Thanks for opening the control box. This part went bad on my Badland winch, which I hardly ever used and wondered if it was a solenoid (reversing contactor) inside or not.

I noticed that several years back at Harbor Freight, the same item can have several different item numbers. They said its because they get them from different manufacturers. But I haven't bought any of their winches yet

I used in combination this winch and my 2004 Honda foreman rubicon to move a 5x7 shed for a friend of mine. I had no delay with the remote. At times I had to work the remote and the four wheeler in low gear to pull the shed. I was using a chain from the shed to the tow ball then the cable to my truck or a tree. The only issue I had was the winch stopping while pulling a load.

Owned one of these for about 24 hours. Rigged it and shortly after found out the cable break did not work. So it was useless as a snowplow blade winch. Took it back. Fortunately I bought it at Harbor Freight and they have a good return policy.

I had a TSC Traveler winch self destruct in the exact same manner. Thank God I had a USA made Hi-Lift jack that got me unstuck.

I use this winch to help pull my buddies 4 x 4 F-150 out the mud it delivered real good. All you had to do was use common sense remove mud from behind the tires, pushed the vehicle a little bit ,and give it Light Gas We use this winch continuously didn't even give it the recommended resting periods other than the time it took to re-anchor to different points. This thing even helped swing the back sideways, I couldn't cant imagine what this thing would do with a snatch block. This winch,a shovel, and a little Common Sense will definitely do better than just someone digging a vehicle in one already stuck with no traction, some other guy yankin whos sliding themselves or messing with a come along.A nice PART of a WHOLE offroad recovery plan, along with gloves , snatch strap,shovels, and other items. I love it can be mounted in a reciever hitch and light enough to bring with you or put on someone else's ride in the field with some jumper cables... way to go Harbor freight for 49 dollars!!!

Could you pull off this wireless receiver and wire in a wireless receiver to be controlled via an RC car controller? Thanks!

Anyone know what guage that battery cable wire is on these winches? Wanna run it to my auxiliary battery compartment under the hood of my Silverado, keeping the battery for it under the hood, out of site.

Interesting info. The #61258 is no longer available either. I have #61840 and it appears to have the smaller wiring. The other available number now is #61297, so also smaller wiring. I just installed mine in the garage floor to pull cars across a mostly level driveway if they aren't running. Tested it with my Impreza and it worked fine. Hopefully I'll have good luck with it. Install and testing videos coming soon. Wish I had the thicker wiring though!

@nickcraft6813

6 жыл бұрын

Jacks

@ezrabrooks7785

5 жыл бұрын

Use some old jumper cables #4

i have the one with the bigger control box. i added a detachable wired remote. the wireless fob is great for working the line at much farther distances, but you are spot on that wired control is almost necessary when working close to the winch. A small hole to have the antenna wire outside the box - improves range and response, but it will never be a wired control. I also conformal coated the waferboard inside the key fob so it would last longer. I always run a snatch block to halve the load on the winch. also added a hook stopper. built a receiver mount so that i can hook it to whichever piece of equipment i need it on. Worth noting, the HF extended warranty isn't actually a warranty at all, it is a no-questions-asked exchange for full replacement at any HF store.

As to the difference in wire thickness did you verify if all the cables were copper? I remember back in the day when they started using aluminum wiring because it was cheaper. The aluminum wire had to be thicker than the copper because it is less conductive. The aluminum corroded so badly in air that any connections became high resistance, heated up, and started causing fires. You could put goop on them to stop the corrosion but who did. I wouldn't trust aluminum wire no matter how well it was sealed from the environment.

i just broke mine have it on a rhino.it pulled me off a stump 1 time but broke yesterday trying to winch a 8 ft section of a tree .the motor runs but nuthing happens like the gears stripped.2nd time i used it in 2 years. dont depend on it to get up out of a jam.

Thanks for your review and opinion. I didn't really need to see it working as someone else suggested. I'd like to use a small winch on my 4x4 ATV just to raise / lower the snow plow. I'm a 'fair weather' rider these days on our farm. Mending fences, woods and trail rides, etc. The hill climbing, Mud bogging days are not my thing anymore. I really can't see spending more than a hundred bucks just to operate my small plow.

@coltknight3945

4 жыл бұрын

I use this winch on my Mule to work my snow plow.

Do I need a separate battery ?

Is it loud? I was thinking about putting one on my chicken coop door...it will be a lot cheaper than the special made ones but if it's too loud I'll have to scratch that idea or figure out how to make it quiet.

@1D10CRACY

6 жыл бұрын

+ThatguyRyan They are no louder than any other winch. More of a whine than anything.

Do I want a wireless remote for winter snow plowing?

i bought one of these a year ago and unboxed it the other day and installed on a pick up truck crane. The remote control would not communicate with winch receiver, winch works when jumper wired, but nothing with wireless remote, and as usual with HF stuff no help in instructions

Great video. Thanks. I'm trying to modify my Harbor Freight winch so it has two cables, one that spools off, and another that spools on at the same time. Any idea how to attach a second cable to the winch drum? Anyone?

@l337pwnage

7 жыл бұрын

Not sure what your purpose is, but I don't know how you could guarantee that they won't get tangled unless you weld a partition onto the drum. Also one would be pulling off the top which would be much weaker because of it's leverage on the winch. Also I have been told that most holding brakes are directional, and some actually can overheat from paying out too often. I have not verified that info personally, tho.

@bayfieldmurphy1287

4 жыл бұрын

Tried it once and couldn't get it right enough used on a snow plow for side to side shift

@_CAT-lg4sr

Жыл бұрын

You would use what's called a drum divider. A two piece affair that looks like a donut, about a half inch thick, cut across its diameter. Recessed clearance holes in one half, tapped holes in the other. Mount equidistant on the drum.

Do you think this winch would work well to hoist ups deer for cleaning in my hunting lodge?

@1D10CRACY

4 жыл бұрын

I bet it would!

Basically the same as the Hampton/Keeper/Trakker winches. I can't find it now, but there was a rating difference on one of those winches bases solely on the wire size it came with. I wish I had that info handy because I thought it was odd when I read it. Also, there is a trailer mount kit which uses #6 wire, so there might have also been a desire to make it compatible with that. When it comes to chinese stuff, people should expect to either have to return a few or fix it before using it. I bought one of those chinese grinders and the switch was stuck "on". I had to take it apart and fix the switch. Also, there is typically no real safety factor in a consumer grade winch. They aren't rated for overhead use and you aren't meant to stand near them under use. They are also meant for very intermittent use. That's why, for example, my Electric 8000# winch uses a 5/16" cable, my old 8000# PTO winch used a 3/8" cable, and the hydraulic powered "8000#" winches where I work use a 1/2" cable. Fun fact: I don't know if they still do, but Superwinch used to typically use 1 size larger cable per rating on their winches. Or they did way back when I compared a bunch of brands. Otherwise, the cable sizes tend to be close to the same across the board for consumer grade winches. At work we bought some consumer winches for light recovery work. Not gonna say the brand, so don't ask. They did pull tests for reasons they should be embarrassed for, but, TBH, If you don't know, you should do whatever it takes to find out. So points for that I guess. Incidentally, these were also 8,000# winches, IIRC and the cables were braking pretty consistently around around the 6,000# pound mark. (I hope my numbers are accurate, this was probably 5-10 years ago). I guess the point is they were breaking under the rated load, the guys called the manufacturer and the manufacturer's reason for the breaking was that the drum was flat and not an industrial use type drum where there are grooves or the cable to lay in. May have something to do with it, but the fact also was the cables were braking right around the middle, not near the drum, where the stress is the highest on a straight pull, so I tend to think the cables were just weak. Consumer grade winches are generally not expected to be used near max capacity often, if at all. Another fun fact. The old rigging supplier I used to deal with did business with a farmer who had cable operated scrapers to clean the cow duty off the floors in the barn. Like consumer winches, they made a big deal out of you have to use the "aircraft cable" for the units. It is rated more and says "aircraft" on it, so it must be awesome, right? Well, he was breaking cables a lot and it was getting expensive so he said screw it and started buying standard wire cable. The standard cables lasted around 5X longer before they broke.

Two questions: (1) How do you mount a roller fairlead to a badlands 2500 winch? (2) How do you get the hook through the rollers initially when it’s way too thick?

@robertocommander2153

5 жыл бұрын

Ivan Romanov just got one today and asked myself the same question. Still searching to find out

@HNXMedia

5 жыл бұрын

#2 - You remove the end clip from one of the rollers, remove the roller, slip the hook through and reassemble.

I have one of these winches that live in the "V" of my enclosed trailer. I use it to load motorcycles that wwont move on their own. I use it to load huge tool boxes, mine is 6' tall by 6' wide by 3 feet deep and fully loaded literally weighs a ton. Or close there about. With a soft sling around my tool box to prevent scratching it runs smoothly up the ramp door. I think for the money involved, and how much a wrecker costs to move my tool box, this is a HUGE win. It serves its purpose adequately. The wireless remote is quite nice. I can easily hard wire a remote if necessary. But so far, i just keep an extra battery handy.

Has anyone had trouble with the brake? I have one mounted on my ATV to raise and lower the plow. Problem is it goes up but won’t hold it’s position, it always lowers itself. Have to constantly hold it in the up position until I want to lower it. As soon as I let the switch go to the neutral position it lowers by itself. Please help! Thank you.

@1D10CRACY

4 жыл бұрын

I've had two that the brake has failed! They just stop engaging!

63486 is model of have .looks identical With #4 wire

the only question i need answered at this point ... how well do you think one of these would last mounted in the bed of my truck to pull garden tractors up ramps and into the bed?

@gingertimelord5

6 жыл бұрын

good video by the way ... and as far as the broken one, it looks asif the cable bound on the spool and pushed it apart (didnt wind in straight) i have had a couple much bigger fail because of that (loaned out my old trailer to stupid people)

@1D10CRACY

6 жыл бұрын

I think it would work just fine for that!

how do you get the clip thru the cable guide???

@coltknight3945

4 жыл бұрын

Disassemble the fair lead roller.

Hi. What's the automatic load holding brake on the box mean please?

@1D10CRACY

6 жыл бұрын

It's not suppose to free spin when you remove power.

@Failedmusician

2 жыл бұрын

@@1D10CRACY hi, I am hoping you can answer this question. I am trying to find a winch that lifts a weight (3-400 lbs) and then when I stop, it lets the weight free fall. This winch supports free spool but it appears that after free spooling, you have to turn the switch before winching the weight back up which will not work for my project. Any thoughts?

Would this winch be ok to use for just raising and lowering a plow?

@1D10CRACY

2 жыл бұрын

I wouldn't see why not, I bet it would work just fine!

I hate the delay and also the fact that the wire can go behind the spool, but for the price I paid, I like it

Can I hook this up to a converter to run on 120v?

@Laurel-Crowned

5 жыл бұрын

It would have to be a massive converter to handle that many amps!

Use a snatch block and you'll reduce the force needed to pull your load.

@1D10CRACY

6 жыл бұрын

+Shaun Hammer I usually do, mainly because the speed is also reduced by half.

The remote and the control box wound up under water and the control box is nowhere near waterproof it got flooded and shorted out the units in the control box

Do you think this can lift 300 lbs? I want to stand up some 4" oil field pipes so make a barn and last time I used a hoist for drywall and struggled. I want to make like a gin pole attachment to a trailer and install this on the top. Well you may find that on my channel later lol.

@1D10CRACY

4 жыл бұрын

Yes it will! I actually used one on a boom crane I had made and lifted a few engines. You'll want to double it back and use a snatch block to slow it down and double it's lifting power. Be careful though, the auto brakes on these can fail. I'm getting ready to do another crane build myself, but am using Champion winches from Menards, I think they are made better, but they cost more. Going to subscribe to your channel!

@cutweldngrind

4 жыл бұрын

@@1D10CRACY I was looking at a few brands on Amazon and champion is one in my watch list. I liked a Rugcel one but have no clue on that brand. Anyways thanks for the help and suggestions. If I build it and it works it will be on my channel lol.

I got news for ya I did use mine to pull an not runing 00 silverado ext cab 4x4 up an on a trailer worked great did slow down but did do the job

@1D10CRACY

5 жыл бұрын

I got news for you too! I pulled a older 4x4 Dodge ram onto a tilt trailer with mine. ;). But I did double it back with a snatch block.

@Ashroyer86

5 жыл бұрын

@@1D10CRACY pulling a 5000 lb truck around with a 2500 lb winch will sure be a cause for a winch to break.

@1D10CRACY

6 ай бұрын

@@Ashroyer86 One would think, but the badlands 2500lb winch on my trailer has pulled many vehicles onto it without failing so far. Keep in mind doubling back on it with a snatch block increases it's rating to 5000lb. And pulling a 5000lb truck onto a trailer does not mean you are exceeding or even getting close to pulling 5000lbs on the winch. All of that being said, I have read the general rule of thumb is to oversize your winch by 1.5 times the weight of the vehicle.

Any ideas on how to bypass the wireless remote

@danmayes4657

3 жыл бұрын

kzread.info/dash/bejne/iZV5p8VpYMafg6Q.html This Link

They work great on a riding mower and are not meant to lift a car in the air. I did swap out the remote to a manual switch tho.

@jacklks269

5 жыл бұрын

what switch did you use ?

@crazydirtbikeman77

5 жыл бұрын

i did as well on a momentary switch and i prefer it much more. i use it for my tractor blade

I need a remote for mine how do I get one?

@dannyzz7930

7 жыл бұрын

the website may have the one what you want lidiao.en.alibaba.com

Can I add this to a Jeep or should this only be installed to a ATV?

@jessicajones8958

3 жыл бұрын

I would probably stick to atv but if your jeep Waze over 2000 pounds I would not bec I’m putting one in my atv

can you ground the antenna for more range?

@l337pwnage

7 жыл бұрын

No, that won't help. you could maybe relocate it, but that is tricky as antennas are tuned by length. That basically looks just like an RC car receiver, so the first thing I thought of was get one of those RC plastic tubes to slide over the wire to hold it straight and mount the antenna upright if possible.

@trentcalhoun7044

6 жыл бұрын

Trent Calhoun

@Hiperf

5 жыл бұрын

I was always told one item can have different #s. Reason I was told was they are coming from different suppliers.

258 is the ZXR and the 297 is the basic version . Thats why the “258” has thicker wires etc..

Would you happen to know if it's waterproof?

@1D10CRACY

7 жыл бұрын

+Al Moreno It appears to be, as in when I took the motor housing apart on one of them there was rubber gaskets between all the parts.

@almoreno8506

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the info

Look at the ads A lot of items from hb look identical but have different item numbers.

@Ashroyer86

5 жыл бұрын

Plus larger wire holds more current. The more weight you pull the more current your motor will draw.

Silicone the Box for the wireless remote sealants that won't get wet it was working fine to that solenoid got wet

@1D10CRACY

Жыл бұрын

Seems like a good idea! I would totally do this to mine if I kept them outside. Luckily I'm able to keep mine dry.

Is it just me or is there no way to mount the fair lead on these?

@DistinctEditz555

3 жыл бұрын

Mount fair lead on mounting plate that you're supposed to get separately.

@pixelpatter01

Жыл бұрын

You spend an extra $4.99 and buy the mounting baseplate; it's right next to the winch at the store. I used mine on a homemade crane so I fabricated my own mount. You have to remove a clip on one of the rollers to get the hook through; or cut the hook off and feed the wire through. People using winches are supposed to think.

@hdrjunkie

Жыл бұрын

@@pixelpatter01 yeah I did just that lol

They will not sell you replacement parts for the 2500 Badland

@badbehavior1883

Жыл бұрын

GET REAL

What was it made

@DigitalPrintInkSpringfield

3 жыл бұрын

Where was it made

I bought it and never used it till 6 months later for pulling a heavy wood log onto my trailer. It doesn't even work. All I hear is clicking noise in the relay. So an important lesson here is to always test it out before the return policy is expired. As of now, I'm trying to figure out how to use or create. a wired remote. The wireless remote is useless.

How does it freespool?

@1D10CRACY

4 жыл бұрын

There is a knob on the end you pull and it freespools.

@WilberPig

4 жыл бұрын

1D10CRACY it was froze up but we got the whole thing off. Tested the wires an they was good so the whole wench was bad

nice badland 2500 ib winch atv

@1D10CRACY

5 жыл бұрын

Champians at Menards are not that much more and are a far better winch.

Get the 3500 lb. HF winch instead. For a few dollars more, you get a lot better, heavy duty winch. The cable is 3/8", not 1/4" like the 2500 lb winch. The motor is bigger, more powerful. And it comes with a wired switch, which is much better than the cheap remote switch you get with the 2500 lb. winch. If you buy it on sale and use the 20% off coupon, you can actually get the 3500 lb. winch cheaper than the 2500 lb. one.

@1D10CRACY

5 жыл бұрын

Good to know! I replaced all of mine with Champions and can't seem to kill them!

@MartinRodriguez-zg7dk

5 жыл бұрын

I need one of does boxes. To power my. Winch. If you have one. Extra email me

Hello Im looking for parts and sounds like you have a pile of parts want to sell ?

I like HB winches. That being said do not buy an HB 2500. That motor is literally strong enough to pull itself apart. Might be okay for a trailer to load a rolling load but not for a stuck ATV.

good to hang your deer in a garage for processing . the battery in the remote you have to find on line call the HF number they don't have them and they will cost you like $12.00 for tha battery/ not a simple one you can buy at the store

@1D10CRACY

7 жыл бұрын

I've had 4 of these now, all of them have the remote shown in the video. The remotes use two CR2032s, a fairly common battery. Walmart sells them, I have also purchased them at the dollar tree. Here is an Amazon link to them amzn.to/2pe3Fyh

Do yourself a favor...buy the 3500# winch...way better design and quality. Spend the extra money if you actually use this winch a lot.

@1D10CRACY

6 жыл бұрын

Matt Smith Yes, the HF 3500# are a lot tougher. That being said, I've been using 3500# made by champion in my projects. I have not lost one yet and they are cheap.

Same with mine the drum broke smooth in half and wedged itself, I only was plowing snow, get what you pay for ain't that America

WHEN THEY SAY RATED AT 2500 LBS. THEY MEAN A ROLLING LOAD. I HAD THE SAME ONE BECAUSE THEY DON`T LEVEL WIND THE CABLE WENT UP ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE SPOOL AND IT TOOK LIKE 2 HOURS TO DIG OUT THE RUINED CABLE. PS. BOTTOM LINE ? ITS A PIECE OF SHIT !

@ajl9491

7 жыл бұрын

Yeah rolling load on the flat! 2500 used to mean vertical dead load these have a problem with 300 lbs of Snow plow... Hopeless..

@12scars

6 жыл бұрын

I just pulled my Prairie out of a creek that was fairly well stuck with one of these that was on it when I bought the wheeler used. It did the job, doesn't mean I wouldn't rather have a nicer, newer winch, but it did do as advertised. I also really didn't have any trouble. I had just had it apart to regrease and free it up days earlier due to an inop condition, so I was happy to have it. My .02

You may expect differences when it is made in China

Are you as rough on all your equipment as the 2,500. Being a mechanic, I'd never loan you any tools, not even an a anvil if you used a feather on it. Take care of all your tools regardless of how much you paid for it. Just sensible advice from an old experienced mechanic who still uses his Dad's cheap tools from the 30's-50-s

@1D10CRACY

4 жыл бұрын

That's ok, I wouldn't need to borrow any of your equipment, I'm still use my grandpa's from the 30s and 40s. ;). From one Mechanic to another, take care of your Dads tools! They don't make them like they use too! BTW, I've purchased 3, 3k Champian wenches since this video and can't seem to tear them up!

You wouldnt recomend buying them but you've bought 4?

@1D10CRACY

5 жыл бұрын

Correct... Sometimes it takes me a while to learn a lesson.

a review that doesn't operate the winch itself. How pointless

If this presenter actually allowed this cable to enlarge to this degree, It shows his mechanical indifference, he apparently is a HF hater

@1D10CRACY

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the comment! I'm sorry you don't understand the physics of how the spool and cable should work. I replaced this one with a Champion and it has never failed. Also I love Harbor Freight and had you looked at most of my videos you would of seen that. But I do appreciate your honest opinion.

sooooooooo sloooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwww

Thanks for the video. I'll be staying away from this piece of garbage!! lol

Piece of junk. 5% duty cycle! That means use it for 45 seconds, then let it cool off for 15 minutes. Harbor Freight specializes in Chinese junk.

There junk, absolute junk