WARN fairlead worn after just one winter

[mgroeger]

He bought a Jeep assembled in Ohio

Regardless... JEEP screams American... but when it comes to winches... he no buy American... lol.

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[Il Commandante]

But you bought a Jeep made in Ohio...

I like Jeeps, and I like American gear. But I bought it because of what it is, not because it is made in America.

 

[GATORB8]

I just did!

Ha, missed that one. You went for the full F55 enchilada.

 

[Il Commandante]

Regardless... JEEP screams American... but when it comes to winches... he no buy American... lol.

You got me wrong there. I did not buy it because it is made in the USA, but I certainly don't mind it being US made! Knowing it was in fact made in China would have made me buy something else!

 

[Il Commandante]

Ha, missed that one. You went for the full F55 enchilada.

It was the only one available instantly here in Germany. But it seems to be good stuff!

 

[Canjeeper]

Maybe the best part of the Jeep is the German ZF inspired transmission .

 

[Joe98]

In the first post, isn't that a build up of ice?
.

 

[aldo98229]

Sorry to say this, but the Warn VR winches are garbage.

I got a Warn VR-10 in 2015: the bolts that hold the solenoid in place and the fairlead started rusting after only two weeks. The solenoid box that looked like steel on Warn's website was actually made of plastic, and the controller looked like it came from a JC Whitney catalog. It was very disappointing. I was able to get Warn to take it back and get credit towards a Zeon winch.

I am not wasting money on Warn winches any more, though. I got a Quadratec Stealth winch three years ago; still goes --and looks-- like a champ.

 

[mgroeger]

Sorry to say this, but the Warn VR winches are garbage.

I got a Warn VR-10 in 2015: the bolts that hold the solenoid in place and the fairlead started rusting after only two weeks. The solenoid box that looked like steel on Warn's website was actually made of plastic, and the controller looked like it came from a JC Whitney catalog. It was very disappointing. I was able to get Warn to take it back and get credit towards a Zeon winch.

I am not wasting money on Warn winches any more, though. I got a Quadratec Stealth winch three years ago; still goes --and looks-- like a champ.

I went with SuperWinch. Yes, it too is made in China but from what I can tell it is very solid. It will be here tomorrow actually. At almost $800 it wasn't cheap and I just simply can't justify spending double that for the Warn Zeon.

 

[Opus]

OP, if I were you I would find a good place to test the rest of that winch before I went wheeling if you haven't already. Better to know now whether everything else is working rather than finding out in the hinterland...

 

[Il Commandante]

In the first post, isn't that a build up of ice?
.

No, it's the heavily corroded aluminum unter the chipped off coating...

 

[Il Commandante]

OP, if I were you I would find a good place to test the rest of that winch before I went wheeling if you haven't already. Better to know now whether everything else is working rather than finding out in the hinterland...

Good point, Opus! Did that yesterday, after installing the new fairlead. Needed to tidy up the winch line anyway.

 

[Il Commandante]

I went with SuperWinch. Yes, it too is made in China but from what I can tell it is very solid. It will be here tomorrow actually. At almost $800 it wasn't cheap and I just simply can't justify spending double that for the Warn Zeon.

Which model Superwinch did you get? Are you satisfied?

 

[John VonJeep]

Makes me glad we use cinders instead of salt in my region (we average 100 inches of snow per year).

I’ll take paint chips over corrosion every time.

 

[Old Jeeper]

Thank you for the offer, Don!

I'm preparing for our next off-road trip, starting early in March. So I got a Factor 55 fairlead, it was the only one available in Germany on short notice. Solid aluminum with some kind of anodization. Seems to be of good quality and has much larger radiuses.

Needed some cutting on the Rubi steel bumper, since the window is bigger.

Are you running rope or cable on your Warn. I you are still running cable I strongly urge you to go with Rope.

I use Masterpull rope. My rope is 20 years old and I think it about 80 ft maybe, was 120ft starting out. Masterpull will inspect and make repairs on your rope at no charge

I bought my rope from the owner of the company who drove to Moab to try and sell some out of the back of his station wagon. I think he may be from Germany or the Netherlands. He is the KING of Rope he also sells rigging to the oil companies in Europe and the US. He sells tie-downs for Offshore oil rigs.

My rope has a FULL Sheath to protect the rope. I have done a LOT of winching over the years. Saved lives and Jeeps from going down a river and my Warn was underwater doing full pulls.

https://www.masterpull.com/off-road/

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