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Winch Comparo
In your Winch Comparison article ("Winch One You Want," Apr. '06), I was disappointed in how you chose to cover this subject. With such a splash on the cover I expected better. You should have printed this article on toilet paper because that's about all it's worth. If you're going to write an article like this you should make it a true comparison of real-world performance and not the manufacturers numbers. All the numbers and specs are fine, but I can get all of those from the Internet (for free). Those numbers don't prove which winch is really the best product for the money. I want to know how these units really perform under real-world conditions.
You do an excellent job with your 4x4 of the Year comparison. I think it's the best evaluation of a new vehicle in the industry. Every year the automotive manufacturer that wins your 4x4 of the Year title parades it around like they found the Holy Grail. Why not conduct a similar test each year (or two) for winches and lockers?
You owe it to the readers to give us the straight scoop on what is really hot and what should be left on the trailer queens. If you prove that the $600 Warn is truly better than the Harbor Freight unit, then great. However, if that cheap winch outdoes the high-dollar units, the world ought to know. If the manufacturers know they are going to be put to a truly fair and equal test they will try harder to be the best. It can only make the industry better for all of us. Either the big manufacturers are going to improve the quality in their products or the el-cheapo Chinese models will improve or drop out of the market.
Keep up the good work.
Long Live Cheap Truck Challenge!
Dennis Fairchild
Oklahoma City, OK
You raise some good questions and common misconceptions. First off, the story wasn't mentioned on the cover-at all! And we didn't write a comparison story, simply a buyer's guide to show what is available, condensed to three pages in your favorite rag instead of 20 different sites on the Internet. And as far as a knock-down drag-out winch off (pun intended), we've considered and are still investigating such a story. The main problem is ensuring that the test is real-world, fair, and equal. That means the same vehicle with the same amount of charge in the battery with the same atmospheric conditions at the same time of the day, and so on and so forth. And then we would come up with numbers that are similar to the manufacturers, and every one of them would complain. (You should hear what some of the OEs say after our 4x4 of the Year test!) But a winch's first pull performance out of the box is easy to test, but isn't always indicative of what the value of the winch is. For instance, what about important factors such as warranty, parts availability, and technical support a company offers? How do you factor those things into a test? These after-the-sale services may increase the price of a winch, but pay for themselves long after the sale, which is a true value. Sure, there are many cheap winches on the market, and some of them may pull just fine the first couple of times you use it, but for my money, I want something I can trust to work every time when I'm hanging off the side of a cliff held by a winch cable.
More Winch Wrongs
In reference to the "Hot Winch Tips and Tricks" (Apr. '06), your explanation of the double and triple line pulls is a bit misleading. A double line pull with the hook attached back to the winching vehicle effectively doubles the pulling power. Fewer wraps on the drum decrease the winch load, as you state. The recovery speed of such a double line pull would theoretically be halved; however, one fact rarely mentioned is that with a series-wound motor, speed increases rapidly as load decreases. So if the winch is not working as hard, the motor turns faster. A triple line pull, as shown in your photo, effectively triples the mechanical advantage, minus losses.
Jim Boucher
Mandeville, LA
Right you are, Jim, and about 30 other readers who took us to task for this error. The key to the double/triple line quandary is the fact that the cable has to be attached back to the load to double the pull, since a single pulley alone will not increase the pulling power. Also, the cable should be attached back to the frame of the vehicle, not the winch since most mounting kits are rated less than twice what the winch is rated-make sure those attachment points are secure! We'll have an in-depth description of winching and line pulls soon.
Missing Copy
I just wanted to let you know that on page 61 of "Airbags and Coilovers" (May, '06), the fourth caption left a little to be desired. It reads, "There are two flat plates that retain the bag setup and hold it in position above the coil spring on the coilover shock. The top is drilled"-and that's where it stops. I am assuming it was meant to say, "The top is drilled and tapped for an air line" or something to that effect. No big deal I'm just busting your chops. Love the mag and I think you're doing a great job! Keep it up!
Riley Blackstock
Clover, VA
You could be a copy editor here for the final checking, since three of us actually missed that one too. We read it in our head, just like you did. Thanks!