n
35

My 3 year old winch finally gave out pulling a guy from a ditch near Flagstaff

Last week, I was on a trail run near Flagstaff when we came across a guy buried to his axles in a mud hole. I hooked up my trusty winch, the same one that pulled my own rig out of trouble a dozen times. Three years ago, I bought it new for $600 and it never let me down. This time, the motor just smoked and died halfway through the pull. We got him out with a second strap, but it left me stranded until a buddy could winch me. Has anyone else had a winch fail right when you needed it most, and what did you replace it with?
3 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In
3 Comments
betty_white39
Think about whether your winch mount or wiring was the real problem not just the winch itself. A lot of people forget that those cheaper winches draw huge amps and if your battery cables or solenoid are old and corroded, the motor can overheat and fail under a heavy load. I had a buddy who smoked two winches before he realized his ground wire was half rusted through near the frame. Might be worth checking your whole setup before dropping cash on a new one, because the replacement could just die the same way if the electrical system is weak.
9
jordan330
jordan3301mo ago
Trusty winch" my ass, classic.
7
aaron708
aaron7081mo agoTop Commenter
That winch actually is pretty solid though...
0