Warn 9.5ti Winch Good deal!

[TheGoodHummerMan]

Skulz,

Warn released the 9.5ti winch a few months ago. It comes without a multi-mount bracket and has 72" leads for connecting to your vehicle's battery.

Warn has also announced that they have a multi-mount model, complete with the short leads and a quick-connect adaptor. However, it is NOT available at this time. Maybe tomorrow? Maybe July 3rd?

After speaking directly with a represenative at Warn Inc. I was told that the 9.5ti winch was a major improvement and development and that it includes very special seals to protect the winch when it gets wet, as winches have been known to do. He also told me that disassembly of the 9.5ti winch to switch cables would invalidate the warranty and probably ruin the seals leading to premature winch failure. Of course, maybe this is not true? Maybe the people who manufacture these winches don't know what they are talking about, but the unauthorized sales outlet, gowar.com knows better?

I would suggest that you listen to the RED letter dealer! The price they are quoting you is about the same as what gowarn ripped me off for and I would suggest that you will be much better off dealing with a reputable dealer.

Gowarn.com charged me full shipping even though it was supposed to be free. They then refunded $45 for shipping which meant I only paid about half price for shipping. But it sure wasn't free as they advertised. They also did not ship the quick-connect cables to me. They didn't even know what they were until I called and told them. I had to drive 120 miles to the closest repuatble dealer and pay over $30 for the quick-connects out of my pocket. Gowarn never reimbursed me for this.

Finally, after getting everything wired up, the winch was defective. I had to make two additional 120 mile trips to get it fixed. Gowarn's comment? "Tough ****." Sorry for the language, but that is the direct quote. They went on to explain to me that they only made 50 bucks on the deal and had no intentions of being helpful or adjusting my price or send me the quick-connect cable it was supposed to come with and that I paid for.

If H2Girl likes her service from gowarn, good for her. But doing business with a company with this type of attitude is risky indeed! Caveat Emptor!

Ed

[BKLYNH2]

In the end my experience lies somewhere between Ed and H2Girl.
First H2Girl are you sure you got the 9.5ti winch with multimount? I ask this because after I got my a la carte version Gowarn told me the package was not yet available. secondly the 9.5ti winch comes with a roller fairlead and should not be an extra charge. It sounds like you got the 9000i. While I can't explain the roller fairlead it is possible that they are having their dealers assemble the whole thing due to the complaints they have been getting.

Please read the thread from the beginning to find out what happened to me, as far as what I ordered and what I got. While I do not want to recommend this company based on their customer service, I believe that this is still the cheapest deal out there for this winch. Prepared with the info on this thread and a few others on how to wire the winch, I think the cost is still worth the aggrevation. I also had to remind gowarn to credit me for shipping, and also be sure to compare their pricing on the winch accessory kits to other sites, because they may stick it to you there.
If you decide to order through them and get the a la carte version like I did( not by choice) here are some tips:
First take out the winch, place it on something high next to the H2 and connect the leads on the winch to your battery. Connect the winch remote and run the winch cable out about 8 feet and back in again. This will ensure that you were sent a working winch, before you modify anything that will make a return a problem. Please keep your hands away from the cable spool when doing this as winches are good at removing fingers.
Now if you have a working winch check all the boxes to make sure that you also got: The multi mount frame, two sets of power leads with quick connect plugs attached, and a package containing two quick connect plugs one of which will be for putting the quick connect end on the leads already on the winch. If you ordered the 9.5ti multimount package these are the items they should(and did) send. FYI if you order the wiring kit for the rear, order the twenty foot set which in my case came with the solenoid disconnect to terminate power from battery to winch with a switch. Take the shorter power leads with disconnect and through it away, you do not need or want to jeprodize the warranty when there is an easier way. I assembled the winch on the multimount and then brought the winch and wiring and plug kit to gas station service shop next door. I brought them a print out of the thread on the site re. wiring for the rear and explained that they had to cut the leads coming off the winch at an approriate length and attach the quick connect plug. They did everything wiring, front and back and solenoid switch for 150$. I think it was well worth it.
Hope this helps you make up your mind.

[H2Girl]

BKLYNH2,
Sorry to tell you but what you got was a put together kit. The 9.5 Ti winch when bought alone does come with roller fairlead but when bought with the multimount kit does not. Even WARN sells them this way : http://products.warn.com/warn.nsf/wa...ucts.Main.html

Mine came delivered in a sealed Warn box with the pictured WARN 9.5Ti multimount setup

[H2Girl]

Sorry wrong link. Here's the correct one



http://products.warn.com/warn.nsf/pa...lti-Mount.html

[Skulz]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>9.5ti Multi-Mount Kit includes winch, remote, carrier, 7.5' power lead with quick connect plug for front of vehicle and hawse fairlead. Front receiver and rear power lead sold separately.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

So you wanted a roller fairlead in addition to the hawse? I had to reread that a few times.

So besides the multimount and the rear power, do I need to purchase anything else? A roller fairlead?

Oh, I talked to the red letter warn dealer and will probably give my business to them instead of gowarn.

I'd still like to know what all I should get though.

Thanks for the replies.

-Skulz

[TheGoodHummerMan]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Skulz:
"So you wanted a roller fairlead in addition to the hawse? I had to reread that a few times. So besides the multimount and the rear power, do I need to purchase anything else? A roller fairlead? Oh, I talked to the red letter warn dealer and will probably give my business to them instead of gowarn. I'd still like to know what all I should get though. Thanks for the replies."<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Skulz,

Wise choice in my opinion. Call Warn Inc. directly and speak to any representative. Ask them if gowarn is an authorized dealer. I truly regret dealing with them. I frequently buy things from internet merchants. Generally speaking it is a very good way to save money. After doing business with the rude and obnoxious people at gowarn, I realized that I had made a huge mistake. You can bet that I will NOT make the same mistake twice, and forums like the H2Forum are really useful for exposing disreputable merchants like gowarn.

Overcharging, not refunding, not shipping and not supporting their sales? Not a good record if you ask me...

By the way, I replaced the brand-new 5/16 steel cable with X-Line synthetic cable and replaced the roller fairlead with an aluminum hawse from Off Road Only.

If you're interested in either of these, they were never used and I will sell them cheap.

Ed

[Skulz]

Ed,

I think I'll probably doing business with the red letter warn dealer. I have a catalogue for Warn stuff and the pictures are deceiving in size! I'm waiting to hear back from the warn dealer on some information, but I might be interested in your roller fairlead. Don't hold it on my account though!

I'm glad H2Girl got a good deal from gowarn. I know they (gowarn) aren't an authorized dealer as was mentioned in previous postings. I'm the type of person that needs good service on this stuff, and that is what I based my decision on. I usually go with internet sales, but this is one of the exceptions.

-Skulz

[BKLYNH2]

H2 girl
Wow! you got the real deal from them, congrats I think your the first. I guess they got the full kit sooner than they were predicting. Actually, mine was not even put together,it came "lot's of assembly required" which is why I am not too thrilled with Gowarn either.
I wonder why they(WARN) package the hawse type fairlead with the multimount? I always thought a roller is more desirable.
Skulz- Sounds like your making a good choic for you. Getting all the right parts is somewhat confusing. For instance I had decided not to get the solenoid disconnect and was just going to attach direct to battery. Then the rear cable kit came with the solenoid switch anyway, eventhough this is not explained in the product description. Since it came, I installed it and am now glad I did.
Peter

[Skulz]

Peter,

From what I see in the catalog, all of the multimount winches come with the hawse instead of the roller.

I agree that the disconnect switch/rear power lead isn't very well explained in the product description.

-Skulz

[TheGoodHummerMan]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Skulz:
Ed,
"I think I'll probably doing business with the red letter warn dealer. I have a catalogue for Warn stuff and the pictures are deceiving in size! I'm waiting to hear back from the warn dealer on some information, but I might be interested in your roller fairlead. Don't hold it on my account though!
I'm glad H2Girl got a good deal from gowarn. I know they (gowarn) aren't an authorized dealer as was mentioned in previous postings. I'm the type of person that needs good service on this stuff, and that is what I based my decision on. I usually go with internet sales, but this is one of the exceptions."<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I agree completely! H2Girl didn't have problems AND saved money which is great. I'm just envious! Kind of like shooting craps? I'm usually pretty lucky, but not this time. Hopefully everything is good to go now... I know that I felt like a super-goon explaining to the local dealer who repaired my winch about how badly gowarn had been to deal with. Definitely NOT worth the lower price.

I'm going to "eventually" list the steel winch cable and fairlead on eBay. If I procrastinate as long as usual, you can take your time deciding about the fairlead. I really like the synthetic cable. I can manhandle the winch by myself now (with the synthetic line it is considerably lighter). Before, it was a real chore for just me, but then again, I'm not as strong as I think.

Doesn't the winch come with the roller fairlead... You probably won't need another one. But if you quickly kink your 5/16" steel cable and want a never-been-used replacement, let me know.

Ed

[TheGoodHummerMan]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by BKLYNH2:
"Then the rear cable kit came with the solenoid switch anyway, even though this is not explained in the product description. Since it came, I installed it and am now glad I did."<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Peter,

Because I didn't get the quick-connect from gowarn (after paying for it), I had to buy one and discovered that they come in sets of two. I took the "spare" quick-disconnect and replaced one end on a set of heavy-duty battery cables and now I am ready to "quickly" give jump starts. The best part is that with the solenoid, making physical connections to the other battery is isloated from my electrical system and until I flip the switch to the solenoid and energize the circuit --- no sparks and reduced danger of damage. Now, I probably won't see anyone needing a jump...

Ed

[BKLYNH2]

Thanks Ed thats a great idea. It sure beats spending the coin on the Warn set of jumper cables. I did get my set included in my deal so maybe this experience is turning out better than I thought.
Peter

[TheGoodHummerMan]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by BKLYNH2:
"I did get my set included in my deal so maybe this experience is turning out better than I thought."<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Peter,

Is that salt you are rubbing in my wound?

Ed

[Skulz]

Talked to the red letter warn dealer today & need to call back this afternoon for more details but:

Warn doesn't support the drilling of the vertical hole in the receiver for the 9.5ti. Thus, the dealer probably won't do the drill for liability issues. As of yet, there isn't a horizontal mount out yet for the H2. I'm not sure if the XD9000i has the horizontal pin or not. I know GM supports one of the warn winches but don't really know how it is attached. If anyone could post, that would help me out.

And I thought getting stuck sucks...

-Skulz

[Big Z]

Have the hole drilled, and weld the others if you feel the need. All the cradles are the same. It's the cradle not the winch that is pinned.

[Big Z]

#2

[BKLYNH2]

Skulz-
While Big Z tries to futher complicate your decision , with more choices, I recommend not sweating the small stuff. Winching is not a simple or neccessarily safe operation, if the winch is not just for show and you intend to use it you should also feel capable enough to make the alterations yourself. Please read all the threads on setting up a winch in this forum . Everything you need to know is here at least twice. All multimounts for H2's need to be set up with the vert pin. Take the plunge.

[Skulz]

Ok, don't remember them all needing the vert pin, but thanks for answering the question.

Just trying to learn how to do things. Having some problems finding consistent answers with this stuff.

Again, thanks for the reply.

[Skulz]

Dealer called warn ...
Warn has a contract with GM that they sell the mounts to with the vertical holes. Warn dealers/warn are not allowed to sell these aftermarket. They do not recommend drilling holes in aftermarket mounts. The warn dealer will not install the winch for me and said he really shouldn't even sell it to me because he knows I'll have to drill the vertical hole.

Sounds like GM has a monopoly on the warn winch mounts unless you want to take the liability with weaking the mount by drilling the vertical hole.

Personally, I don't really feel comfortable with drilling the hole or increasing the liability for me or others.

Thanks for the input, and I guess I'll have to look at other options...

[TheGoodHummerMan]

Skulz,

This is a bigger issue than JUST a matter of a winch mount.

The "issue" is caused or was created when GM/AMG decided to use a verticle pin in the front receiver of the Hummer H2. I am not positive, but I think that this "might" be the only verticly pinned receiver in production? Does anyone know of another company that uses a verticle pin?

The simple fact is: in order to USE the front receiver, the hitch's mounting must have a verticle hole for to match the H2's front receiver. Since this is NOT an option standardly offered from any hitch accessory manufacturer (I have gone to several hitch suppliers and had them check their sources) this leaves a H2 owner two choices. Either do not use the front receiver OR adapt each device to fit by drilling a verticle hole. Pretty simple --- one or the other?

So, for example, I want to use my front receiver to position my 30' travel trailer when I get to RV parks. The amount of control is remarkably increased by switching from the rear receiver to the front receiver. I can park it with much better control and precisely align the trailer. BUT, I couldn't do it without drilling a verticle hole...

Does this significantly weaken the hitch's strength? I don't think so. It's just one extra hole in a significant and strong chunk of hardened steel. Regarding towing and not winching, those who are concerned that the hitch might be weakened --- can simply opt to by an extender. This can then be drilled with a verticle hole, and adapt devices to fit on a Hummer H2. That way, when you later return to using the device with the rear hitch it is NOT drilled or weakened. Costs about $29-$59 depending upon the size of the extender you chose, from 6" to 24" in Reese equipment.

Me, I just drilled. Haven't had a problem and the hitch LOOKS fine after towing things or winching.

One other thought. The front hitch is reportedly NOT close to being as strongly designed as the rear. I believe, although I don't have any proof, that the front receiver itself would fail before you would ever have an issue with a the verticly drilled winch mount failing. Something to think about anyway?

As for liability. Show me a company who can disregard ANY matter involving liability and I will show you a company embroiled in litigation. In the litiginous country we live in, comapnies have to go to "ridiculous" lengths to cover their liabilities... So, I am not surprised that Warn has such policies.

Ed