What You Need to Know about Warn Winches

When you go off-road, you need to take all of the gear and equipment necessary to get out of common predicaments. For any type of recovery operation, a solid winch is a must-have.

Winch types

There are currently three types of Warn winches:

• Electric – Self-recovery Warn winches are more commonly electric. They attach themselves to the vehicle’s battery power and recharge or self-recover on their own.
• Self-Recovery – This type of winch is designed specifically to help move a vehicle when it loses traction.
• Hydraulic – A hydraulic winch utilizes the vehicle’s self-steering pump for its source of energy. By sparing the vehicle from the electric load, these typically last longer and are more dependable than electric.

Selection

There are two main things that you need to look for when selecting a winch.

• Intended Use – It is extremely important to consider what the winch will be used for before purchasing one. Self-recovery winches are best for ATVs, Jeeps and large trucks. Read the manufacturer’s description on capacity and weight load before purchasing a winch since some are suited only for the weight limit of an ATV – not a full-size vehicle.
• Line-Pull Rating – There are a variety of line-pull ratings available, depending on the use of the winch. Those looking for industrial use will want a heavy line-pull rating, while those looking for off-roading and leisure use will only require a lower line-pull rating.

Popular models

If you are shopping for Warn winches for trucks and Jeeps that will be off-roading frequently, you will want a mid-range winch model, such as the Warn M8000. The M8000 can handle up to 8,000 pounds and has a lower gear.

Those looking for extreme power and pulling capacity should consider any Warn model specifically designed for rock crawling. These can handle more than 9,000 pounds and are self-recovery winches for heavy-duty use. A popular example of this model would be the 9.0RC Rock Crawling Winch.

Warn winches are also available exclusively for ATVs. Smaller ATVs can get away with light-duty winches like the Warn RT15, which can pull up to 1,500 pounds. Heavy-duty Warn ATV winches are also available in RT30 and XT30 models and can move up to 3,000 lb.