Looking for recommendations on winch

i have a 2004 with an all pro Baja bumper I’m looking into buying a winch. 4wheelparts has a smittybilt xrc 9.5k for $299.99. The only problem I’m running into is the the winch is 9.5 inches tall. I have about 7 inches from mounting plate to grill. I’m a noob with winches so trying to figure out if it will fit?

 

Warns are by the the "standard" for winches, so most will say it you can stretch your budget a bit, go with one of those. I saw a sale from 4wheel parts a few weeks ago with Warn VR8 for like $499, I think it's just over $500 now...

The smitybilts are still good winches from what I've heard (no personal experience tho). The Warn also may have a different configuration so you don't need to trim the grill. Not sure if the Smitybuilt has a remote solenoid or not, but that might make the difference so you may not have to trim...

 

All my Jeep Rock Crawlers had Warn Winches and my last Jeep had a Warn XD9000 I winch

 

I've got the same all poo bumper. Save yourself some time and hassle and go with the warn m8000. It's one of the very few on the market that will fit in that bumper.

 

If you can find this , its arguably the best winch ever made by Warn . You'll still see this winch being used today as it's that popular , I even had this winch and it saved my a** many times over !!


Warn 8274

https://www.warn.com/the-history-of-the-warn-m8274-winch

 

Warn still makes the legendary #8274 !!!

https://www.warn.com/m827450-winch-38631

 

It's way to tall. And it's $2600

 

Jesus christ, you can buy 3 or 4 normal Warns for that price.

Not sure this is even in the same timezone for the OP, who is looking at a $300 winch.

 

It shows it fits 1rst gens and $2600 is a good price for this legendary winch

Were are you going to find a winch like this that has a 80ft per min no load retrieval speed !!!

 

My last jeep I had a Warn XD9000 I winch and that was $1200 back in 1999

 

You can get a Warn VR10 Gen II for like $600

https://www.4wheelparts.com/p/warn-vr10-gen-ii-10000lb-winch-96810/_/R-BCSQ-96810

 

Dude, that's a comp winch, completely unnecessary for most people.

It's silly to have a "vehicle fit" for winches, since it's about the aftermarket bumper than the vehicle itself. If you're going to say it fits a 1st gen, might as well say it will fit a Subaru, too.

The problem is the All Pro Bumper which requires you to trim the grill to fit most winches, because it tucks it up under the grill more than most.

 

Never buy a winch with hawes fairlead they're a very bad design and will damage cable on side pulls . A winch with a Roller Fairlead will allow better cable retention on hard side pulls or difficult pulls

 

You should call Warn and notify them of their design flaw.

 

I looked up the fitment list and it showed a 2002 Tacoma

Both the 8274 and the XD9000 I Both worked very well for me on my jeeps on the Sierra Trek Fordyce Creek trail , Rubicon , Dusy Irshim and at the Hammers in Johnson Valley

I've seen way to many lower price winch catch on fire from being overworked

 

My point about the fitment is not to doubt you've looked up the fitment, but to say it's pointless to even advertise the fitment of an item that is not designed to "fit" on a stock vehicle anyway. All winches require an aftermarket bumper or a hitch mount (i.e. "universal" fit)

A harbor freight winch, sure. Those things suck.

But if you can find that happening (commonly) to any Warn winch, even the $499 one, that'd be cool to see. I'm willing to bet those fires you've seen, even if they were Warn winches, are more likely due to misuse (too heavy a vehicle, exceeding duty cycle) or shoddy wiring. I don't think the harbor freight ones are prone to just catching fire, they just stop working.

 

Most of the above advice is worth listening to. I have some additional input also. Why do you need a winch? This is not an a-hole question but a serious one. If it is for looks, then the cheapest one out there that fits is good enough. If it is for recovery then you need to figure out your recovery needs. If your wheeler buddies all have 3/4 ton 4X4's then your Tacoma and its winch will be the anchor truck. If it is for self recovery then the most important spec on the winch is duty cycle. The Harbour Freight winch has a 5% duty cycle... 5% of 60 minutes at maximum pull with a 45 minute cool off period.

I put the Smittybuilt winch on the front of my 96 Tacoma 4X4 with a Flatland 4X4 bumper. I used it mostly for dragging stuff around/tearing small buildings/sheds apart. The only "issue" I have is the relay box. I had no more room to mount it out of the weather so it sits exposed 24/7.

 

holy crap, 5%? I knew it was bad, didn't think it was that bad, lol...

I would say if it's for looks you should 100% go with an uber expensive one with flashy bright colors, and definately make sure you get a syth line, and the most expensive hook you can buy (factor 55 at least), that way you're less likely to get ribbed for it on your instagram.

/sarcasm

But you do bring up excellent points. Why you "need" a winch will denote which winch really makes the most sense. If you plan on having it as a just in case, or will only use it infrequently and budget limited, maybe a Smitybilt will work well for you. I've seen plenty of threads of people with Smitybilts who are perfectly happy with them. If, on the otherhand you plan on hitting all the hard trails, and plan to be pulling on it a lot, step up your budget to around a grand and get a good Warn. If you're building a comp buggy and need super fast pulls, get the Warn 8274.

 

Winches also destroy front suspension components such as springs and shocks so after awhile your front suspension could drop 1" or more

 

yep. depending on your bumper winch, you should up the spring rate. like 650 or 700# coils.