Best time to get a deal on a winch?

[jwright]

Hi everyone,
I just added a front hybrid bumper (LFD) to my GX460. Looking now to add a winch. I am leaning toward a Smittybilt 10K or 12K X20 COMP Gen2 Synthethic. My question is - when & where is the best time to get a deal on one of these in the new few months so I have it for this summer. Thanks!

 

[madcratebuilder]

I checked my local Craig's List daily for several months and I was able to buy a used but like new Warn Zeon 12-s for 50% of retail. Larger than I was looking for but couldn't pass on such a good deal. Facebook has offroad equipment for sale pages, very active.

 

[M Rose]

Hi everyone,
I just added a front hybrid bumper (LFD) to my GX460. Looking now to add a winch. I am leaning toward a Smittybilt 10K or 12K X20 COMP Gen2 Synthethic. My question is - when & where is the best time to get a deal on one of these in the new few months so I have it for this summer. Thanks!

Right now is the time to buy… the prices are going to go up after tax season.

 

[Smileyshaun]

Best time to buy is before you actually need it . A good deal after your stuck is not worth the savings

 

[jwright]

Thanks to everyone who replied to this thread. Lots of great help/advice. Have any of you had experience with Zeak Winches? I think the 13000 lb Premium Winch has some nice specs which include:

3/8" x 86' Synthetic line rated at 23K
Nicer Clevis hook / heavier duty than most in this price range
IP 68 rated (submersible for up to 30 min)
More modern all metal housing design
Wired & wireless remotes
Cone Dynamic Brake (better brake design)
6HP Series Wound Motor with 236:1 3-stage Planetary Gear Set
1-yr warranty (Electrical) with Limited Lifetime on Mechanical
Amazon Price: $379.99


The Smittybilt X20 Comp 2 comes with all stainless hardware (not sure about the Zeak yet - sent a question to the company), and uses lithium grease (does not require service). The Smitty is $615 now for 10K, and $871 for the 12K. Hard to justify the Smitty at twice the price of the Zeak. Any thoughts?

 

[Carnage_95YJ]

1-yr warranty (Electrical) with Limited Lifetime on Mechanical

What’s the warranty on the Smittybilt?

 

[jwright]

@Eventyr_jt - Smittybilt X20 winches come with a 5-yr Electrical, and Lifetime Mechanical.

 

[jwright]

I also have been trying to determine the synthetic line max rating for the Smittybilt X20. I am not 100%, but it appears that the synthetic line on the Smittybilts are rated to what the winch model max is. If someone has the info on the X20 Comp line, please let me know.

The line on the Zeak is overrated (not quite 2x the rating of the 13K winch). If the Smitty's line breaks... -- the Smitty does have the better warranty, but replacement parts including the line is quite expensive.

 

[05EXCURSION]

Thanks to everyone who replied to this thread. Lots of great help/advice. Have any of you had experience with Zeak Winches? I think the 13000 lb Premium Winch has some nice specs which include:

3/8" x 86' Synthetic line rated at 23K
Nicer Clevis hook / heavier duty than most in this price range
IP 68 rated (submersible for up to 30 min)
More modern all metal housing design
Wired & wireless remotes
Cone Dynamic Brake (better brake design)
6HP Series Wound Motor with 236:1 3-stage Planetary Gear Set
1-yr warranty (Electrical) with Limited Lifetime on Mechanical
Amazon Price: $379.99
View attachment 226269

The Smittybilt X20 Comp 2 comes with all stainless hardware (not sure about the Zeak yet - sent a question to the company), and uses lithium grease (does not require service). The Smitty is $615 now for 10K, and $871 for the 12K. Hard to justify the Smitty at twice the price of the Zeak. Any thoughts?

I've been running the zeak 13k winch for close to a year now. Current vehicle weight is 9,483lbs add fluids I'm 10,207lbs. I've used it several times to get my self unstuck. Key is to have several snatch blocks and a few extra feet of line

 

[jwright]

Well, it was a tough decision, but I decided to go with the Smittybilt X20 Gen 2 Synthetic rope Winch. Amazon is listing it now for $599 with free Prime shipping. It should arrive soon!!!

I decided the better warranty, better hardware used, integrated wired/wireless controller, longer syn rope, lower current draw/higher efficiency (better for my single battery rig), and lack of excellent technical support from ZEAK made my decision (it was good, but not excellent - see below).

Roundforge has some really nice technical info on the Smitty vs Warns - this helped make my decision to go with Smittybilt. Check it out if you are interested: 10000 lb Winches (below is the max pull per layer)

SmittyBilt 10K X20 Gen 2
Layer 1: 10000lbs
Layer 2: 9100lbs
Layer 3: 8570lbs
Layer 4: 7950lbs

The 13K ZEAK Premium Synthetic Rope Winch was my second choice ($379 on Amazon with Prime), but I had asked ZEAK for some technical info, and they did respond to each inquiry within 24-36 hours, but they often did not fully answer me or could not provide the details I was seeking. To their credit they did send some technical info like the max weight for windings on the winch which I had asked for. If interested, here it is:

ZEAK 13K Premium
Layer 1: 13000lbs
Layer 2: 10600lbs
Layer 3: 8900lbs
Layer 4: 7755lbs

The Zeak advertisements on Amazon for their 10K, 12K, and 13K models claim the same gear ratios and motor HP rating. Sometimes they mention the motors to be permanent magnet and on the same advert, they list it as series wound. PM motors have lower torque than SW. ZEAK did clarify they are series wound, and that the HP are actually different??? This just seemed a bit wonky to me. ZEAK could not provide the exact HP for the three models.

I did hear good things from folks about the ZEAK, and it would still be my second choice. It appears to be quite a value for $379. I just wanted the peace-of-mind with the Smitty name brand and warranty (5 yr. Electrical, Lifetime Mechanical). Hope this helps anyone else seeking info about the two.

Thanks to everyone!