UPDATE 4-5-2011.
I Called Smittybilt customer Service (Also procomp) and turns out when amazon.com shipped my unit it's possible the carrier dropped the box a certain way. My clutch lever was loose and this is NOT normal. They are sending me a replacement unit and gear cover to fix the issue for free. So if you purchase this - make sure the lever is tight when shifted from freespool to engaged as mine was pretty loose and could move with a pinky. B/c of the good customer service - i've changed to 5 stars
END UPDATE
I just installed this on my cherokee XJ so this review will be specific to that installation. I have an ARB Bull Bar on a 2001 XJ. I attached a picture to the amazon for review.
Packaging:
This product comes shipped in a box. the styrofoam must be cheap b/c some of it melted on the controller cable. There appears to be no dents or dings and things came well. The synthetic cable doesn't come on the drum and is in it's own plastic bag. It does come with a pull line for the winch itself which is not pictured but is pictured in what i've posted. It does come with all the hardware needed which is nice.
Clocking:
I had to clock the transmission on my winch so that the handle would point downwards. I had to mount my winch with the bottom facing the the front of the car (you can see the bolt holes). I also had to clock the motor side of it so the battery connections are easily accesible. There are instructions on how to do both the clocking in the winch kit.
Installation: This unit weighs about 60 pounds and I was able to mount the winch with the bumper in place. I had about 3/4" of room to spare. I had a helper thread the screws in for me. For the fairlead I had to drill two holes. then i had to spacer the bottom mounts of the winch out with washers to get the nut to fit behind it. The battery cable provided is long enough. If i had to do it again i would consider move the solenoid to be underneath my hood. then run the longer cables to the motor itself. At current the solenoid sits on my radiator support. I took the solenoid out of the plastic container. The solenoid box is WAY too big, it should be made much smaller in my opinion.
So far I've only used this on a test pull. I pulled my jeep towards another rig as an anchor. I did it once as a double line and again as a single line. It's decently fast for it's cost. The synthetic line was what sold me on this in addition to the $50 rebate that is being offered. The line itself is extremely light so that would help a lot since this is bolted on the very front end of my rig.
Issues:
I've found that the clutch handle does not stay engaged. When a load is relieved, it goes into a middle area between free and engaged. You need to apply some force to the handle to stay engaged. I've rigged something up for now that hold it. Will call their customer service and will go from there. My other complaint is a smaller and a truely waterproof solenoid case. These issues are what stop me from giving it 5 stars. Smittybilt 98281 XRC 8 Comp Series Black Winch with Synthetic Rope and Aluminum Fairlead
This winch is a very nice package it looks great.The rope is worth the extra coin just for easy use and quality of rope and safety.Winch functions easy has a good line speed for the cost of the winch.They remote works fine but could use a little rubber on shell just in case you wear to drop it a lot.I plan on mounting mine on the inside of my buggy so this will not be a issue for me.I also like that when you hook the remote to the winch you have to turn it clock wise to lock it which is a great thing for the hard rock crawling or trail rides cause it is less app to vibrate loose.Great over buy like it way better than my last winch the warn 8k with a different rope.
I've only used this winch a couple of times, but I love it. Thanks to the 100' of rope, I was able to self recover my truck while off-road by attaching to a tree that was around 75' away. Also used it to pull 8'-10' lengths of firewood out of the woods.
It has a nice line speed.
decent working winch for a good price, it is great with the synthetic line, my line is grey, not the blue that is pictured. Pretty slow line speed but it does the job. I used it twice already and it worked great.
The installation was easy and only took a couple hours to mount the xrc8 winch to an xrc front bumper. I haven't had a chance to use it yet but I look forward to the day. I was expecting the synthetic rope to be blue like the picture and the hook to be red but all in all its a beautiful setup and I'm pleased with my decision to go with Smittybilt.
Got this winch on a friday. Went out to go off roading that night, and took that winch with me that friday night.
Saturday morning after waking up, and picking up camp. We hit the trail, and got stuck not too long after starting. I installed the winch out on the trail, and did it fairly quick. Shortly after the installation, I used the winch to pull me out of a rut. It worked flawlessly.
I was surprised at how reliable the wench was, and how strong it pulled. Would not hesitate to purchase this winch again.
Went wheeling at Uwharrie Natl forest in NC a month or two ago. ended up having to get winched up a pretty steep rocky incline about 150-200 yards total. winch performed flawlessly. seeing as how i already had an ARB winch bullbar on my 2000 4runner, i decided to get the Smittybilt XRC 8 w/ synthetic line. first of all, the line saves a total of around 30lbs to the front of your vehicle. For those who have modified/upgraded rigs like mine, you know that every little bitt of extra weight makes a difference. Also, the synthetic line is MUCH safer than the wire rope (smittybilt has a rope core wire rope -VERY DANGEROUS I.M.O.). used the winch seriously for the first time last night when i sunk to the chassis. free spooled, hooked up to my tree protecter strap that was wrapped around the tree ahead, commenced winching. PERFORMED AS EXPECTED. NO ISSUES. VERY PLEASED. I would def recommend this product to anyone who is on a budget and needs some solo-security off the pavement. every other upgrade in the world is great until you cant get unstuck by yourself.'
Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information
