jdofmemi
Active Member
I'm late to one of my favorite topics.
I have seen many left stranded by off brand winches, and have had a Warn on every trail rig I have had.
Many times I have wished for more winch, and never less.
The current Warn winches are the best yet, and while the Evo series is competent, and for a foreign made winch, as good as it gets, they lag behind the Zeon.
Last August, in Moab the solenoids on the Evo 10 would overheat, and after a short pull, not reengage until they cooled for a few minutes. After I came back from that trip, I started searching for a deal on a Zeon 10.
Well, I found a Zeon 12, new in the box, for way less. It is physically the same size as the 10, but with a stronger motor. I live the extra capacity, and soon put it to the test. With only about 15 feet of cable spoiled out, I was able to pull up off if a rock that had all 4 wheels dangling, zero traction to be had. A lesser winch would have likely needed a snatch block to get enough pull that close to the top of the drum.
My thought is buy the best you can afford, and don't settle for something that may let you down.
The other thing I will say is don't just put it on and ignore it. Test your winch out before every trip.
Electrical contacts and solenoids left unused can corrode and fail, no matter how well made they are.
Plug it in, run some cable out and back in at least every few months, and for sure before each trip to make sure it will work when you need it.
I have seen many left stranded by off brand winches, and have had a Warn on every trail rig I have had.
Many times I have wished for more winch, and never less.
The current Warn winches are the best yet, and while the Evo series is competent, and for a foreign made winch, as good as it gets, they lag behind the Zeon.
Last August, in Moab the solenoids on the Evo 10 would overheat, and after a short pull, not reengage until they cooled for a few minutes. After I came back from that trip, I started searching for a deal on a Zeon 10.
Well, I found a Zeon 12, new in the box, for way less. It is physically the same size as the 10, but with a stronger motor. I live the extra capacity, and soon put it to the test. With only about 15 feet of cable spoiled out, I was able to pull up off if a rock that had all 4 wheels dangling, zero traction to be had. A lesser winch would have likely needed a snatch block to get enough pull that close to the top of the drum.
My thought is buy the best you can afford, and don't settle for something that may let you down.
The other thing I will say is don't just put it on and ignore it. Test your winch out before every trip.
Electrical contacts and solenoids left unused can corrode and fail, no matter how well made they are.
Plug it in, run some cable out and back in at least every few months, and for sure before each trip to make sure it will work when you need it.
