Recommend me a winch

Never had a winch before. But thinking it's about time to get one as the bumper has space for one.

Are they all universal fit? Or will I need a specific one to fit my bumper?

As the Jimny is lightweight, would something like an ATV winch be the way to go? To keep the weight down. Synthetic rope looks like a good idea.

The Warn AXON 55-S looks interesting. Is there anything more "budget" focused that would be similar. Or should I be looking at something totally different?

Thanks.

I am going to watch this topic.

I thought about a portable winch, this one (about £370), then you can use it on the front or back for self rescue or leave it at home on the daily drive.

www.warriorwinches.co.uk/products/Winche...lity-winch-synthetic

or with wire for around £300.

I am not sure if they are any good.

Robin

B

From what I have researched most winches in a given weight range have relatively similar mounting requirements without necessarily being universal standard. Wire rope is ok as far as it goes but synthetic is better as it is way less dangerous. If I were wanting a winch I would only consider a Warn. Specifically the 8274 not for any practical reasons but they are iconic. That said with the advent of the side by side market so much development of the 5000ish pound sector has been done that they are a sensible option for self recovery and that's all you are likely to be doing in a standard ish Jimny without hurting it.

I really like the idea of the portable Warrior winch.

I have a 4,500lb Warrior Ninja winch setup on a towball bracket. I built a removable fromt towbar so I can use it at either end of the car (or on any other car with a towball). Strength wise it is plenty for dragging a Jimny around in any normal recovery situation. But by far the best thing about it is it lives in a tool bag in my shed. No risk of theft, no problems with corrosion in the winter and no unecessary weight on the car for the 99% of the time when I know I won't need it.

I like the look of the Warn AXON winches and I'm sure they would be much better built and nicer to use than my cheapo Warrior one. They promise quite high line speeds, which is the main thing you want besides pulling power. 5,500lb would be plenty. The rule for winch sizing always was to have a winch rated at twice the vehicle weight, so 5,500 matches up perfectly with a 2,700lb Jimny. A smaller winch works with a smaller battery, so less hassle and expense there. Loads of people fit 13,500lb winches to Jimnys because they are cheap and "bigger = better" but I doubt any of them get even close to the winches full pulling capacity. it's a lot of extra weight sticking out the front of a relatively light, short wheelbase car and a lot more stress on the electrical system, or hassle with dual batteries etc.

Hi,
This may help on the cheap, low weight idea. On for emergency use only.