Which winch?

My wife suggested (and I fully intend to comply) that I buy a winch for our 75 CJ5. The Jeep will be used primarily on paved roads during moderate to heavy snows. It'll be used to unstick my Jeep (God forbid it ever get stuck) and other passenger vehicles that get themselves stuck or placed in ditches. Does anyone have a suggestion regarding the make and model winch you'd buy? I don't want to spend more than $1,000.00 if I can help it. Are there particular features for which I should be looking?

I appreciate your advice.

 

8274-nuff said

 

I picked up a 8274 used for $440. It had a new motor, solenoid, and line. They pop up on c-list and you can rebuild and still buy parts for them.

 

Warn all the way. No matter what model. My 8000i has never let me down and I have abused it on occasion.

 

example:
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/pts/1886868975.html

 

more
http://portland.craigslist.org/clk/pts/1880638181.html

 

With the wife giving the green light for 1000 dollars worth of winch, I'd say the 8274 is the choice, esp with it's fast line speed to get you back on the road and to work on time. 8k lbs is probably more than you'd need for snow recovery situations but a winch is one place where overkill cannot be faulted. And who knows, you may find yourself pulling other stranded motorists from the side of the road and will need the extra pulling power. Get yourself a good HD snatch block when you get the winch too. Effectively doubles pulling power but at the price of cutting line speed in half.

 

I use a Bulldog 8000lb winch and never had a problem....have pulled myself out of trouble several times.

 

Warn winch, for the win. No doubt about it. I try and point everyone in the M8000 direction, my dad uses one on his 4runner, and it's older then I am. Never been gone through, works great. I have an 8274 on my truck, and it spools in fast and pulls hard. Look for a used Warn on CL or your local forums, or 4wd.com for a new M8000, they go on sale sometimes for $500.

 

Although I won't challenge the Warn fans from a performance standpoint, I always liked the way a Ramsey didn't block the view of the unique CJ grill (that we all love).
http://www.earlycj5.com/forums/album.php?albumid=364&pictureid=2614

 

With an up to $1000 budget definitely go Warn, ramsey, or even one of the top of the line milemarkers. (in order of personal preference) I've got an 8274 on mine, but only because I got a screaming good deal on it ($150 with a mount!). From the ease of mounting perspective, a more traditional "foot down" layout is probably the better choice and wont block as much of the grill area. In your case, I'd look for the best combination of 7-8000lb pull and line speed you can find within your budget.

Also, I've heard good things about the solid state (MOSFET) controllers over the more traditional relays.

 

You are a lucky man!

 

I've got the Warn M8000 on mine and it works great. Used several times and never had a problem with it. I replaced the steel cable on mine with the Amsteel Blue winch cable. I find it MUCH easier to maneuver around when drawing the line out and not worrying about kinks, or frayed line causing a problem. Not to mention it hardly ways anything!

So my suggestion, get a Warn M8000 and replace the line with Amsteel Blue winch cable.

 

All good recommendations above. Just remember, you won't be pulling any 4,000 lb vehicles out of snowbanks with a 2,500 lb Jeep unless you can anchor the Jeep somehow. No matter what winch you buy.

 

warn, or ramsey. kinda partial to the ramsey myself, just my personal preferance they both make a good winch