Best Winches for Jeep Wranglers

Most winches you’ll see on the market are electric winches. The main reason being their simplicity. Hydraulic winches tap into your Jeep’s power steering system, making for a far more complicated install than electric winches. Electric winches do rely on your Wrangler’s battery, so be sure to use it when your rig is running when possible. The main benefit of a hydraulic winch is you don’t have to worry about duty cycle unless your engine is toast. More often than not, most consider the electric winch the best.

Between the two, synthetic rope wins out in most contests. The strength of steel cable isn’t questioned. It’s fireproof, hard to damage, all around cheap to acquire. The drawbacks, however, can be devastating. Steel line is far more dangerous than synthetic should it snap, and burs can easily slice fingers to ribbons if you’re not paying attention. Synthetic rope is lighter and safer to operate. Another bonus is it floats, making water recovery less of a headache.