The OPENROAD 13500 (Panther Series 3S) is the budget-brand 13.5K synthetic winch that keeps earning slots in this site’s guides — it ranks in our Jeep winch guide, the Bronco guide and the value guide — so this review collects the full record in one place: what the maker publishes, where its own channels disagree, and what its 1-year warranty means next to the lifetime-warranty class. This is a research-based review; we do not test winches, and no first-person testing claims appear here (the previous version’s have been removed).
Verdict — 8.5/10: a genuinely documented budget 13.5K: 6.6 hp series-wound motor, 218:1, synthetic line and an IP68 claim, from a brand with a real catalogue behind it. The trade is the warranty (1 year against the class’s lifetime mechanical) and a rope-length disagreement between the maker (88 ft) and Amazon (85 ft) that this review prints rather than resolves.
OPENROAD 13500 specifications
| Rated pull | 13,500 lb |
| Motor | 6.6 hp series-wound |
| Gear ratio | 218:1 |
| Rope | Synthetic, 3/8 in x 88 ft (maker) — Amazon lists 85 ft; conflict flagged |
| Sealing | IP68 |
| Weight | 65 lb |
| Warranty | 1-year |
| Line speed / duty | See maker data — intermittent duty class, as all winches in this class |
How the score works
Scoring rubric for this review: published-spec completeness 30% · spec honesty (channel conflicts) 20% · owner feedback 30% · warranty and support terms 20%. The score is editorial judgement from published specs and owner reports, not test results. The 13500 scores where it does because its maker documentation is unusually complete for its price class — the same reason its smaller sibling keeps failing this site’s standard (the OPENROAD 12000’s maker figures are largely unpublished, as our cheap winch guide documents).
What owners report
Owner coverage for the Panther 3S is thinner than for the WARN/Smittybilt class — stated plainly, as this site’s method requires. What the record shows across the forums and owner discussions gathered in our guide research: the winch is bought as the value 13.5K for Jeeps and Broncos, its wireless control and synthetic line are the praised points, and long-term durability reports are still accumulating because the model’s installed base is young. Buyers weighing it against the X2O class (our 12000 lb guide) are trading warranty years for purchase price — that is the whole decision, and it is a legitimate one made with both numbers in view.
Strengths
- Documented maker spec (rare at this price)
- 13,500 lb class headroom for 12K applications
- Synthetic line and IP68 claim
- Consistent identity across this site’s guides
Watch-outs
- 1-year warranty vs lifetime-mechanical class
- Rope length conflict (88 maker / 85 Amazon)
- Owner record still young
Who should buy it, who should skip it
Buy it: the Jeep/Bronco/truck owner who wants 13.5K headroom documented rather than decorated, and accepts the warranty trade. Skip it: the buyer whose recovery is remote and self-reliant — the lifetime-warranty class (VR EVO, X2O) exists for that risk profile, ranked in our truck winch guide and 12000 lb guide.
Alternatives in the same class
| Winch | Pull | Warranty | Where it ranks here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smittybilt X2O Gen3 12K | 12,000 lb | Lifetime / 5-yr | 12000 lb guide |
| WARN VR EVO 10-S | 10,000 lb | Lifetime / 7-yr | Jeep guide |
| X-BULL 13000 | 13,000 lb | 1-year | cheap winch guide |
OPENROAD 13500 FAQ
Is the rope 85 or 88 ft?
The maker says 3/8 x 88 ft; Amazon’s listing says 85 ft. This review prints both because the maker’s figure governs the product and the discrepancy is exactly the kind of thing a buyer should verify at delivery.
Is 13,500 lb overkill for a Jeep?
For a stock JL it is headroom; for a built, armoured one it is the honest class. Our Jeep guide sizes it properly.
How does the 1-year warranty compare?
WARN and Smittybilt publish lifetime mechanical warranties in this class. OPENROAD publishes 1 year. The review scores that gap openly rather than hiding it.
OPENROAD 13500 vs 12000?
Buy the 13500’s documentation: the 12000 (Panther 3S sibling) left most maker figures unpublished in our research, which is why it scores lower across this site.
Sources
- OPENROAD maker data: openroad4wd.com; guide research files for the Jeep, Bronco and value guides on this site (owner discussions paraphrased in the owners section).
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