I've started my preliminary winch shopping. Won't be buying till Feb/March, as a treat for paying off one of my biggest student loans, but want to get an early start. So:

• what do you have? (specific model number too if you know it)
• how does it fit? (and I guess I should ask how heavy it is?)
• how does it operate under heavy usage (ie increase ps fluid usage, run battery down, etc.)
• How durable is it?
• Would you recommend buying brand X?

I'm putting it on a DON bumper, so I can mount integrated or non-integrated, hydraulic, or electric, and I'm not "brand-loyal" at this stage. I just want a good winch, that'll last me a long time. I want at least a 9K#, and I'd prefer weight-savigns, if at all possible. This winch will see water, mud, and extreme temps. I have dual batteries installed, so I'm not super worried about getting stranded cause my battery got run down. I just rebuilt my power steering pump, so it shouldn't be an issue either, although it does still have a small whine when turning the big tires.

So... build your case. School me. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Oh, and just for fun, a short poll for brand loyalists:

What's your favorite winch brand? single choice
	Warn
	Ramsey
	Superwinch
	Milemarker
	T-Max
	an offbrand (just as good as the big names, only cheaper)
Votes accepted starting: 11/12/04 06:00 AM You must vote before you can view the results of this poll.