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Warn 9.5xp Winch Product Review
Wheelin’ for a day at Brown’s Camp.
No four-wheel enthusiast likes to get stuck. Having to admit defeat to a trail or rock is painful. But all experienced off-roaders know “stuck” eventually happens to everyone and that a reliable self-recovery winch is a necessity to get your vehicle back on the path. Much like all of life’s tough situations, how you get yourself out of “stuck” is the important part.
Recently, with an assignment to test the capabilities of the 9.5xp winch from Warn Industries, our group headed to Browns Camp in Oregon’s Tillamook State Forest to get stuck as much as possible. The goal was to give the 9.5xp a workout, not to mention brush up on our winching skills.
Designated “XP” by the company for Extreme Performance, the 9.5xp has a 9,500 lb. pulling capacity and is reported to have the fastest line speed of any Warn winch under load. The three-stage planetary gearing and continuous duty control pack are designed to work in sync to tackle demanding pulls.
That’s exactly what we had in mind when we installed the 9.5xp on Mike’s 1998 Jeep XJ. After mounting the winch to a Warn bumper, we headed to the trails to see what it could do.
  After disengaging the clutch, we free spooled all but the last five wraps on the drum, connected the winch hook to our companion vehicle to provide tension, and pulled the Jeep while spooling the rope back in. |
The trip to Brown’s Camp was the first time the 9.5xp was going to see any action, so we first stretched the wire rope before we put it to use. It’s best to do this with a new winch to make sure the rope is spooled under tension to provide maximum pulling power. After disengaging the clutch, we free spooled all but the last five wraps on the drum, connected the winch hook to our companion vehicle to provide tension, and pulled the Jeep while spooling the rope back in. This gave us an indication of the 9.5xp’s pretty quick line speed, as we did all 100 feet in just a few minutes. When we had the rope properly wound, we took off to explore the beautiful Oregon terrain.
It didn’t take too long for us to call the winch into action. Our third trail was a steep climb with large rocks positioned near the top that were just big enough to cause us some problems. After a few tries to make it over the rocks, we decided it was time for our first winching operation of the day.
  Our third trail was a steep climb with large rocks positioned near the top that were just big enough to cause us some problems. After a few tries to make it over the rocks, we decided it was time for our first winching operation of the day. |
When winching, the first order of the day is to put on gloves to protect the hands, then we connected the remote control and placed it in the cab, and freed the winch hook. Now we were ready to find a strategic anchor spot, such as a tree, rock or stump, which would allow us to conduct a straight pull. We located a tree about 40 feet in front of us that looked strong enough, then disengaged the clutch and free spooled the wire rope to the tree. We wrapped a tree trunk protector strap around the base of the tree, attached a D shackle to the two ends of the strap, and secured the winch hook through the shackle. After locking the winch’s clutch, I just touched the remote Power-In switch in a smidge to put the rope under tension and eliminate any slack. We were now ready to winch ourselves out of our predicament. Back in the vehicle, I hit the Power-In switch to start the operation — the 9,500 lbs. of pulling power was ample to get the rig “unstuck” and back on sturdy ground. The remote was easy to use and gave instant response with each push of the switch.
With the Cherokee pulled to a safe spot and I secured the vehicle. Then, I disconnected the wire rope from the tree trunk protector and walked it back to the winch using the Power-In switch. With the winch rope properly wound on the drum, I unplugged the remote and put it back in the vehicle. We were impressed with the winch and were confident the 9.5xp would get us out of any situation.
We located a tree about 40 feet in front of us that looked strong enough, and wrapped a tree trunk protector strap around the base.
Just to be sure, we headed for the most difficult trail at Brown’s Camp to really test its performance capabilities. About halfway up The Waterfall on the Archer’s Fire Break trail, the Cherokee stared up at a tricky rock shelf. Mike gave it a brave effort to get over, but ultimately ended up sitting helplessly on the rock. For the final pull of the day, we hooked up onto a tree about 60 feet away, a bit longer than our first pull, meaning we would have more winching power. We set up our winching operation the same way as before and were ready to go. Sitting behind the wheel with the remote and seeing only sky and the tree tops through the windshield, Mike hit the Power-In switch and started the crawl up and over the obstacle.
We liked the 9.5xp motor, available only on this Warn model, and the fact that it was able to do long, hard pulls without needing a break to prevent overheating. Not once did we have to wait for the winch to catch up to us. It was a great day at Browns Camp with a new winch and we got to practice our winching techniques, which is always good to do to keep your skills sharp.
  On the Waterfall on the Archer’s Fire Break trail, the Cherokee stared up at a tricky rock shelf that gave us another opportunity to try the winch out and hone our winching skills a little more. |
Overall, the 9.5xp did its job when called upon and pulled us out of trouble every time, including on the toughest test in the forest. Its pulling features make it a must have accessory to get you out of “stuck” and back on the trail.
Buy a Warn 9.5xp Winch at www.4wheelparts.com.
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Source:
- Warn Industries, Inc.
- 13270 SE Pheasant Court
- Milwaukie, OR 97222
- 800-910-1122
- www.warn.com