Winch cover, leave-on or remove ?

[FRV]

Like I said, I'm not a winch nerd. When I see warn, I see chinese trash, but more expensive than the chinese trash winch I have.

That's the spirit.

Sponsored

 

[Headbarcode]

I think it does look nice with the cover too.... My worries are about trapping humidity in there and damaging the finish, which would defeat the purpose of protecting it with a cover. But I've read about idiots unspooling the line and the cover kinda keeps the switch handle out of sight and not so tempting.

I might remove the cover, wax the winch or spray wd-40 on it and then reinstall.

You touched on the exact thing that prompted me to post.

Most people think that covers for winches, spare tires, bbq's, and outdoor ac units are meant to completely remove maintenance and allow one to forget all about what's under the cover until it's needed. Yes, the cover will help the units longevity by protecting it from direct weather and uv rays. But what most don't do, is to remove the cover and let it breathe after the rain/snow has passed. Not doing so will trap moisture and keep the unit wet long after the rest of its surroundings have dried up. The greenhouse effect. Once opened up, it'll dry out in the matter of hours and can then be covered back up until after the next storm passes.

There's a reason why covers are often times promoted for and offered by the same company that sold the unit in the first place. To quickly rot the unit so they can sell you a replacement in a shorter time span than if you never covered it in the first place. Proving that is the fact that the cover seller never mentions the importance of letting it breathe after bad weather.

Cheers!

 

[Bryce]

My jeep is parked 100% outside, so I cover the winch to keep UV from damaging the synthetic line. I occasionally unspool it, wash the line and retensionion it. It does seem that the finish of the winch isn't looking as good as it would new, but I'm not sure if the weather uncovered would not have done the same to it.

 

[mnjeeper]

I know nothing more than YouTube videos and this forum have taught me about winching, but I'll still ask: Could you install a dehumidifier pouch (maybe with Velcro) inside the winch cover to help battle some of the unwanted moisture?

A desiccant pack can't hurt. Not sure how much it'll help, but I can't imagine it hurting.

 

[Terpsmandan]

Before this winch I had a Champion winch that I did not cover and the clutch corroded and I had to pay to get it it freed. The thing that I like about the Warn cover is that there is a zipper flap that will uncover the important bits. Keep it on.

 

[word302]

Like I said, I'm not a winch nerd. When I see warn, I see chinese trash, but more expensive than the chinese trash winch I have.

lol, Warn winches are the only thing you see still working 20, 30, even 40 years later.

 

[word302]

You touched on the exact thing that prompted me to post.

Most people think that covers for winches, spare tires, bbq's, and outdoor ac units are meant to completely remove maintenance and allow one to forget all about what's under the cover until it's needed. Yes, the cover will help the units longevity by protecting it from direct weather and uv rays. But what most don't do, is to remove the cover and let it breathe after the rain/snow has passed. Not doing so will trap moisture and keep the unit wet long after the rest of its surroundings have dried up. The greenhouse effect. Once opened up, it'll dry out in the matter of hours and can then be covered back up until after the next storm passes.

There's a reason why covers are often times promoted for and offered by the same company that sold the unit in the first place. To quickly rot the unit so they can sell you a replacement in a shorter time span than if you never covered it in the first place. Proving that is the fact that the cover seller never mentions the importance of letting it breathe after bad weather.

Cheers!

Yeah the new Warn covers breathe and are meant to be left on, even while winching.

 

[Headbarcode]

Yeah the new Warn covers breathe and are meant to be left on, even while winching.

Yeah, the Stealth covers that they make specifically for the VR Evos and Zeon models. I didn't know that they were breathable.

I actually bought one for my Zeon, but it wouldn't fit between the winch and mopar steel bumper. I then bought their Kydex spool cover, but couldn't even get that in place.

I stopped dress shopping for her after that, because she's hell bent on showing off her figure. ?

 

[dragoneggs]

My winch is partially and tightly stuffed in my bumper so I cannot slip on a cover. If I could I would, but I would frequently remove it to be sure it is dry underneath. I do exercise my winch and line occasionally. Probably should do it more often.

 

[mad_hungarian]

Hemmmmm, yes what??? Leave it or remove it ?‍ this is the cover … Thanks for updating your reply, had me a bit confused

which cover is that?

 

[Chowbaby]

on my 2018, I always covered my winch (smittybilt) - it was pristine until when I actually used it. Now I have the factory warn winch - the line is not exposed so I leave it uncovered. Plus the way it is positioned, I think it would be pretty tough to get a cover on there anyways

 

[Steph1]

which cover is that?

That is the warn cover for the VR winch

 

[LukeDagny]

I have a Warn M8000 winch with steel cable. It's been covered for at least three years with some generic neoprene winch cover I bought from Amazon. The cover looks like its seen better days, but my winch looks like new.

I live in PA with a lot of Winter crap, and my Jeep lives outside in the weather 24/7.

 

[entropy]

Guys, is there a general consensus regarding winch covers ?

I'm new to winches with a Warn Evo10S. I installed a Warn winch cover to protect it from winter salt and grime. Now that spring is here, I'd like to know if I should leave it on or remove it until next winter.

I did a few searches and I know the warn website mentions ''Cover it until you need it'', but is that really the way to go ?

What do you guys think?

Ive had a winch park outside in sunny california with a synthetic rope for about 5 years. No degradation at all. Zero. Cover is not needed.

Sponsored