The 10 Best Truck Winches Reviews and Buyer’s Guide In 2023

Yes, the best truck winch is the most sought-after friend to accompany you in your off-road venture. This can set you free or recover your truck when it is stranded in a muddy sideway, rocky and uneven track and sandy road. But the presence of an overwhelming number of products in the market may pose a tough challenge in finding the right winch unit for your truck.

That is where thorough research is the call for which you may not have the time despite the burning necessity. With a run-down of top 10 truck winch reviews and a buying guide covering the crucial buying factors, this article may save you time and the leg work. Find the best winch for a truck matching your requirements.

10 Best Truck Winches for Off-Road - Quick Summary

1. Top Rated Truck Winch: Smittybilt GEN 2 XRC Winch

"It has become top-rated by the users by means of a power motor (6.6 hp), longest (in these 10) winch cable, and premium design and construction."

2. Best Premium Truck Winch: WARN Zeon Platinum Electric Winch

"Updated from the previous model, this Warn winch unit holds the second to the best overall by dint of a host of pretty advanced accessories along with Warn-exclusive design and construction."

3. Best Budget Pick: X-BULL 12V Synthetic Rope Winch

"If you go by the load capacity, motor power, and efficiency of pulling, this X-Bull model sits pretty close to the best ones. And the very low-end price tag earns it the tag mentioned here."

4. Best Mid-Priced Pick: VEVOR Truck 15500Ibs Electric Winch

"With a gigantic load capacity (15000 lbs)and robust motor power (6.5hp), this shouts loud about its overall power though can easily be categorized among the best for other features and benefits in the offer."

5. Best For Heavyweight Truck: WARN 68801 16.5ti Series Heavy-Duty Winch

"With the highest load capacity, robust motor power, premium construction, and Warn-only confidence, our 5th winch unit claim to be the best heavy-duty truck winch. And compensate for the high price over an extended period of quality service."

6. Best For Control: ORCISH IP67 13000-lb Electric Winch

"Equipped with two wireless remotes, it declares the stress on operating control and the auto-lock braking system and validates the claim of being the best for control."

7. Best For Medium-Size Truck: Champion 10000 lbs Truck Winch

"While stressing on the mid-range capacity, we are merely suggesting that it is one of the best winches for medium load hauling. If you have in a stake a medium-size vehicle to recover, you should opt for it to avoid the highest capacity winches claiming huge investment."

8. Best Higher-Priced Truck Winch: WARN M15000 Series Heavyweight Winch

"When the stake is hauling higher-range loads, this winch with giant load capacity (15,000 lbs) backed by a power motor can suffice to serve your purpose."

9. Upgraded Pick: LD12-ELITE 12000 lbs Heavy Duty Winch

"If you are overwhelmed with myriads of options in the market, this one may come to your rescue featured with everything you need a winch for – giant load capacity, durable cable, and premium construction and upgraded designs."

10. Best Cheap Truck Winch: ZEAK 13000 lbs Electric Winch

"This is a wonder in terms of cheap price against the high-end capacity and exclusive features. That much price is really a steal considering the benefits to reap."

In-Depth Reviews of 10 Best Winches for Your Truck

In the comparison chart above, you have seen that each one of the truck winch units is the best one for a specific purpose. Now, let’s go a bit in-depth about the root benefits, wow features, and overall quality of these 10 industry leaders.

1. Top Rated Truck Winch: Smittybilt GEN 2 XRC

The gigantic load capacity is something that has made the Smittybilt GEN 2 XRC a worthy truck winch and you can rest assured of the rescue in the off-road distress. And a winch kit comes with all the required wiring making installation a breeze even for the novice and first-time user.

Like all other quality products, this Smittybilt winch is waterproof and can function in splash and even underwater. Not to stop here, the foreign particles like dust, sand, and other outside materials are kept at bay and thus extending the winching life.

Backed by the powerful motor, the ultra-strong winch wire makes the rapid, comfortable and secured rescue. The 3-stage gear system makes winching easier thanks to the fairlead mechanism that contributes to easier spooling of the rope.

When you come across the Dual-stage and power-coated product, you will decide in favor of the winch.To boast your confidence, there is a 5-year long warranty statement along with a life-time technical support. All these have made it the best rated truck winch.

Good Sides:

• Dual-stage and powder-coated feature adds to the durability and service life
• Kit with all the urgent wiring for easy and hassle-free installation
• Reasonable priced against the premium service
• Backed by power motor to haul a huge load
• Long warranty statement a show-up for product quality
• Made waterproof and so sealed against any outside materials invasion

Drawbacks:

• No mention of remote control that means you cannot self-control the rescue process
• Cable rope runs the risk of burning or cutting your hand at careless pulling of the cable

2. Best Premium Truck Winch: WARN Zeon Platinum Winch

Warn as a winch brand is top notch and so is this Zeon Platinum model when the stake is truck towing. As for towing capacity, this Zeon is a beast as it can drag up to 12000 lbs of load with ease. Therefore, a truck of 8000 lbs and below can be a super match for this. By all means, this one is among the most powerful and heavy-duty winch.

You can avail of the steel-cable version at a lesser price and all other parts are the same except the synthetic rope if you do not have a preference for rope winch or want a durable winch string to stand by you when you are stuck off-track.

This is an upgraded model and made twice as durable compared to the previous model in keeping with the Warn, which as a manufacturer offers the best and most updated one to its customer. Thus you can rest assured of premium quality and top notch service for not less than a decade.

Premium quality construction will stand the heavy use and abuse. And all these will come in exchange for an exclusive price. And the users are of the opinion that the price is to validate the product quality and is not a deal breaker.

The Warn-exclusive remote is something irresistible for truck owners. And it comes featured with a USB charging cable, an adapter for your car charger, and can read the temperature of the motor.

Good Sides:

• Wireless remote to recharge from the car charger instantly not to stop in operation
• Can withstand outside materials including dust, water, and sand
• Easy to install without going through any hassle
• Lightweight compared with the gigantic load-hauling capacity
• High-quality and long synthetic rope for easy towing

Drawbacks:

• A pricy a winch if you have budget constraint but Squality may compensate for the high-end invest

3. Best Budget Pick: X-BULL 12V Synthetic Rope Winch

Let’s now talk about a heavy-duty truck winch and the powerful beast that can haul 13000 lbs of load. If you have a heavier truck to tow, this winch is the right option. Therefore, a truck up to 8-9000 lbs of weight can have a superb match in this unit.

What makes it a lucrative winching option is the low-end price. A winch with this gigantic hauling capacity is very rare to avail at this budget price. And the truck owners with a budget price have a matching option for their extreme-duty winching.

Designed to be waterproof and so pretty suitable for any harsh environment. And the latest module cordless remote is compatible with all the latest x-bull winch models.

The gear system is designed for speedy winching and efficiently draws 25.3 feet/minute without load and 7 feet/minute while loaded.

Good Sides:

• Just a beast in terms of load-hauling capacity
• Latest generation wireless remote with extra wiring for advanced control
• Weather-sealed solenoid box is relocatable to place at your convenient position
• Overload protection against overloading and short-circuit
• Available at a budget price
• Lifetime technical service and one-year limited warranty

Drawbacks:

• Not that effective while operating underwater but a splash is okay with it
• Clumsy user manual to confuse a novice first-time user

4. Best Mid-Priced Pick: VEVOR Truck 15500 lbs Electric Winch

Vevor truck winch is a worth-grabbing product as it offers all the high-end features and service against a mid-range price. Some will say that to compare the benefits it can bring for the users, this VEVOR price is just a steal.

To start with, the wireless remote control lets you control the operation from a long and safe distance thanks to the longer and stable winch rope. On its top, Vevor just blows out any potential of danger as you can unplug the remote wire for safe wireless operation.

The power motor matched by a 12V battery is a great compliment for added pulling power and the line speed will faster than any high-end winch product can offer. That much load capacity indicates that you can pull a vehicle whatever it is stuck with, be it mud, broken ground, high inclines or ditch.

And it is needless to talk about the weather sealing that can defy even snow. The aluminum fairlead makes spooling effortless while the dynamic braking system adds to the controlling and safety while operating and thus justly claims to be one of the best truck winches here.

Good Sides:

• A huge load capacity to pull even the biggest of the vehicles RV & SUV
• Both wired and wireless remote control system for added safety
• Sturdy material for durable and extended service life
• Stronger metal cable with a dynamic braking system for secure but fast pulling
• Power motor backed by a powerful battery for increased pulling power
• Available at a reasonable price meant for the budget purchasers

Drawbacks:

• No mention of the warranty and user support

5. Best For Heavyweight Truck: WARN 68801 16.5ti Series Heavy-Duty Winch

This is our second Warn winch, and we need not spend lots of words to make you the worth of the high-end investment. Yes, like all other Warn winch models, this heavyweight Warn 68801 model claims a hefty price against the premium quality and services it has on the offer.

To start with, the high-end sealing is meant for premium protection from any outer invasion that can cause decay of the electronics and decline in the services. You can beat the adverse weather by operating it in even rough conditions.

The high-speed motor is for increased pulling power and faster line speed. But the braking is there to tame the speed when and if need be. That feature stands for safety and extra control while operating. Moreover, the aluminum box adds to the protection of the electronic housing inside.

Good Sides:

• Premium sealing against any outer invasion adds to service life
• High-speed motor backed by powerful battery for increased pulling power and superior line speed
• The high-end braking system for superior control and added safety
• In-house electronics protection by an aluminium control box
• Anti-corrosion powder coatings finish working abrasion-free

Drawbacks:

• Too costly for the low-end users but saves money in the long run
• Requires at 2 people to install given the extreme-duty unit it is

6. Best For Control: ORCISH IP67 13000-lb Electric Winch

Uniquely designed for multiple heavyweight vehicles and 13000 lbs of load hauling capacity will make winching a breeze. And two remotes for superior and safe control can make you rest assured while you have the ORCISH IP67 winch model with you and you can travel off-road without the fear of getting stranded for long.

Design and construction are premium categories. To start with, it is made waterproof and sand resistant to protect it from any decaying invasion by all abrasive particles. The higher-end efficiency can pull 22’/minute without load and 5.8’/minute while loaded.

Backed by the powerful battery, the robust motor is responsible for increased pulling strength. The 3-stage planetary gear mechanism and the free-spool fairlead system will make any complicated task a breeze to add to the convenience. The unique brake design provides you with excellent control as you can clutch and halt the operation if and when needed.

All these aforesaid features and functions accompanied by the lifetime technical support and one-year limited warranty enables the unit to throw a tough challenge to the best winch for truck in the industry.

Good Sides:

• Huge load capacity to haul multiple vehicles including the larger ones
• Highly efficient and superb maneuvering facility given by the brakes
• 2 wireless remotes for added control
• Lifelong technical support and limited warranty as quality insurance
• 3-stage planetary gear system for increased pulling power
• Reasonable price for high-end service
• Waterproof and unbeatable by the rough weather

Drawbacks:

• Brakes and winch string are reported to be disturbing but a beast in terms of power

7. Best For Medium-Size Truck: Champion 10000 lbs Truck Winch

10,000 lbs of pulling capacity backed by a 3.6 hp motor powered from a 12V battery is an unbeatable combination and will no way disappoint you when trying to free your vehicle from any off-road ditching. And in line with those comes the industry-grade efficiency as this Champion winch can speed up the pulling up to 3.9’/minute while loaded and can scale up to 15.7’/minute without load.

Wait. There are more to amaze you. The quick-connect hand-held remote is an above-the-average convenience as it provides the coveted control that only high-end exclusive winches are capable of.

The roller fairlead lets the 85 ft long cable come and return with ease ensuring safety in operation thanks to the super-duty aircraft-grade galvanized cable. And the 2-year warranty is evident of the confidence on the part of the manufacturer showing up for their product quality.

Good Sides:

• Sufficient load capacity for mid-level trucks
• Hand-held remote for added convenience and control
• Free-spooling clutch for easier winching experience
• 2-year limited warranty and technical support
• Durable and heavy-duty winch string for the safe and successful rescue

Drawbacks:

• Mid-range pulling strength and a bit weak for large vehicles
• Efficiency is a bit lower than the high-powered ones

8. Best Higher-Priced Truck Winch: WARN M15000 Series Heavyweight Winch

In terms of hauling capacity, the third Warn winch is a go-between of the three reviewed in this article. With 15000 lbs of load carrying capacity, you can pull the largest of the vehicles with ease. And the high-power motor is the perfect combination to go along with heavy-duty pulling. The long and thick metal wire facilitated by the fairlead roller will make your arduous task of rescue a breeze. Thus you can get your heavier trucks and SUVs unstuck and pull in track.

Hand-held remote is to increase convenience by providing your added control in operation. On top of that, the control package is for supreme clearance and ease of access.

If the truck is loaded with 15000 lbs, it can pull 2.48 feet per minute and when the stake is 15000 lbs to pull the max amp draw is 460.

Good Sides:

• Huge load-hauling capacity to pull large trucks and SUVs
• Heavy and long metal rope to pull loads from long distance
• Hand-held remote control backed by 12-feet lead for added control
• Designed for huge clearance and max ease in operation
• 500amp draw more than enough for line pull
• Able to withstand the heavy pulling strength
• Equipped with the large hook and clasp to bite tightly not to make hassle in operation

Drawbacks:

• Too costly for the budget buyers but worth the investment to reap far-fetched benefits

9. Upgraded Pick: LD12-ELITE Heavy Duty Winch

The best and I think the most crucial part of this winch is the reversible motor to provide you with a plethora of benefits. With a winch featured with such a motor, you can custom select the motor speed and so you can save your energy by avoiding unwanted energy loss. Conversely, when you need to scale up the motor speed, it can act as a giant with the power up to 6.0 backed by a powerful 12V battery.

So far controlling involves, you can exercise the utmost boosted by a wireless remote to operate from the same distance. To make winching hassle-free and a breeze, the automatic braking locks are there to stop spooling the time it is not needed and also prevent untimely slacking.

3/8” thick and 87ft long winch cable is something you will be after as you can attach the vehicle to rescue even if ditched in far deeper than the track. And the corrosion-free metal wire is convenient to work with without the risk of any cut.

Good Sides:

• Reversible motor to control power utilization
• Robust motor to provide with an increased pulling power
• Huge load capacity to rescue even the larger vehicles from a ditch
• The Auto-lock braking system to avoid frees-pooling and unwanted slacking while power is not connected
• Long and abrasion-free wire cable for added convenience
• A quality winch product at a reasonable cut-down price

Drawbacks:

• Drain the batter1y faster and installation is not that easy for novices

10. Best Cheap Truck Winch: ZEAK 13000 lbs Electric Winch

If you very often in the off-road terrain with a Jeep Wrangler, large lorry, and SUVs, you must have a rescue tool able to haul the heavier vehicles. Here comes this ZEAK electric winch highly recommended for its beast of pulling power. 13000 lbs of pulling capacity, 6.4 hp of motor, and the thick synthetic rope make the combination for rapid off-road rescue.

The 3-stage planetary gear mechanism makes even a mid-range winch the best partner in distress and this winch with robust motor and capacity is what makes winching fun. The package includes all the urgent accessories – hawse fairlead, mounting bolts, batter leads, hand-held remote, wireless remote, and control box to make things easier and more convenient for you.

The corrosion-free finish makes it look sleeker and all metal construction makes it sturdier to bear with extreme-duty use and occasional abuse. Designed to work waterproof and keep outer materials at bay so that inner electronics remain beyond decay and untimely decline. And that is the reason it is unbeatable against the bite of rough and even adverse weather.

Good Sides:

• Robust motor and premium gear mechanism to provide with super pulling power
• Huge load capacity to drag even SUVs and pickup trucks
• Designed to be waterproof and resistant to dust, dirt, and other decaying particles
• Weather-sealed solenoid for all-weather rescue
• Corrosion-resistant finish adds to look and durability
• One-year warranty as show up for the product quality
• Fairly cheap price against the high-end product

Drawbacks:

• Requires professional help in installation and warned of short circuit at wrong wiring

How To Choose The Best Winch For Truck - Buying Guide

When you plan to buy a winch for your truck, the first thing to do is learn about the crucial buying factors. Otherwise, you might end up buying the wrong winch or a bad winch. A bad winch refers to the winch having issues or defects whereas the wrong winch means the one having no issue in it but may not answer your recovery requirement. Therefore, an in-depth buying guide covering the core factors is a must read. Here you go with what you need.

Hauling Capacity & Vehicle

To start with, you must determine the hauling capacity of your target winch. A winch hauling capacity less than you require is a total waste of your investment as it cannot rescue the truck while you are stuck. But a winch having more load capacity than you need will do your job perfectly and the downside is that it may be costlier.

The general rule of thumb is to multiply the weight of your vehicle by 1.5 and thus you can know the exact load capacity your vehicle may be recovered successfully by. So, knowing the weight of your truck is urgent here. To keep on the safe side, you may go a bit higher than 1.5X of your vehicle weight, but no way the less.

As for a truck, you should not go below 10,000 lbs. If your pick up weighs 8,000 lbs, the pulling strength of your target winch should be 12,000 lbs at least – a bit more the better.

Winch Type

Having determined the required load capacity, you will now decide which type of winch will serve you the best. There are two types to choose from – hydraulic winch and electric winch. While hydraulic winches offer more pulling power, they are a great hassle in installation and running as your truck engine must run to keep that winch operating. And they claim a far higher price than their electric counterparts.

As it turns out, an electric winch should be your preferred option for easier operation, installation, and convenient power source it (the car battery) requires. On its top, electric winches now offer pretty high load capacity at a lower price than their hydraulic counterparts. But still, the hydraulic winches survive in the industry because there are trucks, lorries, SUVs, and Rvs with really robust in size and weight and they are not the match for even the highest capacity electric winches.

Read More: Hydraulic Winch Vs Electric Winch Comparison In-Depth

Mounting Option

Suppose you have targeted an electric winch and now the question is to install them. That is where mounting options come worth considering. You have three options available to pick the easier and safer one.

1. Bumper Mount: This mounting is still the most popular among off-roaders because of the simple mounting method. With all the required information in place, even a novice can mount a winch successfully without professional assistance.

2. Multi-mount: Multi-mount refers to the winch that can be mounted on your chosen location of the truck and so it doesn’t come ready to sit on the bumper or doesn’t have a bumper attached to it. Therefore, this mounting option is far complex than the others and suffers from weak stability vulnerable to heavy pulling.

3. Winch Bumper: It is the trend now to offer a winch attached with a bumper to sit stably on. If installed properly, it can prove to be the best in any kind of terrain.

Whatever mounting option you select, make two things sure that the winch has holes in the mounting base and the base is built of sturdy material like steel.

Winch String: Synthetic Rope or Steel Wire Cable

You have two options with their upsides and downsides. Let’s brief on the two without going for elaborated comparison.

Wire Cable: It is the classical recovery winch string and provides you with stability, weather and heat resistance, freedom from maintenance, and a longer winching service than the rival. But this cheaper winch string stores energy and can cut the people nearby into two when snapped.

Synthetic Rope: To blow out the grave danger of storing energy, synthetic rope has appeared in the scene since 90. And it has become widely popular for many other positive sides including ease of use for its being lighter and flexible. And as it will not go overheated, you don’t have to use gloves. But it claims a heftier price than the traditional wire cable.

Moreover, it offers a shorter service life, requires careful maintenance, and becomes too heavy to deal with while soaked with water. There are high-end products to resist water at a higher cost, but still people go for it because of the zero or minimal risk and ease of use.

Read More: Synthetic Rope Vs Steel Cable Comparison In-Depth

Advanced Features

Updated units offer several advanced features like remote control, waterproof design, metal cover, superior braking mechanism, sealed motor, and so on. Winch featured with the said ones will provide you with more benefits, safety, comfort, and convenience than the extra cut they will claim for those. Moreover, they will make your winch more user-friendly.

Warranty

Yes, warranty too is a crucial factor to consider. While lack of this doesn’t make a unit downright deal-breaker, one with a warranty is evident of the quality to favor it over the one without a warranty. You may have a warranty statement starting from 1 year to 7 years.

How Do Truck Winches Work?

Whereas a truck winch is no different in function, it can support other vehicles like jeeps and the likes as it is meant for heavy-duty pulling. The basic components of an off-road truck winch include a motor, drum, gear train, and string.

The motor plays a crucial part in operating the winch powered by a battery (electric) or running engine (hydraulic). When it is powered, the gear train runs the motor and the motor makes the drum rotate the direction it is needed to. And the winch string – rope or cable- attached with the drum rolls out or back through a spool.

Once you hook up the truck to recover, the winch will wrap the string up around the drum and the stranded vehicle will move to the direction it is pulled towards. Some winches use manual crank but they are not so in vogue.

To complete how the truck winch works, you cannot leave the function of a remote control or braking system though they belong to the accessory category not the root components. A modern winch controls the pulling either by a wireless remote or a wired remote by keeping a safe distance. You can apply braking when a pause is urgent to avoid immediate danger or save energy.

How To Wire A Winch On A Truck?

Wiring the winch on your trunk requires knowing which components and accessories need wiring and what you need to wire them. To complete wiring your truck winch, you need the following:

• Remote
• Electric Cables
• Battery (12V)
• Fasteners
• Mounting Hardwares
• Fairlead
• Winch Line

Once you have the aforesaid tools, it’s time to jump on the scene. Before you start, two basic factors to know include i) wires are color-coded to tell you where and which of them and ii) ground cables are kept on the bull bars. So here is how to do it:

Step 1: Find the positive and negative wires from the control box to attach them with their pairs as suggested by the color.

Step 2: Do not forget to connect the positive wire to the battery that you should check at the end of the installation.

Step 3: To check whether the wiring is done right or not, crank your battery to run the winch. Cranking will provide sufficient electricity gradually and start the operation smoothly.

To learn how to wiring a winch in-depth, go for a detailed article.

FAQs

Should I put a winch on my truck?

You should put one if you are bound for the off-road track very often. Even the terrains with mud, rock, and sand will require your truck a winch.

How big of a winch do I need for my truck?

It is not the size that matters rather the pulling power or load capacity is crucial here. You need a winch with a pulling capacity 1.5 times the weight of your truck.

How much does it cost to install a winch on a truck?

As you see in the case of the winches reviewed here, it can start from a few hundreds to two thousands plus. It depends on your need and budget.

How much is a twelve thousand pound truck winch?

Depending on the quality and features, the cost range may be $300-$2000. You should know that you get what you pay for.

How to run a truck winch?

When wiring is done properly, you crank the batter with the help of a friend. The cranking will electrify the battery to pass power to the winch to start operating in a short while.

What are winches used for?

Winches are used to recover or rescue a car, truck, jeep or other vehicles when they are stuck in mud, sand, and rocky sideways. You can use them to pull other things too but winch cannot lift (pull much higher than the base) anything.

What should you not do at winch recovery?

You avoid the following thing when the winch is operating.

• Climbing on the winch line in tension
• Holding the wire cable with bare hands
• Getting too close to the winch in operation
• Going crazy fast while reeling the cable or rope

Final Verdict

You might have noticed that we have shortlisted those 10 winch products to answer the needs of those who are after exclusive recovery truck winch and ready to pay the hefty price and also who are after a budget purchase.

In both cases, you will end up buying the best truck winch to serve your need. The high-end products may dig deeper into your pocket but will save your money in the long run. And in the budget units, you can avail of a winch at an affordable price that will serve your purpose the best.

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