Winch put on or not?

[RyanJ]

If you feel you need it on the basis of when, where and how you drive? Then yep you should fit it!

I have a 2door JK and have a 12000lbs winch(33kg) in the front..
The 2 main things i noticed when my front bar and winch were fitted, was yes she was heavier and because of that i had to adjust my brake timing / space in traffic - I don't notice it now, so I've adjusted...

I've used my winch 3 times so far this year and hit a roo, so for me both have paid for themselves.

I agree with the guys above
- Synthetic rope,
- Get it serviced,

Personally i only buy cosmetic stuff off JK warehouse, I'd search SBR offroad, Jeep konnection or DBOR for your winch plate..

Good luck & happy jeepin!

[humdingerslammer]

I have been all over Oz in my JKU Rubi without bullbar and without a winch. The JKU has done it all and only been bogged once on the Anne Beadell Track while pulling a trailer. 4 Maxtraxs and 15 sec later out of trouble without much effort by me. And I have done at least 180000km in rough country, deserts etc.

The winch creates weight and needs maintenance. It adds up in fuel too. Do yourself a favour: if u r not going to do things with your JK that does not include getting bogged in really silly places give it away or better still, sell it and and buy some maxtraxs... even knockoffs which are way cheaper.

That's what I think anyway....

Oh, and another thing.... I wish I owned a 4x4 accessories shop. Like printing gold for nothing. So many people with 4x4 (soft or hard) buy the thing and also decide, convinced by the salesperson no doubt becos he might get a bigger commission, to add all the bangs and whistles that u can buy. But why? Easily adds up to $25K in no time at all. And of course, in a lot of cases all these things that make for glitz and that can help when off road, never do get off road. Have a look in your shopping centre car park.... no dust, mud etc at all!!!!! A lot of polish though.

What falls into this category? Well, I think bullbars F & R (say $5K), really expensive driving lights (say near to $2K); more than 2" lift and all the re-design of steering etc (say $5K), really exxy brand name tyres (say $3K for 6 with perfectly good OE ones sitting around cos no one wants them), perfectly unneeded glitzy wheel rims (say $3K for 6, and u can't get rid off the OE ones for love or money); exxy drawer systems (say $3K); top notch 2nd battery system installed (say $1.5K) and a really exxy 2way radio (say $2K) and Bob's your uncle: the bolt has been shot for about $25K.

From my own experience travelling thru the outback all over pretty much in the JKU Rubi, all I did was add a 2" lift (say shocks, springs about $900), really cheap MT tyres (Indian tyre dealer $1800 for 6 and never had a puncture), cheap 2way radio about $550 that I have used a few times to help others out... don't chat on it at all, built a drawer system (say $400) from scrap plywood etc hanging around in the shed/garage and including pull out runners, I fitted a dual battery system myself (about $650 including deep cycle battery; cheap long range lights ($300) and that I hardly use cos try not to drive at night time, esp when roos etc in plague proportions. A roof rack (about $600) and a roof tray off a Toyota bought from bay for about $100 from memory. Made the tie down brackets myself from scrap metal and hi-tensile bolts lying around in a cupboard in the shed. Plus bought 2 fridges (Waeco & Engel) for about $1200 tops. So all up I reckon I spent say $7K including a few things that I have forgotten. NO EFFING BULLBARS...but I did add a nudge bar (Ebay about $80) for fitting the driving lights and aerials. and NO EFFING WINCH... Maxtrax thingies have seen me thru and only on the ONE occasion. True, I don't do extreme off-roading but why would u...cos can be very exxy when things break in the middle of nowhere.

Now, the money that I didn't spend went towards several trips out bush, a far better use, and I guess that over the years, the missus took a bit as well.

My point to all this is that it is not necessary to have so much crap and certainly not the most expensive brand names. It was (still is) great fun working out how to do things myself, very confidence building and it helps one get to know one's vehicle which could save a life. Funny thing is none of the stuff I have used has failed me despite buying and making budget bits and pieces myself.

Most of us who still work only get 4 weeks annual leave so how far do you think u can go in this time frame? I was lucky enuff to have fairly flexible leave possibilities so I could take off for a couple of months ... now retired, I can go anytime anywhere.

If a new 4x4 is leased and u agree to all these extra bits and pieces the salesman wants u to buy, by the end of the novated lease (say 5yrs) u WILL have paid more than 5 times the costs of the bits and pieces. Think about that... better to buy after u have bought the vehicle. If u dont believe me, do the maths yourself.

Sorry, more than tuppence worth I know. 2 bob's worth, more likely.

[jkjeep1]

thanks, everyone, my apologies I have not checked the forum for a long time. I sold the neighbour's free winch and purchased the sherpa mustang winch. It was a bit expensive for me at $1000 mark. The winch and the winch plate added a total of 22.5kg. I can feel the additional weight when driving the jeep. For me, the 5-year warranty and parts availability from Brisbane was worth paying extra for this winch.

https://www.sherpa4x4.com.au/collect...-offroad-winch

One thing I found is that for a synthetic rope it is recommended to get a winch with brakes in the gearbox. The traditional drum brakes can heat up the drum reducing the strength of the synthetic rope. I am not sure how big a deal this is if you are winching 1-2 times a year. I am just typing what I found.

[bloodzkull]

Originally Posted by humdingerslammer

I have been all over Oz in my JKU Rubi without bullbar and without a winch. The JKU has done it all and only been bogged once on the Anne Beadell Track while pulling a trailer. 4 Maxtraxs and 15 sec later out of trouble without much effort by me. And I have done at least 180000km in rough country, deserts etc.

The winch creates weight and needs maintenance. It adds up in fuel too. Do yourself a favour: if u r not going to do things with your JK that does not include getting bogged in really silly places give it away or better still, sell it and and buy some maxtraxs... even knockoffs which are way cheaper.

That's what I think anyway....

Oh, and another thing.... I wish I owned a 4x4 accessories shop. Like printing gold for nothing. So many people with 4x4 (soft or hard) buy the thing and also decide, convinced by the salesperson no doubt becos he might get a bigger commission, to add all the bangs and whistles that u can buy. But why? Easily adds up to $25K in no time at all. And of course, in a lot of cases all these things that make for glitz and that can help when off road, never do get off road. Have a look in your shopping centre car park.... no dust, mud etc at all!!!!! A lot of polish though.

What falls into this category? Well, I think bullbars F & R (say $5K), really expensive driving lights (say near to $2K); more than 2" lift and all the re-design of steering etc (say $5K), really exxy brand name tyres (say $3K for 6 with perfectly good OE ones sitting around cos no one wants them), perfectly unneeded glitzy wheel rims (say $3K for 6, and u can't get rid off the OE ones for love or money); exxy drawer systems (say $3K); top notch 2nd battery system installed (say $1.5K) and a really exxy 2way radio (say $2K) and Bob's your uncle: the bolt has been shot for about $25K.

From my own experience travelling thru the outback all over pretty much in the JKU Rubi, all I did was add a 2" lift (say shocks, springs about $900), really cheap MT tyres (Indian tyre dealer $1800 for 6 and never had a puncture), cheap 2way radio about $550 that I have used a few times to help others out... don't chat on it at all, built a drawer system (say $400) from scrap plywood etc hanging around in the shed/garage and including pull out runners, I fitted a dual battery system myself (about $650 including deep cycle battery; cheap long range lights ($300) and that I hardly use cos try not to drive at night time, esp when roos etc in plague proportions. A roof rack (about $600) and a roof tray off a Toyota bought from bay for about $100 from memory. Made the tie down brackets myself from scrap metal and hi-tensile bolts lying around in a cupboard in the shed. Plus bought 2 fridges (Waeco & Engel) for about $1200 tops. So all up I reckon I spent say $7K including a few things that I have forgotten. NO EFFING BULLBARS...but I did add a nudge bar (Ebay about $80) for fitting the driving lights and aerials. and NO EFFING WINCH... Maxtrax thingies have seen me thru and only on the ONE occasion. True, I don't do extreme off-roading but why would u...cos can be very exxy when things break in the middle of nowhere.

Now, the money that I didn't spend went towards several trips out bush, a far better use, and I guess that over the years, the missus took a bit as well.

My point to all this is that it is not necessary to have so much crap and certainly not the most expensive brand names. It was (still is) great fun working out how to do things myself, very confidence building and it helps one get to know one's vehicle which could save a life. Funny thing is none of the stuff I have used has failed me despite buying and making budget bits and pieces myself.

Most of us who still work only get 4 weeks annual leave so how far do you think u can go in this time frame? I was lucky enuff to have fairly flexible leave possibilities so I could take off for a couple of months ... now retired, I can go anytime anywhere.

If a new 4x4 is leased and u agree to all these extra bits and pieces the salesman wants u to buy, by the end of the novated lease (say 5yrs) u WILL have paid more than 5 times the costs of the bits and pieces. Think about that... better to buy after u have bought the vehicle. If u dont believe me, do the maths yourself.

Sorry, more than tuppence worth I know. 2 bob's worth, more likely.

each to their own, when i had my TJ with more than 2 inches lift, winch, lockers etc i was using the winch and lockers every other weekend.

i do agree people need to take an honest look at what they do and need to decide their priorities,

[eksjay]

I agree with Humdingerslammer. In a touring setup, I think Maxtrax would get most people out of trouble. A winch is deadweight for anyone who will never drive in conditions that need it.

I carry a recovery kit which is basically a bag with different kinds of recovery straps. This kit relies on another vehicle being able to pull me out of trouble if the maxtrax can't do the job or I need to be towed along somewhere. Having hitches, I can use shackles to pull someone out of their own misfortune. The more remote the travel, the less someone will be inclined to do anything that will invite a recovery. Sometimes, these things are out of our control - a vehicle breakdown or loss of control on slick mud ending up bogged.

With any kind of recovery kit, you can throw it in any car having peace of mind that it is there if you need it.