing and can produce a 20% quicker line speed, is at its core.

WARN's sophisticated wireless remote is another crucial component. This remote offer info on battery charge and winch motor temperature in addition to allowing users to control the winch and up to two accessories.

The WARN Zeon Platinum is made with an aluminum construction that has a flat black powder-coated finish and stainless-steel fasteners for superior corrosion resistance. It is intended to last a long time. The corrosion resistance of this setup, according to WARN, is greater than 400 hours of salt-spray testing.

WARN offers a limited lifetime warranty on mechanical components and a seven-year warranty on electrical components to support the Zeon Platinum winch series.

Pros - Excellent power and performance supported by an amazing warranty
Cons - Requires a micro-USB cord to be kept nearby in order to recharge the remote

Sherpa4x4 'The Steed' - 17000Lb Winch

Sherpa 4x4 winches have been designed and built with many years' experiences in the winching and lifting business. These winches have been through many stages of testing and improvements to deliver a product Sherpa 4x4 is proud to offer to our customers. They have been witnessed to perform under water in the muddiest rain forests on the planet recovering ladened trucks to safety. Sealed to water and mud ingress they perform reliably in the toughest outback conditions. Sherpa 4x4 winches have been designed and built with many years' experiences in the winching and lifting business. These winches have been through many stages of testing and improvements to deliver a product Sherpa 4x4 is proud to offer to our customers. They have been witnessed to perform under water in the muddiest rain forests on the planet recovering ladened trucks to safety. Sealed to water and mud ingress they perform reliably in the toughest outback conditions.

Braking Design - Beware of cheap imitations! Many winches on the market use a ‘Brake in drum’ design which causes heat to build up in the winch damaging synthetic rope. ‘Brake in Drum’ winches are not designed for synthetic rope, this will become obvious at the most inconvenient time. Sherpa 4x4 winches are compatible with all types of synthetic rope as the brake is designed into the gearbox. This innovative design results in a trouble and heat free winch and braking combination.

Sherpa 4x4 winches are supplied with the parts and materials making installation easy for the home mechanic. Made to fit the common winch bars (ARB, TJM, Toyota & Nissan factory bars to name a few) in Australia you'll be amazed how quickly it can be integrated into your set-up. The bolting pattern is the standard pattern used by almost all winches including Warn and Ironman. If unsure what winch will ft your bull bar, please see our winch dimensions & diagrams on our website or contact a sales representative.

Best Portable Winch: Warn Drill Powered Portable Winch

WARN Handheld Portable Drill Winch

When it comes to the WARN product range, you can't go wrong if you're looking for a portable winch. Even while the WARN Handheld Portable Drill Winch isn't powerful enough to pull your vehicle or Jeep out of a deep mud hole, it can be useful when you need to do some heavy lifting. Particularly useful for lifting motors and other such objects. The portable drill winch uses a swivel anchor hook on the opposite end of the device and has a 40′ long steel cable and industrial hook. The benefit of this is that it can be powered by your portable drill, eliminating the need for additional battery packs for the winch.

For owners searching for a portable, light-duty item, this winch is perfect.

Pros - Price and Portability
Cons - Limited capacity to lift

Steel Cable/Wire vs. Synthetic Rope

You may have the option of steel cable or wire or synthetic rope with some winches. The steel cable or wire choice is typically less expensive because it runs the risk of rusting, overtightening, or even breaking. And you know what a misery that can be if you've ever had slivers in your hand from an old wire cable.

Even though synthetic rope is more expensive, some winch owners prefer it despite the fact that steel/wire cables are strong and dependable. The synthetic rope is equally as strong and dependable, but only when properly maintained, necessitating more upkeep than a steel cable or wire. The material is sensitive to heat and can be damaged by abrasion. The good news is that cleaning a synthetic rope usually only requires a bucket of water, a quick rinse, and a wipe down after use.

What Size Winch Is Best For A Jeep?

A couple of important things must be taken into consideration when determining the right size winch for your Jeep. What you intend to use your Jeep (and the winch) for comes first on this list. You should generally look towards the higher limits of winch pull ratings if you prefer to push the boundaries of man and machine and think you might require assistance getting out of some truly difficult situations. But you can get away with a smaller winch if you need it to help you tow your fishing boat onto your trailer or for other lighter-duty applications.

How much you can afford is another important factor. In our opinion, a winch is one of those items for which you should buy the best you can. This is not the place to save money since if you are stuck far from help, a winch can be your only hope. If you have too much power available from your winch, you won't regret it, but if you don't have enough when you need it, you might regret your choices.

In the end, if you ever want to go on some major off-road exploration or solo adventures, we'd recommend something with a pull rating of 10,000 pounds and higher.

However, none of the above winches can be utilized to retrieve a vehicle. What function do they fulfill?

A portable winch, such as the WARN Portable Handheld Drill Winch, can be used to hoist your game for cleaning if you hunt. Furthermore, if your shop or garage is built up properly, you can utilize some of these to raise items like engines, bumpers, hard tops, and the list goes on.