Customer Reviews

Smittybilt 97281 XRC-8 8,000 lbs Winch

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This 8000 pound winch is very simple to use. It has plenty of power with its little 5.5hp motor which is more than most other winches I have seen. I have used this winch twice to pull my Jeep Cherokee with an 8" lift and 35"s up steep hills. The winch did not struggle at all. The only complaint I have about the winch is the steel wire which kinked on my first use of it. It was operator error that caused the winch to kink as I let the wire come a little loose on the drum. I will be replacing the cable with a synthetic winch rope of 10,000 pound capacity. I would recommend buying the winch with synthetic rope to begin with.

Overall: A great product for offroad recovery.

Good for the price, but don't fool yourself into thinking this is the best price around.. it's "listed" as around ~$449 and "on sale" for $291... but every single offroad shop, like 4wd.com and trsfabandoffroad.com and 4wheelparts.com and 4wheelingplus.com and summitracing.com list it from $280 to $299 REGULARLY. And indeed, some, if not most, with free shipping.

I've just ordered the raised winch plate, which is another $100.

The winch arrived promptly. It was missing one piece, though it is trivial, but I will be having it replaced (not buying brand new and miss parts!). It's a terminal jacket on the winch side to protect it from the weather.

The connection to the remote feels incredibly cheap. Is it supposed to click in and secure, or just sit there like a lame duck waiting to get pulled out at the slightest nudge? The remote doesn't feel as cheap as some reviews I've read have been saying, but we'll see how it feels when it's actually needed. Clutch lever feels a bit loose, but it could feel better once I've re-spooled and got action out of it.

For the comparative price, it is a great deal. It's Smittybilt, and their customer service is very high. It's no Warn, but Smitty is a reputable company. Despite these little quirks, I trust them to back the product.

This winch is a powerhouse. I just moved a huge tree out of a road with it amazing.

I have a cherokee with a front winch bumper, wanted a winch to fill the space but was low on money. I read a lot of different reviews on different ones but smittybilt seemed like a solid winch. From what it seemed like it was comparable to warn. I used it the very next day of installing it to take down a tree at my buddys house. 30 foot tall tree between two houses 15 feet apart, and the tree was leaning toward the neighbors house. If it wasn't for the winch I wouldn't have even tried but the winch and the truck did a great job.

I had minimal room above the winch because I have a brush guard with fog lights. After some moving of positions of the lights it fit. I did however have to move the socket of the control, it was on top of the box and it wouldn't have worked with my brush guard. 2 screws and a new hole later it now plugs into the front. Just used a body plug to cover the old hole. Simple fix and it fits perfectly. The controller is plastic and kinda looks cheap but it is a comfortable grip and also very light in weight. No complaints of the operation whatsoever.

I have two Smittybilt XRC winches and would buy a third if I had the need. All the Jeepers in our group have gone with the Smittybilt XRC Black winches and we have none experienced any problems. We believe in Smittybilt.

Very Satisfied with product. It would appear to be a good choice. I hope never to need it but it is in place and I am happy about the fit and quality.

Winch mounts very easy with excellent instructions. Remote handle is somewhat flimsy.
When I first mounted it the winch would only work in the "line out" position and would
not retract cable. After checking all connections, the problem was found to be in the plastic
handle in the toggle switch wiring. Took it apart and found one of the three wires was off.
could not keep wires connected. contacted smittyblilt and they walked me through it on the
phone. It has worked perfectly the only time I have used it.

I haven't really had a chance to use it a whole lot yet. I did get to use it recently in the snow playing around it seems to be a really good winch especially for the price of $285 off amazon.com the only problem i had with it is were the remote plugs in to the switch box the rubber plug ripped a little but that is no big deal that was my fault really not the product.

this winch is very nice works really well
I did need to change the plug for the remote to work right

I rarely give a 5 star, but for the money, this unit deserves it. I don't understand the complaints about the instructions being hard to understand. Granted, I am generally very mechanically, and electrically inclined & I had the installation figured out before I even looked at the instructions. Pretty straight forward. I then went over the instructions, and was shocked, because they were VERY clear, and to the point. In fact, a large electrical page comes with it, with pictures even a monkey could install it with. Another complaint about a mounting plate? The mounting plate I purchased with it, it bolted up to it like it was made for it <shrug>. The complaint about the electrical plug for the control, well, I "kinda" see the point there, but again, too critical I think. Sure, it's plastic housing, but this is a low amp control that should not be subject to very much abuse. As far as just sitting there, it has an arrow on it, and it is mentioned in the directions that you must plug it in AND twist to lock it in place. Maybe you aren't locking it in place like you should? If you don't, it will just stick in there lightly, and odds are won't make contact and work right, <shrug> Just a thought. It is fine for what it is, and at this price point. It's not an $800 Warn winch. It's a $300 winch, and is a awesome value for light work, and/or recovery. Other than the plastic plug for the control cable, it seems to be a very solid built winch, and if I need another, I'll buy another in a heartbeat.