Champion Winches. Any good?

[Kapow]

I see them at Costco and Ukrainian Tire all the time. Just wondering if there any good. I want to get a 4500lb to mount to my Jetboat and Suzuki Sidekick. Obviously Warn is probably the best and alot more $, but i would like information/opinions on other brands too. Thanks, Kp

[BlacktailStalker]

I am pretty sure champion is a division of warn but they use cheaper parts.
Warranty or lack of, is usually a good indication of what to expect.

[Squamch]

Champion is NOT a division of warn!
Its cheap Chinese crap. Google them and one of the first results will be a thread on island4x4.com.
I had one for a while. It worked. For a while.
If you want to cheap out on a winch, go with a tabor, they actually are a cheap warn. They're slow, and need more maintenance, but parts are easy to get from Lordco (not from broken ones like with a champion).
Watch local classifieds and find a warn 8274 used for $400 or so. You cannot possibly go wrong with an 8274. And again, parts are often on the shelf at your local auto parts store.

[Fixit]

warn and nothing else

[mtnmannbc]

Look at the Warn VR Series winches available now. VR = Value Rated. It should do you the trick, it has the exact same warranty as the top dog warns. If you are pulling daily (its one of your daily tools) then go with the top dog warns, if you need to get off a gravel bar or out of a ditch 10 times a year, go with a VR series (right from the reps mouths). I have a top of the end Warn which I love but they didn't have the VR series when I got mine. Now think of the creeks you can jet, now you just need a few more stringers in your boat.

[David]

I would not buy another champion winch...

If you look closely, there is room between the sides of the spool and the body - if you're winching out of muck and can't feed the line back on to the winch accurately (or see the winch) the line will "jump" off the spool into the area between the spool and the body - and then you're fubar'd. It's not just the winch motor that makes the higher quality - it's the higher tolerance in the overall design and other parts. Really, the winch motor is the least important part of the winch - you can always snatch block it to up the weight rating, etc.

Don't cheap out on winches unless they will always be used in optimal conditions. If you can't afford something good new, watch craiglist for something used. You can also invest in some extra cabling and a couple of pulleys to save money and go with a smaller sized winch (if you don't mind the extra work and slow line pull).

Tabor = Warn. I really wouldn't put any weight on warranties - who gives a crap about warranty service if your winch craps out in the middle of nowhere?

[Boner]

Champion winches are crap. This is coming from experience. Sure, you might get a few pulls out of them, but they break when you really need them, stuck out in the bush.

My last one couldn't even make one pull across my yard. I got my money back from Costco, but that was a few years ago. If you have to have one from Costco, double check that they will take it back if it breaks. I heard that they want you to deal with Champion now instead of bringing it back to Costco.

[REMINGTON JIM]

Champion winches are crap. This is coming from experience. Sure, you might get a few pulls out of them, but they break when you really need them, stuck out in the bush.

My last one couldn't even make one pull across my yard. I got my money back from Costco, but that was a few years ago. If you have to have one from Costco, double check that they will take it back if it breaks. I heard that they want you to deal with Champion now instead of bringing it back to Costco.

X2 my was a joke piled up onthe first pull ! Buy a good one or it will just let you down when you NEED it ! RJ

[coyotebc]

My nephew has used his dozens of times without a problem.
His is mounted on his TJ and he loves playing in the Stave Lake mud
He has had that winch for 4 years at least

[cdub]

I had one for about 5 years then it stopped working. Opened it up and threw it in the garbage as the motor was completely rotten inside.

[nap]

Thinking if you are looking for a winch for your jet boat you may want something portable, I pack a brule winch, gas powered 2 stroke in my boat always, I know there is a few others out there, but that winch has helped me out a few times, Those boats just never get stuck in deep water.

[phoenix]

I've had mine for 5 or 6 years now and it still works fine. That said I only use it to pull logs out of the bush and usually use a block and extra cable so I don't work it too hard. I have the 10,000# model from Costco.
Kim

[RiverOtter]

For the uses cited, I'd be looking to cover a couple bases and look at a chain saw winch. I've used my brothers on several occasions and it flat out pulls, and a chainsaw is a super usefull tool to start with, especially in the middle of nowhere. Portabillity is also a very nice option to have.

[Kapow]

Thanks for the input. I ended up getting a superwinch 3500 lb and welded an aluminum receiver inside the bow of the boat so it can be taken in and out when needed. I read good reviews on them and the drum will take rope or cable. My buddy keeps a capstan portable in his boat so between the two of us we are fairly set up for this year's river hunt.