12k Winch Comparison: Pull Strength, Pull Speed, Power Amp Draw

[nolimits]

As we near the holiday season and BF deals start popping up, I thought maybe others could benefit from some of my research and analysis I did earlier this year when trying to pick a 12k winch for myself. It's easy to focus on the dollars only, but I have always looked at best bang for the buck. Sometimes that means I spend more dollars but get something much greater in return, at least that is the hope/goal.

Ultimately I ended up with a Warn Evo 12s. Mainly because I liked the warranty, confidence of knowing they would be around for easy parts/repairs/support & I got a smoking deal to boot.

A few key points:

1. Most data pulled directly from the manufacturer's website. A few I had to call or email and request the data. Overall, everyone responded & played nice.

2. All data was compiled back in May 2024 and based on the most recent generations available at that time which usually meant "Gen 3" but not always. Obviously specs can vary based on generation and you should double check. Let me know if you spot an error, and I will update.

3. I had the least confidence in HF Apex generation/specs. Mainly because they had about a dozen different manuals. I spot checked and they seemed to match for the most part. Not sure why so many. If it's like their 44" toolboxes, it's because they have minor variation between plant locations so you end up with several different model/SKU's.

4. Both line & bar charts are provided for each primary segment. When values are near identical like pull strength, the line charts can be difficult to read. However, when you have multiple testing intervals by different manufacturers like line speed & amp draw, the opposite is true. Hopefully one or the other is helpful to you.

5. Charts state "synthetic" but all test values collected were not different for steel cable or synthetic rope.

6. Charts and test data don't tell the entire story. Duty cycle comes into play and needs factored in. I was going to add various manufacturer recommendations but didn't make much traction. The Apex manual has a printed duty cycle they recommend. When I called Warn, the rep flat out said they didn't duty rate anything but their industrial winches and had no interest in sharing any practical advice other than feel the winch and stop when it gets warm. The Superwinch rep was very nervous to answer the question and stated to run 15 seconds and let rest for 45 seconds and then repeat.

7. I didn't include warranty terms but they vary. This may have impact to you if you plan on keeping a long time and want to ensure you can get support and/or parts for future repairs.

Edited 11/18/24
Changed labeling from Superwinch SX12 to Superwinch SX12R. While values are the same per Superwinch's product catalog, the labeling did not match chart descriptions that specify "synthetic".

Edited 11/18/24
Updated data to include Rough Country 13k Pro Series synthetic winch (RC TS13000S; magenta colored in charts). Data for max pull strength is limited due to the fact I could not find the data on their website or catalogs. I have emailed a request to customer service requesting the data and will update when/if I receive.

Edited 11/19/24
See post #52 to decipher the various IP ratings. Generally speaking, the larger number is more protection against moisture.

Edited 11/23/24
See post #19 for more info on calculating load resistance (grade, mire & tackling). Also how snatch blocks can help provide mechanical advantage when you are able to implement them. This would universally apply to any winch and not a specific brand but needs factored in along with gross vehicle weight when deciding proper winch size to purchase. Kudos to @SierraBronco for sharing the Safe-Xtract app available on Android and Apple for $10 that allows you to enter specifics and calculates all this on the fly for you plus give some options using mechanical advantage (snatch blocks).

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[raqball]

All of my previous Jeeps, except for my 1987 YJ, had Warn winches. My YJ had a Ramsey..

Warn Evo's winches are made in China but Warns prices for them, are still pretty high when compared to other winch brands.

Warn does have a good warranty but I am not sure it's worth the extra cost. For my Bronco, I considered a Harbor Freight Badlands 12K and a Rough Country 12K.

I ended up getting the RC 12K, which is synthetic, on sale for $425. A warn Evo 12K synthetic is at least twice the price of the RC..

 

[nolimits]

All of my previous Jeeps, except for my 1987 YJ, had Warn winches. My YJ had a Ramsey..

Warn Evo's winches are made in China but Warns prices for them, are still pretty high when compared to other winch brands.

Warn does have a good warranty but I am not sure it's worth the extra cost. For my Bronco, I considered a Harbor Freight Badlands 12K and a Rough Country 12K.

I ended up getting the RC 12K, which is synthetic, on sale for $425. A warn Evo 12K synthetic is at least twice the price of the RC..

Wow, that’s a good deal @ $425. I caught the Evo on sale and got a rebate but will still be about $200 over what you paid for the RC.

While it may be worth some premium for warranty, etc it’s certainly not worth 2.5x.

 

[MNBigfoot]

Wow, that’s a good deal @ $425. I caught the Evo on sale and got a rebate but will still be about $200 over what you paid for the RC.

While it may be worth some premium for warranty, etc it’s certainly not worth 2.5x.

Northridge 4x4 on this site had the 10K EVO for $269 after rebate last Nov for Cyber Monday.

 

[CalvinT]

If it wasn't for it blocking air flow to the radiator, I'd get a Warn M8274 with synthetic rope. American made in Oregon, you can get rebuild kits for one. It holds 125 of rope. New ones are expensive but you get what you pay for.

It's cost effective to buy a used one and rebuild it.

 

[nolimits]

Northridge 4x4 on this site had the 10K EVO for $269 after rebate last Nov for Cyber Monday.

I remember that deal. That was also a steel cable, not synthetic. Nothing wrong with that but it does cost more to get synthetic. Also costs more to go 12k.

IIRC, the 10k or 12k synthetic was around $569.

If it wasn't for it blocking air flow to the radiator, I'd get a Warn M8274 with synthetic rope. American made in Oregon, you can get rebuild kits for one. It holds 125 of rope. New ones are expensive but you get what you pay for.

It's cost effective to buy a used one and rebuild it.

I work with an older guy that enjoys talking 4x4 stuff. He has done a lot in his life. He was sharing stories about his 8274. I was hoping he had so I could figure out a way to use it. Sadly, he had gotten rid of it years ago.

 

[CalvinT]

I remember that deal. That was also a steel cable, not synthetic. Nothing wrong with that but it does cost more to get synthetic. Also costs more to go 12k.

IIRC, the 10k or 12k synthetic was around $569.



I work with an older guy that enjoys talking 4x4 stuff. He has done a lot in his life. He was sharing stories about his 8274. I was hoping he had so I could figure out a way to use it. Sadly, he had gotten rid of it years ago.

I just looked at the 8274 spec sheet. They come with 125 feet of wire rope or 150 feet of synthetic. The synthetic version (M8274-S) weighs 100 pounds. With a wire rope the winch weighs 125 pounds.

Those were kit shipping weights.

 

[GPPBronco]

Was hoping to see SuperWinch included here. But I realize it’s not one of the commonly considered options. I’ve used it for a few non-recovery tasks (like pulling on root balls/stumps). No recoveries necessary since installing 10ish months ago. That must be the mark of a truly great winch - deterring recovery situations….

 

[SierraBronco]

If it wasn't for it blocking air flow to the radiator, I'd get a Warn M8274 with synthetic rope. American made in Oregon, you can get rebuild kits for one. It holds 125 of rope. New ones are expensive but you get what you pay for.

It's cost effective to buy a used one and rebuild it.

Just a bummer you can't run that in the back.

Well, one probably could. Just gotta get creative. Having a front and rear winch I'm convinced that a rear only is the way to go for the Bronco if running a single winch. Keeps your approach angle, distributes weight better, and you don't need to worry about the chincey mounts up front.

 

[nolimits]

Was hoping to see SuperWinch included here. But I realize it’s not one of the commonly considered options. I’ve used it for a few non-recovery tasks (like pulling on root balls/stumps). No recoveries necessary since installing 10ish months ago. That must be the mark of a truly great winch - deterring recovery situations….

Actually Superwinch was included. In the first chart, it's 3rd down from the top and it's color is grey throughout all the charts. However, I noticed that I had the labeling incorrect. Previously it was Superwinch SX12 which is the WIRE version. I have re-labeled and re-uploaded new images to show Superwinch SX12R which is the synthetic version. Per Superwinch's catalog data, they do not differentiate any performance variation between wire or synthetic rope so the tech data was correct, just a labeling issue.

https://www.superwinch.com/public/m.../7d0187e305c518c99c178662a2304221.pdf?v=0.1.2

Hope this helps. By the way, Murphy's law....when you need a winch, you won't have it. And when you have a winch, you will only need it to help others. I much prefer the latter.

 

[CarbonSteel]

I had a Smittybilt X20 12K on my 2019 Jeep Wrangler and it never gave me any issues. Snagged it for $220 with synthetic rope. According to the raw data, it has respectable performance against many of the winches so I think I had a good deal.

 

[vrtical]

I remember that deal. That was also a steel cable, not synthetic. Nothing wrong with that but it does cost more to get synthetic. Also costs more to go 12k.

IIRC, the 10k or 12k synthetic was around $569.

I work with an older guy that enjoys talking 4x4 stuff. He has done a lot in his life. He was sharing stories about his 8274. I was hoping he had so I could figure out a way to use it. Sadly, he had gotten rid of it years ago.

I converted my Northridge 4x4 VR 10k deal to a 85' syn using a BF deal and still came out way ahead . The steel cable was 18lbs. I also have a single pulley snatch block to help.

 

[Techun]

Are these test results or claims? Electric winch claims are complete bullshit, throw them out. If you try to actually pull their rated numbers they're going to fail.

 

[Snacktime]

I want the lowest amp draw and the most gearing. As much as I want a fast winch I rather have more voltage for ecm.

 

[Bikeric]

I have a Harbor Freight Apex winch on my current 4Runner and an X-Bull on my Bronco that was previously on my other 4Runner. I gotta say I prefer the X-Bull as it actually can lock when stopped and hold the load. My HF winch doesn't seem to have much of a brake and will lose tension when I'm not pulling. Plus, the X-Bull sounds smoother while the HF sounds like rolling a box of rocks which means there is probably something broken inside.

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