Warn M8000 or 9.5XP????

I have the 9.5 XP on mine and would reccomend it if you use it on hill climbs or pulling yourself out of the mud. The 8000 is fine but it's slow and on a long pull it will get really hot. I'd go with the 9.5XP for the price you found.

For cable, I run 100' of 3/8 Amsteel and it's too tight on the drum. The XP originally came with 125' of 5/16 wire rope but on the new ones Warn is shipping them with 100' of 5/16. If I were you I'd go with 5/16 Amsteel which is good for 12000 lbs. I went with 3/8 for the extra wear but regret it now. When I do a long pull I often have to stop and respool to get it all to fit.

Overall I'm thrilled with the winch, it's powerful, fast and since it's a Warn I'm sure it will always work when I need it. .....Steve

Also, you can get an aluminum fairlead from OK Offroad for a decent price and if you ask they'll knock some cash off the total if you mention TTORA. The other option is a UHMWP fairlead from Sky Manufacturing which I'm running now but it won't last if you use it with a muddy line. I've seen a few that are very chewed up from sidepulls out of a mudhole. ..Steve

expeditionswest said:

Good feedback SteveO, but I have a question on the speed and heat comment.

The speed is nearly the same at 8,000 lbs.

Specs from WARN:

Line Speed at 8,000 Lbs.

Winch: Line Speed: Amp Draw:
M8000 8.1 Ft/Min 435
9.5 XP 8.8 Ft/Min 425

The speed at 8,000 lbs. is nearly identical

And the temp should be the same too, as both winches are three stage planetary and are pulling essentially the same amps.

But there are definetaly advantages to the 9.5, including capacity, and improved controller.

I have been a big fan of the M8000's (I own 2), as they are a great value. In your case, you got a great deal, so you made the right choice

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I guess they look pretty close on paper (although the 8000 is 8.01ft/min) but the speed at 8000 is still 10% quicker with the 9.5. Heat is determined by resistance times current squared so that 10A difference does add a lot more heat to the process. The numbers are closer than I thought though.

I also like the way the 9.5 is sealed compared to the 8000. For us that spend a ton of time in water and mud it's a valuable feature. Not knocking the 8000 at all but for the way we use them here the XP is definately the way to go. .....Steve

Make sure that if you order the rope you only get 100' of 5/16 or it's a nightmare spooling it on. If you need more length order a 50' extension as well. ....Steve

hytenor said:

even on the 95? bummer. I figured with the faster line speed it wouldn't be a problem.

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I mean it will be a nightmare making it all fit. For me to get all 100' of 3/8 on the drum I need to watch it carefully and spool it nearly perfect or it won't fit. It's so close that I only use 1 abrasion guard, when I had two on there I couldn't fit all the rope on the drum. It's tight, next time I'm going with 5/16 amsteel instead.

hytenor said:

but I would think that you would have enough room for 125' since the winch is designed for that amount. My xd9000 came with 125' of cable but I only loaded it with 100' of Amsteel to make side-winching easier.

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The winch wasn't designed big enough for 125'. It originally came with that much but then Warn realized it wouldn't work and they changed it to 100'. Mine came with 125 so I ordered 100' of 3/8 then heard about the change. http://www.warn.com/truck/winches/95xp_winch.shtml