I am ready for a winch now and have decided to put hitches on the front and back of my X. I was looking on Ebay for a cheap winch when I came across one of these winches: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=4529739458&category=43984
They have different weight ratings available, I think they are 12,000 and 9,000.
If anyone has tried one it would be great to know if they work ok.

i wouldn't recommend it.. It only has a pulling load of 3500 lbs. You need atleat 1.5 times the weight of the Explorer in regards to the pulling weight.

That's not a winch made for mounting to a vehicle for pulling purposes. It's a utility type winch designed to pull a boat out of the water or things like that. It would get destroyed the first time you tried to use it.

Look in the spex and you'll see that the 10,500 lb rating is for a rolling load, meaning it'll pull a vehicle that heavy on flat pavement with 4 inflated tires. The pulling rating is only 3500, less than the weight of an Explorer. The general rule for offroad winch ratings is - 1.5 times the weight of your vehicle. Most people just go double, or more.

A stock Ex weighs ~4000 lbs.

Cheapest usable winch would probably be one from Harbor Freight.

edit: damn, I type too slow!

Looks like I'm gonna have to save a little more then.
Can i use one of the Warn front receiver mounts with a Harbor Freight or Raymart winch? Or is there any hitch mounts that would work with one of those brands?

You shouldn't buy one of those winches. They're slow and cheaply made. You'd probably end up spending more on replacements than a WARN would cost.

Here's a thread to read. http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=117213&highlight=harbor+freight+winch

Thanks for the info everyone, but what about:


Can i use one of the Warn front receiver mounts with a Harbor Freight or Raymart winch? Or is there any hitch mounts that would work with one of those brands?


Or if any one has an even cheaper way of installing a winch, (yes, I know I should build a mount myself. It would be crap i bet.) fill me in on it.