Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives Talk to me about winches

I may put a winch on my dad’s single cab Tacoma 4wd.
I may be able to get by with a 6k lb but I may as well go with an 8k just to be safe.
Any preferred brands over others or anything to absolutely stay away from?
I’d like to buy USA made if possible.
Thanks

good luck with the USA build.......

Smittybilt are popular and budget priced.........

Warn.......? Made in China also. ?????

Steel rope vs synthetic rope ? Steel rope models are 35+ lbs heavier...but less $$

I added a Smitty 9500# steel rope to my Taco SB DC......$270 6 months ago

Not a high use item......but better than he one I didn't have.....used ARB bumper also

ARB is winch ready.......Your mount ? Most have a 10' remote too......

I think it is only the cheap line of Warn that is made in China. I've always gone with the lower end of the American models, being the XD or M series winches. I got an M8 last year on Amazon for less than $600 delivered. An 8,000 to 9,000lb unit has always been enough for the Tacomas I've had.

Thanks.
I don’t want a lot of weight up front. I’m not beefing up the suspension and I’m not replacing the front bumper.
Is there a good economically priced winch mount out there or should I talk to a local fab shop? In other words what are you guys using if not an ARB bumper?
Thanks

The basic Trans4mer setups from Warn are generally the cheapest, but they aren't really much for what you pay. A few hundred bucks more gets you an ARB. I've had two of each kind of setup on Tacomas and prefer the ARB. Can't hurt to ask a fab shop though.

If it happens to be a later model Tacoma (Gen 2+), there are some hidden winch options that mount in the bumper, should you want to Google Search.

yes weight..........

bumper 135#

winch 80#

Front IFS skid 50#

new front coils ? yes OME 886's

Bilstein 5100 shocks @ -0- setting

ask fab shop........or use 2" receiver with portable set up....

front or rear.......fab shop will get it for ya

Thanks guys

I have a superwinch on my Jeep and never an issue, had a warn on my power wagon and it had issues...leaky seals on it. Friends have had warns on their jeeps and they seem to be fixing them often.

ENGO on my Tacoma. Was going Warn, but was talked out of it by the guys at Iron Pig off-road that installed my OME suspension and ARB bumper. So far no complaints. Synthetic rope on mine. I've used it maybe 10 times in the 8 years I've had it. Pulled a few trees I was cutting, a few work trucks out of muddy job sites and pulled myself out of a few bad spots.

Put a front receiver on it. Then mount the winch on a receiver frame and wire a connection from the battery to the hitch area. Also run wires and a connector to the rear if you have a receiver hitch there. My 1/2 ton was wired up on both ends and it was very useful at times.

If you do use a receiver mount on your vehicle and you are going somewhere where you might need a winch put it on before you get stuck. It is really hard to put a receiver winch mount in the receiver in two feet of mud and ice.

I had a Superwinch that would go into a front and back receiver, but it was light duty compared to the permanent mount units. Maybe if it had the newer synthetic rope it would have been lighter than it was with the cable. I only used it a few times and it worked okay, not great, but when you need a winch you really need a winch and okay was way better than nothing. I used the front receiver more for a ball hitch and positioning the trailer or boat launching a boat at night with the help of the truck's headlights.

Pulling backwards with a winch cable under the truck reads like a bad idea to me. Where is that cable going to go other than to saw into your skid plate, oil pan, suspension parts or axles? If I did something dumb like sink the truck in the mud, logic tells me that I might not want to keep going in that direction. I bought one of those Simpson capstan rope winches that has it's own little gasoline engine and only weighs 16 pounds plus the rope. It is rated at 2,000 pounds of pull. That or I carry a chain hoist that would put a heck of a pull on a snatch um strap and that whole works fits in a tote behind the seat. I've found that if I engage my brain before I need the 4wd or the winch, I'm in a better place.

I have an 8K on my toyota trail rig. Don't think its overkill and I am rather impressed with it. Mine is a Warn VR8000 which I think is their cheapest level. I'd prefer a higher end winch, but I have been happy with this thing for as much as I use it. I wired a switch into the cab this year and broke a solenoid stud in the process, but that's all that has ever gone wrong with the winch and was sort of my fault. Highly recommend that upgrade though.

Steel cable for me, but depends on your use. If it were something I was driving on the road and only using off-road occasionally, I'd go synthetic for the weight savings. If it weren't bolted to the truck, I'd tend to leave it behind, so receiver mount doesn't do much for me either. I get the theory though.