Bob, I agree wholeheartedly with the need for a dual battery system to support the winch and other accessories!

Richard, here in Colorado and Utah expect to exceed your four wheeling intentions constantly! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" /> In regards to your e-mail, which BTW is very welcomed, I must warn you of a serious concern in our sport. Four wheelers commonly expound on the virtues and capabilities of the products they themselves purchased without a full knowledge and long time experience of their product or similar products in the marketplace.

Truly, I suspect that any winch you select will do well enough. You'll note that both Bob and I only state that our REP8000's have provided adequate service for an extended period of time. We both know (I say this based on Bob's obvious knowledge) that most winches will most likely provide the same good service.

I simply went with the REP8000 because it was an inexpensive alternative to the Warn winches everyone else seemed to use back when I truly was new-to-the-sport (so much to constantly learn, I always feel like a beginner). Honestly, I learned about Ramsey mostly after buying the REP8000. Now, only in hindsight, I caution new-to-the-sport four wheelers to do the due diligence purchasing any aftermrket Jeep gear. And, again, in hindsight, I recommend not only a winch rated for frequent use, but an integrated solenoid for our climate.

I read with interest the supportive statements you referenced; they do appear to fall into the catagory of inexperienced winch users promoting the product they purchased. There are many safety concerns for properly using any winch; one good way to wreck/destroy your Jeep is to winch a much heavier vehicle. Double or triple line winching might be acceptable if the recovery Jeep is properly anchored to retrieve a Jeep deeply stuck in sticky mud. Our winches we commonly use are rated for offroad small vehicle recovery, they're not industrial/commercial duty rated. It always comes down to the Jeep owner making the decision on his own; everyone only means well and hopes his/her suggestions helped the Jeep owner make their decision.

Again, have fun with your Jeep and I hope to meet you down the road. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

Fred, I always seem to be stuck in that typical decision triangle - Quality, Budget, Performance - pick any two! Who knows, next year I may be selling it on eBay to help pay for a different winch. Yes, I will be out and around when the snow clears. I do not belong to any group but did like the trail descriptions given at www.traildamage.com.
Richard

Photo's seem to be difficult for me. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cyclops.gif" alt="" /> Here's a try though.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2245/2258591041_b96a3feafe_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2185/2258591035_0d142c61c6_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2276/2258591037_8bbc47d180_b.jpg

DBL - tnx for the pics - worth a 1000 words - now I see what you did for the D ring.
Regards,
Richard

"What's your point? Warn is a superior winch. all winch manufacturers appear to compare their winches against Warn's. I've never had one, but Warn winches are the most common winch used by the BigDogs here in my area. The 8274 is rated for 8000 lbs."

Fred, I'm a little confused here, please help me out.

First you seem to be steering WB6 away from Warn winches. You did not buy one in favor of another and you say they just do not do well in your area and the label can be misleading. But then you say they are common in your area and you say it is is a superior winch.

Is it because the particular model 8724 is so good? Or maybe because 80CJ is in Hawaii, not Colorado?

<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" /> Some winches are better than others. Any winch will most likely do well for the ocassional four wheeler. The Warn M8000 model is not rated for continuous extended pulls which are common here in the Rockies rather than the exception.
The Warn M8000 I suspect is not manufactured by Warn, but purchased from another manufacturer; it looks like many other winches sold under different labels by companies that do not manufacturer winches. Another reason I do not prefer the M8000 is that it doesn't have an integrated solenoid. Most other Warn winches, winches Warn manufactures, are heavy duty winches and nearly worth their weight in "copper"; real workhorses.
Do your own homework, and make your own decisions. This was all said before in two different threads. There are many winches available in the marketplace these days; when I started four wheeling there were only three well respected offroad small vehicle recovery winches. Ramsey and Pierce were the others. Ramsey has been my personal choice for several reasons. My Ramsey REP8000 winch was purchased simply because of Ramsey's reputation, reasonable price, and of all things, because Ronald Regan had a Ramsey Winch on his Jeep! The winch turned out to be a great winch. I was lucky. The winch was abused by extended pulls, no maintenance and exposure to weather. I recently replaced it a few years ago with another Ramsey with all the bells and whistles (features) I've learned are important. The REP8000 winch is still with me, and I will most likely put it back on one of my Jeeps this summer.

For the careful reader there shouldn't be any confusion. Any winch will probably do well for you. If you almost always four wheel on difficult trails where the only thing keeping you and your Jeep from rolling off a narrow shelf road or a monolithic rock is the winch and its wire rope, you don't want your life dependant on a cheap subsitute for a superior winch like Warn and Ramsey. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

OK, let me put the fork in this turkey from my end. I really do appreciate all the advice, believe me, I do....but, I did end up getting the M8000 and, in a couple of years, when I have some experience with it, then I will revisit my choice.
For the local CO group, I am hanging out with the Mile Hi Jeep club Post 13 (starting tomorrow) - from what I see we are the mild wheelers and retired crowd...can't afford any body work if you know what I mean.
Great stuff, keep it coming. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" /> Yes, Richard. I knew from your posts much earlier that you were going to buy the M8000. I don't have any problem with your purchase (if that matters at all); I suspect it will meet your needs as you now have described. I was simply trying to address Wrangirl's confusion. Each four wheeler needs to do their own research and makeup their own decisions on mods to their Jeeps ... just as you did. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" /> Imagine what a strange looking Jeep would be built if the builder attempted to follow every posters' opinions and recommendations here on the Jeepwire!
Glad to read that you've hooked up with a Jeep club. Fear of dents and scratches should keep you and the other club members out of harm's way. Of course, no one wants to damage their Jeep, but stuff does happen, now and then. However, you will find that the more common response on the trail to that sentiment is something to the effect: "if your worried about scratches and dents, don't go fourwheeling!" <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" /> Have fun with your New Jeep! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

Thanks for clearing up my confusion, Fred. A winch is next on my list but I have to budget for it, may be a while. I am reading up on winches and I did look at the other threads, but jeep tech is not my native language so it just takes me a little longer.

I hope you have a great time with the club, Richard.