Truck and Jeep winch reviews, bumper mounting guides and heavy-pull advice.
The best 10000 lb winch for most buyers is the WARN VR EVO 10-S: 10,000 lb pull, series-wound motor, IP68 sealing, and the strongest warranty in the class. The Smittybilt X2O Gen2 10K gives you similar headline specs for less money, and the Badland ZXR 9500 is the cheapest way into this pull class. A
Buy the Smittybilt X2O Gen3 if you want the better winch; buy the XRC Gen3 if you want more capacity for less money. The X2O Gen3 is Smittybilt’s flagship line: IP68 waterproofing, an integrated wireless remote, and synthetic rope as standard. The XRC Gen3 gives you 12,000 lb of pull with a load-sensing wired remote
Buy the WARN VR EVO 10 if you want the best-built 10,000 lb winch and the strongest warranty in the business. Buy the Smittybilt X2O 10K if you want the same 10,000 lb rating, a longer rope, and a better remote for roughly $200 less. Both are series-wound, IP68-sealed winches, so this is a refinement-versus-value
Buy the WARN VR EVO 10-S. For most truck and Jeep owners it pulls just as hard as the Zeon 10-S for roughly half the money, and it carries the same limited-lifetime mechanical and 7-year electrical warranty. The Zeon 10-S earns its premium only if you value the flagship build: cast-aluminum housing, convertible control pack,
The best winch for a Jeep Gladiator is a 10,000 to 12,000 lb winch with synthetic rope. A stock Gladiator weighs roughly 5,000 lb, so the 1.5x rule calls for at least 7,500 lb of pull, and 10,000 lb is the sweet spot once you account for mud, incline, and modifications. Our top pick is