Synthetic rope conversion

[andy29847]

I bought a Warn VR EVO 10-S last July. I went with the Warn because of it's reputation and because they were offering 2 rebates.` The first rebate was a $100 pre-paid Visa card. That came in last month and I have already spent it. The second rebate was for $100 to spend in the Warn store. I specified that this money would be for the wireless conversion for my winch. That rebate has not yet been processed.

My other Jeep has a Badlands Apex 12,000 (Harbor Freight). I haven't used either winch enough to pass judgement of how strong or how durable they are. I have identified some pluses and minuses.

The Warn 10,000 pound winch has a significantly smaller footprint than the Badlands 12,000 pound winch.

Virtually every nut and bolt on the Warn winch was loose when it was unboxed.

The Badlands winch came with a wireless controller.

I changed the outlet of the cables to the control box from the back to the side on both winches. The Badlands was easier to do because the cover screws were located for easy access. The Warn screws are accessed from underneath and you may need to unspool some rope before you can loosen the screws.

The "engage/disengage" sticker on the Badlands winch peeled off after 8 months.

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[Flip]

I bought a Warn VR EVO 10-S last July. I went with the Warn because of it's reputation and because they were offering 2 rebates.` The first rebate was a $100 pre-paid Visa card. That came in last month and I have already spent it. The second rebate was for $100 to spend in the Warn store. I specified that this money would be for the wireless conversion for my winch. That rebate has not yet been processed.

My other Jeep has a Badlands Apex 12,000 (Harbor Freight). I haven't used either winch enough to pass judgement of how strong or how durable they are. I have identified some pluses and minuses.

The Warn 10,000 pound winch has a significantly smaller footprint than the Badlands 12,000 pound winch.

Virtually every nut and bolt on the Warn winch was loose when it was unboxed.

The Badlands winch came with a wireless controller.

I changed the outlet of the cables to the control box from the back to the side on both winches. The Badlands was easier to do because the cover screws were located for easy access. The Warn screws are accessed from underneath and you may need to unspool some rope before you can loosen the screws.

The "engage/disengage" sticker on the Badlands winch peeled off after 8 months.

Which one are you going to leave on you Jeep?

I'm not having any problems with my Badland winch but for this price I would have gone with a Warn.

 

[andy29847]

Which one are you going to leave on you Jeep?

I'm not having any problems with my Badland winch but for this price I would have gone with a Warn.

I've had the Gladiator for 3 years. I bought the Badlands for the Gladiator back in early 2021. I got a great deal with a Harbor Freight coupon. The only thing I didn't like about it was the size. I had to use spacers (included with the Rockhard Bumper) to get front to back clearance for the winch. I got the Wrangler in OCT 2022. Initially, I wasn't going to use it as a Toad behind my Camper. However, we found that the Wrangler fits with the things we like to do on trip a little better than the Gladiator. When I started looking for a winch, I found the Warn in a deal that was comparable to what I paid for the Badlands. The smaller footprint of the Warn is a big plus. That's a long answer for I am keeping both of them.

FWIW, Matt's Off-Road uses a Badlands winch on their big wrecker. Matt likes it a lot. I wouldn't change for the brand name.

Gladiator on vacation:

Wrangler on vacation:

 

[Dusty Dude]

The drums are same between the EVO10 and EVO10-S. Warn PN#104229

I talked with Warn when we first started that promo, the rep told me that the winches are the same except for the steel cable, the fairlead and the decals.

Thanks for the info. I just bought myself a Christmas present!

 

[Flip]

I've had the Gladiator for 3 years. I bought the Badlands for the Gladiator back in early 2021. I got a great deal with a Harbor Freight coupon. The only thing I didn't like about it was the size. I had to use spacers (included with the Rockhard Bumper) to get front to back clearance for the winch. I got the Wrangler in OCT 2022. Initially, I wasn't going to use it as a Toad behind my Camper. However, we found that the Wrangler fits with the things we like to do on trip a little better than the Gladiator. When I started looking for a winch, I found the Warn in a deal that was comparable to what I paid for the Badlands. The smaller footprint of the Warn is a big plus. That's a long answer for I am keeping both of them.

FWIW, Matt's Off-Road uses a Badlands winch on their big wrecker. Matt likes it a lot. I wouldn't change for the brand name.

Gladiator on vacation:

Wrangler on vacation:

WOW! What a great vacation, are you looking for an older non-smoking stepchild who loves country roads? LOL just kidding.

I love the old general store, the jeep trails looked fantastic, especially the one riding next to the river with vertical walls on the other side. North Clear Creek Falls looks insane!

I'm probably wrong but the first video towards the end was that the entrance to hells gate?

 

[andy29847]

WOW! What a great vacation, are you looking for an older non-smoking stepchild who loves country roads? LOL just kidding.

I love the old general store, the jeep trails looked fantastic, especially the one riding next to the river with vertical walls on the other side. North Clear Creek Falls looks insane!

I'm probably wrong but the first video towards the end was that the entrance to hells gate?

All the step child slots are currently filled.

The Oark General Store is a well known stop among the motorcycle adventure rider set. That area of Arkansas has tons of dirt roads, campgrounds, and ORV trails. Nearby is Byrd's Adventure Center. There is always a lot going on there.

I have not tried Hellsgate. Hellsgate and the section in the film are both in Sand Flats ORV Park almost inside the city limits of Moab. My film clip is from Fins N' Things. Fins N' Things is divided into sections and the one shown in the first film clip is the climb out from the first section.

As a flatlander, the things I see people do in Moab is astounding. I strictly follow the Red Rock Riders difficulty ratings and I find trails with a 4 rating are about all the thrill I can stand. Hellsgate is on the Hell's Revenge Trail and the trail is rated 6.

1 County dirt road maintained for high clearance 2WD and 4WD use in adverse conditions.

2 County dirt road with infrequent or light maintenance after rain or snow, high clearance light duty 4WD required.

3 Trail consisting of loose rocks, dirt, and sand with some slickrock surfaces, mud holes possible, no steps higher than 12". 4WD is required, (33") tires are a plus.

4 Trail consisting of loose rocks, dirt, and sand with some slickrock surfaces. Some erosion, washes, gulches and rock steps no higher than 18”. 4WD and 33" tires required, (35" tires a plus). Enhanced suspension travel and good ground clearance are helpful. Good driving skills a plus.

5 Trail surfaces are rutted, rocky and sandy with steps not exceeding 24”, with considerable slickrock surfaces. Water not exceeding 12” with some mud possible. Good ground clearance and driving skills. 4WD, 33" tires and working traction adding devises (locker, limited slip) are required. (35"tires are a plus). Above average driving skills are desirable. A winch would be a plus. Enhanced suspension travel and good ground clearance are also required.

6 Trails are difficult with considerable erosion damage, loose rocks, dirt, and slickrock. Water in excess of 12” is possible with mud conditions. Steps not exceeding 36”. 4WD, 35" plus tires and two traction adding devices (lockers, limited slips) are required. A winch would be a plus. Enhanced suspension travel and good ground clearance are a required. Excellent driving skills are recommended.

Red Rock 4-Wheelers, Inc. - (rr4w.com)

 

[andy29847]

WOW! What a great vacation, are you looking for an older non-smoking stepchild who loves country roads? LOL just kidding.

I love the old general store, the jeep trails looked fantastic, especially the one riding next to the river with vertical walls on the other side. North Clear Creek Falls looks insane!

I'm probably wrong but the first video towards the end was that the entrance to hells gate?

This downhill on Fins N' Things is a butt clincher. There is a big hole on the passenger side at the start and another hole at the bottom that can get some wheelers to teeter-totter. it goes without saying - It's steeper than it looks.

 

[andy29847]

I'm probably wrong but the first video towards the end was that the entrance to hells gate?

This Hellsgate video showed up this morning on this forum. It is interesting because the driver was wheeling without a spotter. He compensated by standing up in his seat. I understand why. When the wheeling gets extreme, you can't see well enough over the front while sitting down. It's not safe to stand (no seatbelt) - it's not safe to sit. I've considered adding a front camera to help in situations like this.

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/my-first-attempt-at-hells-gate.121341/post-2526905

My camera is attached to the dash just under the rearview mirror. This film clip gives a fair perspective of what you CAN'T see sometimes.

 

[xaugievike]

ordered my winch yesterday. thanks to all that contributed on this thread.

 

[fczabala]

I also bought the evo10 from @Northridge4x4 during the BF sale and now looking at the XPV rope posted here, is this rope compatible with this winch? trying to reduce weight so I don't have to deal with any sagging in the front

 

[J0E]

Yes! I swapped out the steel cable to synthetic rope and I use the roller fairlead. I ordered the synthetic rope on Amazon, I think it was right around $85.

(1) Do you really believe roller fairleads don't work with synthetic rope? - YouTube

All the synthetic ropes on Amazon are junk, don't load it up. The best rope for the money is the 12K harbor freight synthetic rope and it's about $110 shipped.

 

[J0E]

I've had the Gladiator for 3 years. I bought the Badlands for the Gladiator back in early 2021. I got a great deal with a Harbor Freight coupon. The only thing I didn't like about it was the size. I had to use spacers (included with the Rockhard Bumper) to get front to back clearance for the winch. I got the Wrangler in OCT 2022. Initially, I wasn't going to use it as a Toad behind my Camper. However, we found that the Wrangler fits with the things we like to do on trip a little better than the Gladiator. When I started looking for a winch, I found the Warn in a deal that was comparable to what I paid for the Badlands. The smaller footprint of the Warn is a big plus. That's a long answer for I am keeping both of them.

FWIW, Matt's Off-Road uses a Badlands winch on their big wrecker. Matt likes it a lot. I wouldn't change for the brand name.

Gladiator on vacation:

Wrangler on vacation:

Matt uses the HF winch because he's sponsored by HF. But for the money, the Badlands winch is a great value. Several folks in my club have them and use them frequently.

Matt's got a great show but it's all show and drama. He uses kinetic recovery 95% of the time when a winch is safer/better, but there's no drama in most winching. Matt is an expert at recovery but he's also an expert at getting clicks and followers.

 

[andy29847]

Matt uses the HF winch because he's sponsored by HF. But for the money, the Badlands winch is a great value. Several folks in my club have them and use them frequently.

Matt's got a great show but it's all show and drama. He uses kinetic recovery 95% of the time when a winch is safer/better, but there's no drama in most winching. Matt is an expert at recovery but he's also an expert at getting clicks and followers.

I disagree with how you characterize Matt’s show. They’ve recovered some vehicles from some very gnarly spots. I watched one today where they recovered a SxS that had run off the side of a mountain. It was an all day winch job.

I visited Matt’s shop in September. It was different than I expected. I thought I’d find a wrecker service making a little money doing YouTube. Instead I found a movie business making money doing wrecker work. Still, the wrecker work is real. There are no penalties for easy recoveries.



I found this with a search:

Matt's Off Road Recovery earns an estimated $1.06 million a year.

You may be wondering: How much does Matt's Off Road Recovery earn?

Each month, Matt's Off Road Recovery' YouTube channel gets around 17.71 million views a month and more than 590.23 thousand views each day.

Monetized YouTube channels generate income by showing video ads for every thousand video views. YouTubers can earn an average of between $3 to $7 per thousand video views. If Matt's Off Road Recovery is within this range, Net Worth Spot estimates that Matt's Off Road Recovery earns $70.83 thousand a month, totaling $1.06 million a year.

 

[azjl#3]

Might also consider doing what I just did, Yankum ropes. Went full synthetic on shackles, no funky hook on end just a loop. No more metal on the rope, weight saving.

 

[J0E]

I disagree with how you characterize Matt’s show. They’ve recovered some vehicles from some very gnarly spots. I watched one today where they recovered a SxS that had run off the side of a mountain. It was an all day winch job.

I visited Matt’s shop in September. It was different than I expected. I thought I’d find a wrecker service making a little money doing YouTube. Instead I found a movie business making money doing wrecker work. Still, the wrecker work is real. There are no penalties for easy recoveries.

What do you disagree with? I said Matt is an expert at recovery but he's also an expert at getting clicks and followers.

You haven't done much recovery or you haven't see all his video's if you disagree with that. His snow cat recoveries are the most dramatized. I haven't seen one yet that I couldn't recovery with 1 WD and chains (one axle chained, no locker). That's pure drama, ditto for most of his kinetic recoveries. He occasionally has an extremely difficult recover that he uses a winch or two. I fast forward most of his drama shows and look for the real recoveries.

Here is matt's spookiest recovery using a winch. A very difficult recover I wouldn't have wanted to do. I applaud Matt for making millions on video's and occasionally having an interesting and non-trivial recovery. It's just that most of his recoveries are simple and overly dramatized.

Matt makes pretty good money on FB too. He started on FB. My guess is he makes more than your estimate as his video's have more and longer commercials.

Might also consider doing what I just did, Yankum ropes. Went full synthetic on shackles, no funky hook on end just a loop. No more metal on the rope, weight saving.

Yankum is top of the line but IMAO way over priced. The HF 12K line is 1/3rd the price and has held up great under load.

My VEVOR 1-1/4" x 31.5' Kinetic Recovery & Tow Rope, 52,300 lb is 1/3rd the cost of a 7/8 yankum and twice as strong.

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