School me on the badlands winch

[Rocsteady]

Searching I'm finding a ton of posts on badlands the place but only some classified sales on Badlands winches. I'm pretty much sold on Rough Country 12,000 lb winch and mount but just saw a Badlands 12,000 lb one for a hundred dollars less with one of the Harbor Freight coupons? Any thoughts on why NOT to get the Badlands? Any good or bad experience with the RC? So many of these winches look like they're the same, just different names and I'd REALLY like to get one made in the US if it's not triple the price.

ETA: I just read that the RC winch weighs just 58 lbs compared to 93 for the Badlands. I think I would pay $100 more to save the weight...

 

[Bulldog82]

Check warranty, there is none on RC or Badlands. Bought any tools from Harbir Freight? Have ANY of them lasted? My opinion is I waste more time and money going to their outlet and buying than the product is ever worth. Check on a winch that will give lifetime on mechanical, and at least 5 years on electrical. Also check on DOA rates in forums. My opinion only

 

[B E N]

You want a winch to work when you need it; if you aren't going to put in a quality winch why bother? You want safe, high quality cable, and you want the install time and money spent on parts to be worth it. The winch itself is the last place to "save a buck".

 

[Christyle]

I've heard good things about the badlands.....for the money. I had a Smittybuilt on my rock crawler and it was just fine, for the money.

 

[abearsfan]

I had a Badland 12K on my jeep, it was the previous design not the current one...I think the current design looks great. I haven't compared the specs to see if anything has changed. What I remember was the work/rest ratio and line speed were relatively low, on less expensive brands these are usually lower. With that said, I never had an issue with the winch, mounted it and spooled the wire as recommended. didn't use it for nearly 2 years at which point it worked without an issue while pulling an abandoned car out of a ravine on some trail in Kentucky. I didn't use the work rest cycle just pulled it out without resting the winch...no issues no motor burning...etc. For the price and my experience, I do not think there is a better value and would definitely buy again.

 

[Droid]

ETA: I just read that the RC winch weighs just 58 lbs compared to 93 for the Badlands. I think I would pay $100 more to save the weight...

Synthetic vs. wire rope?

 

[Rocsteady]

Synthetic vs. wire rope?

No, both wire

 

[SS308]

No, both wire

School me on this, I have the same questions. What's the advantage please?

Thanks.

 

[Rocsteady]

The other that they sell at American trucks is a "Barricade" and when Googled "USA made winches" came across "Ramsey" as well.

 

[Sgt Beavis]

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.