TexasCTD

I just had a new Mile Marker 12,000lb winch installed yesterday inside the "winch ready" Ranch Hand Front End.

I know nothing about winches and have never owned one until this one. The winch is on sale for $600.00 and included a free wireless remote control. Installation was pretty inexpensive too.

I probably should have looked around a little more, but the only other winch I kept seeing is Warn. I have no doubt that Warn is the best, but oh my are they expensive.

Does anybody have any experience with the Mile Marker winch? Pros? Cons? Should I have spent an extra grand and got the Warn?

I am not a frequent off-roader and probably won't use the Winch more than a few times a year. I expect that I will use it more in a few years as my truck gets older and I start going off-road with it more.

CTD NUT

I have had a few MM hydraulic winches (still have a 10.5K hydro) but I have no first hand experience with their electric winches. The Warn 12K is certainly a top performer in the 12k class but as you pointed out, the price is in the top of it's class too. For the occasional winch user on a budget that is looking for a solid winch for utility purposes, the MM electric 12K should work just fine. For heavy duty self-recovery and frequent offroad use, the higher line speed and heavy constuction of the Warn would be the way to go.

TexasCTD

Thanks for your insight. Im sure for my purposes it will be fine.

Guess I need to go get stuck and try it out.

BigBlueDodge

Hey Robert, I have a 12K Mile Marker electric winch. I'm very much in the same position as you, in that I got it because I go hunting/camping a couple of times a year. Where we go, you need 4x4, and its very easy to get stuck. My father in law had just spent thousands getting his truck lifted, so 4 Wheel Parts cut us a deal, $469 for the 12K winch (which was like $20-30 over their cost). We got the receiver mounting plate as well so that we could share it between my truck, my father in law's truck, and my brother in law's truck.

Let me tell you that it works very well. I don't know how it would stand up to heavy usage, but for the occasional use it is well worth it to spend the $600 over the $1200 that Warn wants for theirs.

The winch is slow, so don't get in any hurries. Its geared 360 to 1, so it takes its time, but does get the job done. My father in law has a 2003 F350 that is lifted 6" and has 37" ProComp Extreme All Terrains on it. It weighs just a tad over 10K, as he has tools, air compressors, hoses, in the bed, with a topper over it all. He's buried his truck several times (high centered) and the winch has pulled him out every time. Some of those times, it was just dragging dead weight, as his diff was high centered.

So, long story short, its a good winch for occassioal use. I don't know how well it would stand up to heavy, repeated use. But for us casual offroadings, I think its well worth it. I'll try and get some pictures of when we've used it.

BigBlueDodge

Okay, pics have been uploaded to my gallery. Waiting for approval. The white truck is my Father in Law's truck, and the Black truck is my brother in law's. Of course, mine is the big blue Dodge.

TexasCTD

Thanks BBD,

Looks like I made the right decision. 4wheel parts is where I got mine and they had them on sale for $599 and included a "free" hand held wireless remote. That is more than you paid, but they hadn't done any other work on mine. The Warns were just outrageous.


Those are some nice pics of getting stuck. Your father-in-laws truck is in DEEP. Glad to see the winch got him out.

Hope to see you again soon at one of the local events. Some of the guys you met at Lewisville last summer are getting together pretty regularly. You can click on the link in my signature for more info.