My winch plans – a little help please

I’m looking to install a front winch to the Jimny with a standard bumper via the HD hidden winch plate from Jimnybits and have a few questions I could do with some help on. I have had a good read on the forum and others but can seem to pin down certain answers. This is the winch plate I want to use:

www.jimnybits.co.uk/shop/jimny/recovery-...oints/prod_1477.html

1. I’m not sure if I have limitations for the size / brand of winch ( also considering bolt patterns) available to me. I can see that the winch plate has been tested with a t-max 9000lbs winch so I was going to get one of those but I would prefer one with synthetic rope. Can anyone with this set up suggest a few reliable options for me? I know I don’t necessarily need that much pulling power but I’m looking to future proof it in case my plans change – I would really like it to manage well with lots of water / mud thrown at it.

I have some other questions too. Not sure if it’s a good idea to stick them in the same thread, don’t want to confuse matters but hey ho!

2. I’m looking to run a single battery set up. I know a split charge system is sometimes seen as preferable but I’m reading on some of the landy forums that some haven’t had the need to use a second battery once fitted. I figure I can always upgrade to two if the needs arises – bad idea? (I should add that the winch is, hopefully, for infrequent use to rescue me when greenlining on my own)
3. I will fit a cut-off switch on the live wire to the battery – any specific switch needed / recommendations?
4. I see that the solenoid seems to be a weak point on many winches – should I just consider upgrading it from the get go – any recommendations?
5. Lastly, I have standard suspension and Recip MT tyres 195/80/15 – should I expect a significant change to the way the car drives with the extra weight on the nose? I will upgrade suspension in time but not straight away

Many thanks for any help offered,

Cheers
Mark

What winch you want depends entirely on your budget.
But if you have the money, I'd get a Goodwinch TDS 9.5c. Excellent and proven quality. And can be upgraded with air free-spool, bigger motor, bigger drum and such.

A cut-off switch, get one that is rated at 500 amps minimum.

Don't think you'll notice any difference in driving behavoir with a winch only. But it may sag a few mm's.

+1 for the goodwinch if you budget will stretch to one, but just for occasional use a cheaper one will be ok.
The cut off switch, depends what you want it for. Winch or the whole car? Mine is on the negative side of the battery
and shuts the whole car down, its part of the regulations for the competitions I enter.
As for the extra weight on the front suspension, as tom said it will be fine unless you intend fitting a monster winch.

Thanks gents, appreciate the feedback. I don't think I see myself getting involved in competitions so I suspect that I may fall into the occasional use category. Budget is probably the lower side of £500 to be honest.

I did look at the Goodwinch TDS 9.5c (I had seen Tom recommend it before) but by the time I get the Dyneema upgrade (I don't fancy the steel rope) I'm looking at about 750 sheets. I haven't ruled it out but I'm still pondering.

The other one(s) I'm considering which I'm a little more comfortable with budget wise are the Warrior Samurai S8000 or S9500 which are approx. 450 and 500 respectively and come with synthetic rope. If anyone knows anything about these I would welcome any thoughts - they look half decent?

I'm not sure if I'm over thinking but I need to understand if there will be enough space on the hidden winch plate without me needing to butcher the front of the car. I've ordered the which plate (got a delivery date of tomorrow ) so I should be able to at least get it in place and make an assessment of how much room I have available.

I've said it before and I'll gladly say it again

There's nothing wrong with a well maintained steel rope. Keep it clean and without kinks and it will last for a long time. Much longer than any synthetic rope will. Also, the synthetic rope needs cleaning more often .

There's a reason why steel ropes are the rope of choice for tow trucks, farmers, helicopter hoists and such.

Also, that synthetic rope on the cheap Warrior winches are not to be compared with the Dyneema rope sold by Goodwinch. That cheap stuff is made in China.

So my best advise. Get a Goodwinch TDS 9.5 with a steel rope. Learn to use it, and then when you have the money, spend it on a good quality synthetic rope. Even with steel rope, a TDS winch is a far far better deal than any Warrior winch with Synthetic rope.

And yes, I use 11mm Dyneema rope for my winch. But only because it's mainly for competition.

Funny you should mention those two winches...

I've got a Warrior Samurai EWX8000i "fast" winch on the front with synthetic rope -



And a T-Max 9500 on the rear -



Both reasonable winches, i.e. in terms of value for money and reliability...

I've had the T-Max for three years and it's been on two vehicles, firstly on my old Vitara -



And then when I 'upgraded' to a Jimny it went on the back and the Warrior winch on the front.

The T-Max winch is really good, I got some proper Dyneema rope for it and it's never really let me down that one, it's been through many a deep ford and continues to work fine, there was a problem with the original solenoid box, but that was sorted by the reseller (JimnyBits, excellent service as always), and then later I upgraded it again when I relocated it into the back of the Jimny -



And it's been in the Jimny for a couple of years now...

The Warrior, hmmm, it's alright... as TomDK says, the rope supplied isn't that great, I managed to snap it a few months ago - after a couple of years service mind - and albeit dragging a Discovery sideways at the time, so I've fitted it with a better rope now...

And... the only thing I can moan about is that it doesn't "brake" that well...



Dangling the weight of the Jimny on it when close to a punch up the side of the valley for instance, when you back off the winding in, it spools out a bit, rather than the T-Max which when you let go of winding in just brakes and stays there...

Both have been reasonalbly cheap and reliable though, but I would plum for the T-Max over the Warrior and get some decent rope for it...

I've no experience of the Goodwinches so can't comment on them... TomDK likes them though

Hope all that helps anyways...

Dave