School me on the badlands winch

[Ben Lucas]

At my work we run badlands on two of our scrap car trailers. They get used a lot. Normally about 3yrs and they stop working. They get abused pulling Inoperative vehicles up on the 3 place trailer.

 

[Jonesy_PNW]

If you're on a budget, go with Smittybilt's XRC Gen3. I've got the Gen2 and it's been flawless on my Wrangler. Just make sure you protect the control head. The rubber cover on the switch yellows and falls apart with too much sun so you always want to keep the winch covered when not in use.

When it comes to wire and or synthetic, there are a ton of youtube vids out there going over the differences. Check out Ronny Dahls vids. He knows his stuff. But the short story is that synthetic is safer if it breaks. However it also requires more maintenance. If the line does break, it's fairly easy to fix IF you have the right tools. If steel wire breaks, and you didn't do things the right way, you're going to have a very bad day. My personal preference is synthetic.

It should be mentioned, on Gen2 Raptors that it's hard to reach the clutch on any Winch you install behind the bumper. Only the Zeon with the remote clutch works well down there.

2ND this 100%. The synthetic, albeit more money, is a far safer alternative to the cable winches. Also, if you've ever ran steel cable up a hill let me tell ya it can be a major PITA. Factor55 offers repair kits for the synthetic lines for field repairs as well. If you take care of your syn line it will last you a long time. The Smitty GEN3 is definitely one of the nicest winches out there right now with an outstanding warranty.

If I am not mistaken all options for slapping on a winch, in a bumper, on GEN2 trucks require Intercooler relocation.