Badland winches - Harbor Freight? Are they junk?

[Demon4x4]

Originally Posted by 94 lngbd

I figure that if CSI & SmittyBuilt are China built as well as BADLAND then why not go with the lower priced one. And being that FOURWHEELER is running there coupon ad then that must say something good about those winches

I'm not making a statement one way or the other on these winches, but all that the above means is that FOURWHEELER took their advertising money.

[SSLT1KID]

Originally Posted by 94 lngbd

I was HF today to buy a new appliance dolly & they have a flyer thats good for 3 days only June 8,9 & 10. Its advertising there 12,000 lb winche on sale for $299.99 a savings of $200

Is there a special code for that? Or is that just the in store price on those days?

[abig84]

Originally Posted by Elvis-n-Texas

I have had the 8K Chicago Electric winch for 6 years now. The controller and relays are junk. I installed a set of generic Warn replacements and that sorted the issue.

yeah same. only problem ive had with my5 year old 8k chicago is the controller just broke. i had a old warn controller that i spliced into it to make it work. but that winch has even been sitting outside for 4 of the 5 years i owned it. it sits on my car trailer and i just put it on the s10 when it goes out wheeling.

[Godzilla3]

Any one have an engo been doing some research and they look a bit better than most cheap winches and ideal for my college budget

http://mediacdn.shopatron.com/media/...e/97878213.pdf

[abig84]

Originally Posted by SSLT1KID

Is there a special code for that? Or is that just the in store price on those days?

they are 399 in the store, was just there yesterday eyeballing them. there is a coupon you get in the mail that takes 160 off the regular price of 499 so you can get it for 339. im kinda tempted. i run a 8000 on there now and it fits within a hair of hitting my bumper so if its bigger width wise it might be a problem.

seen a ad in the window. they are having a sidewalk sale and that winch is only going to be 299. but every HB i been to only keeps one in stock so get there early

[gmcxt]

I stopped by HF to get some gloves today and saw the flyer they put in my bag when i got home. If Id have seen the 12K# winch for 299$ while I was in there I probably would have got it...I was working on the front of my rig today and had a spot all made up for it....Ill save my money till you guys tell me its the best 300 bucks Ill ever spend

[EricsGreen98Tj]

I run a Smitty x2o 10 and after a few initial problems it does great! And i will say that they have THE BEST customer service I have ever had to use. I bought it as 4WD.com and it came with a free cover and a free winch kit(straps, snatch block, gloves, chain, and shackles).

Plus the control box is SEALED on the x2o, there is no way for water to get into it. Even after i drilled a hole into the box to hook up an in-cab winch pannel water does NOT get inside.

[SSLT1KID]

I stopped by Harbor Freight today. They are doing a parking lot sale next week. The 12k Badland winch will be $299. If you pay you can join their secret special club and get the sale price today. I decided to just wait till next week.

[SSLT1KID]

I just picked up my 12k lb at Harbor Freight for $299. $50 extra got me the 2 years no questions asked warranty. They had A BUNCH of them. If anyone is thinking about getting this winch now is the time.

[gmcxt]

Go winch your truck way up into a tree and post a picture and I might go buy one.

[abig84]

Originally Posted by SSLT1KID

I just picked up my 12k lb at Harbor Freight for $299. $50 extra got me the 2 years no questions asked warranty. They had A BUNCH of them. If anyone is thinking about getting this winch now is the time.

stupid question. does it come with a corded remote? the way the ad is worded it makes it sound like it uses a remote control like those little 2000k winches they sell

[Demon4x4]

Good news: the wired controller works on my Warn xd9000, so I'll likely be getting one for my trailer (I wanted to be able to carry only one remote, if possible).




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[abig84]

Originally Posted by Demon4x4

Good news: the wired controller works on my Warn xd9000, so I'll likely be getting one for my trailer (I wanted to be able to carry only one remote, if possible).

Attachment 677302


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just to add on to that comment. the older 8000 harbor freight winches are not compatable with the xd9000i as i had to change ends to use my old xd9000 controller on my harbor freight one when the crappy remote broke.

so dont go buy a warn remote when the harbor freight one breaks or vise versa unless youre sure itll fit

[Sfa_Colorado]

I have been Rockin the 6k on my buggy no complaints it was on sale and got it for 200 smackeroos!!!!

[Ram-on-Rocks!]

Or you could just patiently wait and watch your local craigslist ads. I ended up with a Warn XD9.5 for $400. I felt bad and gave the guy an extra $50 bucks. It had never been used and sat on the front of a JK for a year. The JK was a parking lot princess.

[jeff76]

I don't know if the hf winch is any better or worse compared to the other made in china winches. I bought a smittybuilt 8k for $279 shipped. I don't see the point in spending $1k on a winch that I may use a couple times per year.

I never wheel alone. If my cheapo winch blows up someone will throw me a strap or winch line from there ride.

[3%]

Hi guys. Newb here. Nice site. I found it researching winches. I'm doing a complete rebuild on a 98 Dakota. I have two new bumpers ordered from Tactical Armor Group in Atlanta, they keep saying will be delivered here (Boston) (not my fault I was born here) by the end of this month. They both have hitch receivers built in. So I found a page of coupons in a magazine, one for every winch they sell by Bad Lands at HF. I looked at them the other day and was ready to take home the 12,000 after reading this entire thread, but I almost busted a nut taking it off the shelf. I thinking, geeze it's only a little Kota 4x4. I have new gas shocks all around and the front torqued all the way up, and new rear leafs with an extra added on each side. New 8" rims and 31x10.50 tires. The front bumper is supposed to be 90 lbs more than the original, plus the 12,000 is 75 lbs, and the mounting plate has to weigh something. I hefted the 9,000 on the shelf and it's not much different. The 6,000 is the next in line where you can say OK that's lighter and smaller.

I don't go four wheeling, but I have 45 acres in Maine where I just built a half mile access road and 150 foot driveway to where I'm making a stone foundation, and my buddy has a log cabin a few miles away. Seems like ONE of us gets stuck in SOMETHING every time we go there. Mud snow whatever. Building this new cabin I may tweak a tree I'm cutting now and then but I suspect I'll use a winch very little. But when we get stuck we're miles from any paved roads.

My question is, (and the price difference isn't a factor) should I put the 12,000 on and have the extra power should I ever need it, or 6,000 good enough for a Dakota. My buddy drive a Tacoma, so same weight class. I stood my 220 lb arse on the OE bumper yesterday and my daughter said the fender only went down "2 little lines" on the tape measure. I'd love to use the 12,000 but it seems SO heavy. I drive cross country in the summer chasing hail storms for work with a lot of heavy tools and a fiberglass cap. Weight kills my gas mileage. Does anyone use the Bad Lands 6,000 and what do you think of it? Any input appreciated. Thanks.

[78stepsideUAK10]

Get the 12,000, 75 pounds isn't going to kill your gas mileage. The aero drag from the new bumper will probably kill it more so

[78stepsideUAK10]

Originally Posted by 78stepsideUAK10

Ended up getting the 12k today, I didn't wanna order one and have to wait, I'm going to school on the 9th and wanna get my winch mounted

Will let you guys know my opinions

Holy fawk, It's been on two different mounts and I have yet to use it

[3%]

Originally Posted by 78stepsideUAK10

Holy fawk, It's been on two different mounts and I have yet to use it

Been there done that. I HAD to have a nitrous oxide system for my Z28 shipped over night. Then it sat around for a year til I traded it for some extra scuba gear.

I was thinking, a snow plow, or a V8 engine would add a lot more weight than this to my rig. And the beauty of the receiver mount is I can keep the winch way up front in the bed and put it on the bumper when I need it. 99% sure I'll go with the 12. Worst case... I can get my money back on Craigs list if I opt for the smaller one later. [IMG]/http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i172/mydentguy/cid_Ditchacd0ea75_zps314f5d64.jpg[/IMG]

Hope this image works. This is why I want a winch. Took me 2 hours with a shovel to get out of this washed out culvert on my road in Maine.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i1...ps314f5d64.jpg

[braxton357]

I found a new in box 6klb winch for $160 and the 6k fairlead is perfect for what I needed so I picked it up. It sounds as terrible as every other shitty lower end winch I've owned in the past or heard on other people's rigs but so far it's been working well. Pulls my truck just fine, pulls shit onto trailers just fine and pulls out stuck forklifts just fine. If I were to put it on the front of a jeep I would definitely take it apart and put real grease in there which I imagine would fix the noise and help longevity. The only other problem was that the controller (which is the same as pictured above) didn't fit the fuckin plug on the solenoid box. Worked out for the better anyway just cut the plug off and switched it to a 4 pin trailer plug and extended the reach by 15'. Anyway for the money I would definitely suggest one for trailer or weekend wheeler duty.

[3%]

Nice looking rig. Nice mounting job. Is your spare tire still under there? I'm going to put a second spare tire mount on the front top of my fiberglass cap for long trips now that 31x10.50's are getting hard to find. When I worked at my brothers tire/wheel store we always had at least 20 in stock in different flavors. Now you have to order them almost everywhere. Thanks for the reply.

[Wh1t3NuKle]

Originally Posted by braxton357

Any chance you got more pics showing your configuration underneath?

Looks great!

['71 800B]

Ends 1/31/13

http://images.harborfreight.com/cpi/...b/images/1.jpg

[Capria]

I've been using the 12k Badlands winch on my trail/DD truck for a bit over a year now. It's slow as hell but I haven't had an issue yet. Seems to be holding up fairly well minus surface rust but hey that's NY.