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Which winch for JL Wrangler

Loki Kai

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Yeah that will work! If I would have thought of the spacer I would have bought it! But I love the XRC Gen 3
On HF site it looks like someone figured out a side exit for the power wire too! (Maybe a forum member). I'm waiting to see if HF does anything special for Black Friday. Already have mounting plate. Will post up my install and test when completed.

20191123_072941.jpg
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usmcss

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On HF site it looks like someone figured out a side exit for the power wire too! (Maybe a forum member). I'm waiting to see if HF does anything special for Black Friday. Already have mounting plate. Will post up my install and test when completed.

20191123_072941.jpg
That’s great!!! Looking forward to seeing it if and when you get it! I looked at it at Harbor Freight and it’s nice!!!
 

Loki Kai

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That’s great!!! Looking forward to seeing it if and when you get it! I looked at it at Harbor Freight and it’s nice!!!
You know, the more I thought about it, the Smittybilt Gen 3 will probably be the better choice for the warranty piece of mind alone. So I started Black Friday searching for a good deal on the Gen 3 and this happened.....
20191129_230857.jpg

Couldn't pass on a deal like this! Oh well, I will still look for a good Cyber Monday deal on a Gen 3 if one is to be had and sell this to a friend or put it on one of our 2500's. At least I FINALLY pulled the trigger on something.
 

usmcss

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You know, the more I thought about it, the Smittybilt Gen 3 will probably be the better choice for the warranty piece of mind alone. So I started Black Friday searching for a good deal on the Gen 3 and this happened.....
20191129_230857.jpg

Couldn't pass on a deal like this! Oh well, I will still look for a good Cyber Monday deal on a Gen 3 if one is to be had and sell this to a friend or put it on one of our 2500's. At least I FINALLY pulled the trigger on something.
Yeah I don’t blame you, that’s a great deal! I’ve heard a lot of good things about the Gen 2 do you should be good to go!
 

digirati

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This is what we are adding to our JLUR:

ZEON10-S.jpg
Hi Patrick, did you end up installing that Warn Zeon 10-S to your Rubicon? I’m getting ready to have the Zeon 12-S installed on my 2019 Rubicon with the factory steel bumpers and wondering if everything went smooth for you and if you are happy with the winch. Thanks!
 

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digirati

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Warn Zeon 10s with JCR plate. Couldn't be happier.

pick4.jpg
Hi Paul,

When you say JCR plate, is that the winch mounting bracket or just the black piece of metal at the front of the bumper behind the fairlead?
 

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I just ordered a WARN ZEON 10-S and the WARN Rubicon OE steel bumpers plate.

Why a WARN ZEON when it was 2x-3x the price of the Quadratec and Smittybuilt winches? Honestly, because it’s made in the USA. The older I get and the more I travel (40 countries so far), the more I realize how important it is to maintain manufacturing in North America.

That, and “WARN ZEON” sounds like “Warren Zevon”, so that’s cool.
 
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Halstem1

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Whats the life expectancy of a winch? Say you use it on 2-3 wheeling trips a year. Do the elements destroy them or need to worry about anything like moisture or winter conditions? Planning on getting what I want and going with the Warn Zeon. I'm assuming it will last 5-10 years, so I want to do it right. But this is my first winch.
 

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If you buy a quality winch and take care of it, it will last for many years.

I had a 1st gen Warn Zeon 8K that was on my old wheeler for 5-6 years and abused hard. We pulled the bumper and winch when I sold the rig and stuffed it under the workbench for a few years. Last year a buddy needed a winch, we pulled that Zeon back out, brushed off the mud, cleaned up the contacts and it still ran great.

Running a 10K Zeon on my current Jeep, it gets used a couple dozen times during the year and I have no doubt it will continue to do so for many years to come.
 

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I've got a Warn Zeon 10-S Platinum on my Jeep. It fit fine in the factory bumper, I used the Maximum-3 mount and had to grind some on it but ultimately my winch is snug and thats what matters haha.
 

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Halstem1

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I've got a Warn Zeon 10-S Platinum on my Jeep. It fit fine in the factory bumper, I used the Maximum-3 mount and had to grind some on it but ultimately my winch is snug and thats what matters haha.
Would you recommend the Maximus 3 mount? I know you probably can't compare to the warn. But according to specs, the Maximus 3 mount weighs half of what the warn is. Not sure if that is good or bad thing. I'd love to keep weight down.
 

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Whats the life expectancy of a winch? Say you use it on 2-3 wheeling trips a year. Do the elements destroy them or need to worry about anything like moisture or winter conditions? Planning on getting what I want and going with the Warn Zeon. I'm assuming it will last 5-10 years, so I want to do it right. But this is my first winch.
I think the most likely thing to deteriorate from the elements is the synthetic rope (if you go synthetic). That's what I worry about most on my Zeon 10s. Especially since I can't find a cover that fits.

I would totally recommend the Maximus-3 for the 10s. If you get the newer revision (which is most likely), you won't have to do any grinding, cutting, or bending.
 

crbrenny

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Would you recommend the Maximus 3 mount? I know you probably can't compare to the warn. But according to specs, the Maximus 3 mount weighs half of what the warn is. Not sure if that is good or bad thing. I'd love to keep weight down.
Yes, I would generally recommend the Maximums-3. I bought it from them in Nov of 2019, and had to grind on it, so i'm not certain all the issues have been remedied. I also am NOT impressed with their 'coating' that they call powder coat. VERY weak coating. I did also get their filler plates, and again the coating was questionable.

I think the most likely thing to deteriorate from the elements is the synthetic rope (if you go synthetic). That's what I worry about most on my Zeon 10s. Especially since I can't find a cover that fits.

I would totally recommend the Maximus-3 for the 10s. If you get the newer revision (which is most likely), you won't have to do any grinding, cutting, or bending.
I read about that and thought it was corrected too but I can assure you I had to grind a bit on the plate for it to fit haha.
 

DenaliDan

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Yes, I would generally recommend the Maximums-3. I bought it from them in Nov of 2019, and had to grind on it, so i'm not certain all the issues have been remedied. I also am NOT impressed with their 'coating' that they call powder coat. VERY weak coating. I did also get their filler plates, and again the coating was questionable.


I read about that and thought it was corrected too but I can assure you I had to grind a bit on the plate for it to fit haha.
Strange. I bought and installed mine in August 2019 and it fit perfectly.
 
 



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