WARN fairlead worn after just one winter

[Il Commandante]

I realize this is an aging thread. @Il Commandante my corrosion isn’t as bad as yours but here is mine after two years in the moist NW USA. I think I will contact Warn. I’m running a Zeon 8S (Synthetic line). Extremely happy with the winch itself. I have used it multiple times (practice and for real) and no issues. This is the only blemish.

I'm done with Warn altogether. The EVO VR is expensive in Germany (1200USD delivered), so I expect at least a little bit of longevity.
The fairlead lasted one winter. This is the winch after three mild winters:

Does anyone here have a recommendation for a winch that gives me open access to the winch drum and fits in the original steel bumper?

Thanks, Dirk

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[Bill_BCNtoNY]

I'm done with Warn altogether. The EVO VR is expensive in Germany (1200USD delivered), so I expect at least a little bit of longevity.
The fairlead lasted one winter. This is the winch after three mild winters:

Does anyone here have a recommendation for a winch that gives me open access to the winch drum and fits in the original steel bumper?

Thanks, Dirk

I don’t have a recommendation… but I do have a warn VR sitting in my garage waiting to be installed! What you’re experiencing seems like a joke - how are we supposed to rely for recovery on a product that responds like that to weather (and you’re in Germany, nothing extreme)?!

pretty annoying… anyway, if you want, you should reach out to Nico Vogel at 4x4proyect.com. He’s a good personal friend (we grew up together), fellow German Jeeper and knows quite a bit about the market. I’m sure he’ll be happy to chat with you about what he’s been hearing from the customers regarding winches.

PM me is you can’t find his contact on the site, and when you talk to him tell him Guillem Garcia sent you his way!

PS: he and I and are friends, and I don’t get any referral fee, commission or whatever - just want to be crystal clear.

 

[wibornz]

I had to replace my Warn one too. It did not last.

 

[Il Commandante]

I don’t have a recommendation… but I do have a warn VR sitting in my garage waiting to be installed! What you’re experiencing seems like a joke - how are we supposed to rely for recovery on a product that responds like that to weather (and you’re in Germany, nothing extreme)?!

pretty annoying… anyway, if you want, you should reach out to Nico Vogel at 4x4proyect.com. He’s a good personal friend (we grew up together), fellow German Jeeper and knows quite a bit about the market. I’m sure he’ll be happy to chat with you about what he’s been hearing from the customers regarding winches.

PM me is you can’t find his contact on the site, and when you talk to him tell him Guillem Garcia sent you his way!

PS: he and I and are friends, and I don’t get any referral fee, commission or whatever - just want to be crystal clear.

Looks like a good online shop that ships to Germany, wich most US shops don‘t do. Thank you for the tipp!

 

[Il Commandante]

I had to replace my Warn one too. It did not last.

What do you use now?

 

[wibornz]

What do you use now?

I bought an aluminum red anodized one for $20 at a Jeep event.

 

[LanceMagnum]

Mine had some corrosion after 3 years or so, similar to this but a bit worse:

The bigger issue is that if you're getting that (likely meaning road salt exposure) you need to be on the lookout for this:

That's not a pic of my winch but I had something similar (though not as bad).

I cleaned the winch line and drum, then liberally applied some of this to the drum:

And I'm now keeping an eye on it.

I believe that if a stronger inhibitor is needed there should be other options that don't degrade the synthetic winch line, here's some things tests have said about the chemical resistance of synthetic line:

I find it amazing it can be exposed to acetone for thousands of hours with zero effect on strength.

I've also heard of some people removing the drum and getting it powder coated

 

[Il Commandante]

Mine had some corrosion after 3 years or so, similar to this but a bit worse:

The bigger issue is that if you're getting that (likely meaning road salt exposure) you need to be on the lookout for this:

That's not a pic of my winch but I had something similar (though not as bad).

I cleaned the winch line and drum, then liberally applied some of this to the drum:

And I'm now keeping an eye on it.

I believe that if a stronger inhibitor is needed there should be other options that don't degrade the synthetic winch line, here's some things tests have said about the chemical resistance of synthetic line:

I find it amazing it can be exposed to acetone for thousands of hours with zero effect on strength.

I've also heard of some people removing the drum and getting it powder coated

Is your winch drum made of steel of aluminum?

 

[LanceMagnum]

Is your winch drum made of steel of aluminum?

Aluminum

 

[phageghost]

I believe that if a stronger inhibitor is needed there should be other options that don't degrade the synthetic winch line, here's some things tests have said about the chemical resistance of synthetic line:

Wow I knew UHMWPE was pretty inert but that is darn impressive. Also an important PSA for the jeeping community to keep their <checks notes> "Kallium Permagnate in Sulfiric Acid" away from their winch lines -- I know we all have a few drums of that stuff sitting in the garage!

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