Strangers to the Jeep culture often wonder why they see Jeep winches attached to Wranglers, CJs and Cherokees. Most people think they are just for show, but the fact is that winches are a very important tool for people who love to trail ride or rock climb.
Of course the main goal for a day trip is to not get stuck, but naturally Jeep lovers tend to push the envelope. This envelope pushing often leads to people getting stuck in places that they don’t want to get stuck. If another friend has Jeep recovery gears they can easily get the stranded Jeep safely to better ground.
People looking for a manufacturer of great Jeep winches should look at the line-up of Rugged Ridge winches. These are some of the most durable and useful winches sold on the market today. A great winch is the Heavy Duty 10500 pound winch that comes with a steel cable. This is one of the most affordable Jeep recovery products on the market.
The 10500 by Rugged Ridge is better built than any other winch in its price range. It comes with a powerful 6.6 horsepower motor which is capable of pulling up to 10,500 pounds. It is built with all stainless steel hardware ensuring that it will not succumb to tough environmental elements most Jeep owners put their vehicles through. This model is available with either a synthetic rope or a steel cable depending on the user’s needs.
Rugged Ridge also makes a smaller 8500 winch that has a smaller 5.5 horsepower engine. For the most part the two products are the same; the only real difference is the fact that the smaller of the two can only handle about 8,500 pounds of weight. For people who are only pulling people out of ditches or quarries this winch is plenty strong. This model comes a durable all-weather cable remote that is 12 feet long which allows the user to stand clear as the utilize the winch.
When purchasing any of the Rugged Ridge Jeep winches it is also important to purchase the proper accessories that are need to help protect the wince from the elements and also to make sure nothing is missing when the winch is actually needed to save the day. This is why we recommend getting a winch cover and extra winch rope or steel cable and a full array of d-rings and other fasteners.
Most of Jeep winches are easy to mount to most vehicles, but it will be important to either get a bumper kit with a winch mount or to buy a separate winch mount for the particular Jeep bumper configuration.