Harbor Freight 12,000 lb Winch is WORTH the hype

[Funkdoobiest]

This is true for a great many things Harbor Freight, the trick is knowing the exceptions to that rule. Most things HF are disposable, however their truly good items are work horses. I have a 180 AMP MIG welder that still works amazing (it's better the same level welder from Miller) and I purchased it in 2000!!!

I am aware of that but it's because of their crappy disposable tool image that I wouldn't want to display it on the front of my Bronco.

I do have a handful of HF tools I use once in a while but knowing they're shit tools (even though they get the job done) I take no joy in using them like I do my good tools.

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[goatman]

I don't know anything about Apex winches. I do have experience with various Chinese mfg winches. When you need a winch, you really need a winch. Get a Warn. Best story I have about this: A guy in a 4dr JK rolled off the trail down into a ravine. They couldn't get him out, so left it. Called club members to help recovery, and a group went back up there the next day. The guy who rolled had a Chinese winch, and three of the guys who went to help recover had Chinese winches. One guy had a Warn winch. They had to use straps to reach him, and they were long hard pulls. All four Chinese winches quit working before they got him out. Only the Warn winch got the job done. Problem with only occasional use of a winch, is on those occasions you need it to work. Maybe a winch isn't the best thing to save a few hundred bucks on. Plus, all the guys who know better and have Warn winches see the Chinese winch guys and......

 

[Virtual-Chris]

I can share some experience on this idea, and some opinions. There is no good place to keep a winch mounted on a receiver plate inside a vehicle. It's very heavy, and has to go on the floor. So, it's not convenient when you need to pull it out to use it. I was actually on a trip and one of the guys had a receiver mount, he happened to roll on an obstacle and got hit in the head by his winch. He was VERY lucky he just got a bump and a cut. If a front receiver winch is left on, it hangs too low and sticks out to far and approach angle becomes a problem. We've had to remove a front receiver winch, let the car get up on the obstacle, then reinstall the heavy receiver winch. Not fun. Additionally, if you get stuck going forward, you still want to go forward, so what purpose is there in mounting a winch on the back so you can pull yourself backwards? Just pull yourself forward which is where you were going.

So, receiver winches are an old idea, and very impractical in the real world. Been there, done that. Just mount the winch on a winch bumper in front and be done with it. Just sharing experience and perspective here.

I also have experience where a recovery forward was not possible and back was the only way. Imagine sliding into a ditch with a giant tree directly in front of you.

Besides that, a receiver mounted winch is very practical for those who only occasionally need one as it’s not a permanent heavy fixture on the front bumper and can sit in the garage on your morning trips to grab a coffee or your daily commute or whatever.

And you should tell Matt from Matt’s off-road recovery YT channel where he often recovers several vehicles a day, that a receiver winch is old and impractical.

Everyone should research the various options and do what’s best for them. There’s no best solution for everyone here. Especially with the Bronco and it’s cameras and ACC limiting bumper mounting options.

 

[BigTex]

This is true for a great many things Harbor Freight, the trick is knowing the exceptions to that rule. Most things HF are disposable, however their truly good items are work horses. I have a 180 AMP MIG welder that still works amazing (it's better the same level welder from Miller) and I purchased it in 2000!!!

Having a general perception of ANYTHING without research is why so many people miss out. Kinda like “I don’t like tomatoes; therefore, I hate all veggies”. Just give those people their Mac-n-cheese and let them watch the world pass them up. As far as the rest of us, research will show this winch matches and exceeds the Warn at 1/3 the cost. Another thing HF has that is blowing people’s minds is their line if air compressors. I have the 2 gallon and it’s unbelievably quiet and the reviews in the construction community are off the charts; however, I’m certain someone from this site who has zero knowledge/experience with it will say it’s a piece of shit.

 

[Tricky Dick]

Harbor freight has always had great winches. Now they have a pretty one

I will be building a mount for one one day, probably in a parking lot on a roadtrip.

They've always been good for the price and there's a few things you should do to them to improve reliability.

I'd try this one if I felt I needed a winch, but the kinds of places that F/R lockers aren't sufficient I wouldn't want to take my shiny new toy.

 

[Tadel001]

Can you mount this winch to the Bronco Badlands bummer or does it require a bracket to be built? Are there not mount points already? I have a SmittyBilt winch from Harbor Freight that has been exactly what I needed. This APEX badlands is a great deal

 

[BlueOvalBandit]

I have a 180 AMP MIG welder that still works amazing (it's better the same level welder from Miller) and I purchased it in 2000!!!

Probably right it's higher quality than my Miller Mig that's half as old. Purchased in 2009, 100% indoor garage stored and 2 years ago the plastic bits just crumbled and shattered. Including the tensioner for the drive roller. It's a $450 part alone! Might as well buy a new welder when replacing the cheap plastic bits that broke run north of $600

 

[vrtical]

HF and their stuff with electronics is usually not that bad and has got better over the last couple years. air compressors, welders, generators, etc.

 

[goatman]

I also have experience where a recovery forward was not possible and back was the only way. Imagine sliding into a ditch with a giant tree directly in front of you.

Besides that, a receiver mounted winch is very practical for those who only occasionally need one as it’s not a permanent heavy fixture on the front bumper and can sit in the garage on your morning trips to grab a coffee or your daily commute or whatever.

And you should tell Matt from Matt’s off-road recovery YT channel where he often recovers several vehicles a day, that a receiver winch is old and impractical.

Everyone should research the various options and do what’s best for them. There’s no best solution for everyone here. Especially with the Bronco and it’s cameras and ACC limiting bumper mounting options.

Understand. If you need to go backwards, you most likely have someone behind you to pull you back. I wouldn't compare normal trail running with a guy who makes money on his YT channel by pulling unprepared people out of predicaments. Different world.

Like I said, I'm just sharing experience and perspective. I've never met anyone who has a hard mounted winch wish they had a receiver winch, but I've met plenty of the opposite. Keep it simple, hard mount the winch, tack weld one bolt so it can't be stolen, and forget about it.

Oh, and you should be carrying a snatch block and other recovery gear if you're out there by yourself with no one else to help. Just sayin'.

 

[MaverickMan]

Most of my winching is for other people benefit. Its also good for trail clearing and other work. Probably used my HF 12,000lb winch 15 or more times this year for all sorts of things only one time was it used to actually pull itself out. They are work horses, and if they fail its probably just solenoid corrosion. Spend $50 and wire up a new one.

 

[BigTex]

Can you mount this winch to the Bronco Badlands bummer or does it require a bracket to be built? Are there not mount points already? I have a SmittyBilt winch from Harbor Freight that has been exactly what I needed. This APEX badlands is a great deal

HR sells a mounting plate but not sure it will work on the Bronco. Time will tell.

 

[Jimmiee]

I have a Badlands 12K winch with a wireless remote on my 07 FJ Cruiser. The winch is the old style and it came with wire rope. I have gone through the wire rope and I'm on my 2nd nylon rope. The winch is 10 years old now and still works like new. I have used it many times with no problems whatsoever.

As far as my new Bronco is concerned I'm on the fence as to which one I'm going to buy. Warn now has a wireless winch that operates with a smartphone APP. It's Bluetooth controlled so no internet is needed. My son has one on his new Wrangler Rubicon and it's pretty cool how it works with the iPhone APP.

Check it out here :

 

[Blksn955.o]

sweet...will have to swing by HF before the 22nd. thanks for the heads up on the sale price

 

[Blksn955.o]

Put my idea on a sticker kit (hockey stick style) on hold and picked up Badlands Apex after work today. Now just need to wait for a mount solution to become available.

Probably do a sticker kit later around end of Sept.

 

[johndeerefarmer]

This is true for a great many things Harbor Freight, the trick is knowing the exceptions to that rule. Most things HF are disposable, however their truly good items are work horses. I have a 180 AMP MIG welder that still works amazing (it's better the same level welder from Miller) and I purchased it in 2000!!!

No where near as good as a Miller or Lincoln.
I will not buy a HF winch. That's just what I need a cheap winch that overheats or breaks down when I need it the most.
Their generators are the same. Sure they work but don't like like the Honda's.
"you usually get what you pay for"...

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