Reviews: Smittybilt XRC GEN3 9.5K Winch with Steel Cable - 97695

Full featured winch at a great price. Not that I am an expert, and I have only used it for testing/training so I am lucky I haven't really needed it yet. I got this for the front end of a JT Gladiator Rubicon. Mounted it to a Rugged Ridge Spartacus bumper/winch plate so I could keep the OEM frame mounted tow hooks. It is a tight fit but worked out. The controller load indicator is a nice feature because I do not trust my ability to WAG the load. The magnet and LED illumination are also nice, as it the magnet for easy placement when working. I got the 9.5 K winch as that is most of the need at 1.5 times GVW of the JT and I have plenty of gear for a double or triple line pull if needed. I swapped out the cable and roller fairlead for a properly rated synthetic line and hawse, saving about 30 pounds or so. The cost of ta good line and fairlead were below the cost of a similar "comp" model of this winch. So far so good. I put a winch cover on to protect from road dirt and UV so I can't show off the fancy lighted controller box, but I did wire it into the fog light harness to show off if needed. So far, I think this is a great value winch from a reputable company. It fits the middle ground of a high cost Warn and other cheaper brands.

I bought this before I decided on bumpers. I ended up getting the XRC gen1 bumpers and this winch fit perfectly. Easy install for the most part. The rear two bolts are a bit tricky. So far everything works as advertised and I'm happy with my purchase.

Bought this winch for my 2003 Jeep Wrangler TJ looks awesome also bought the Smitty built high mount winch plate easy install. Headlights are LED projector Procomp also from four wheel parts.

Easy install. I used a high mount Smittybuilt winch plate. Also easy install. The plastic armor covers or not that strong mine was cracked when I received it where the screw hole is. Both the winch and winch plate came from China which I was not very happy about. Somewhere I thought I read the winch was made in the US but place of origin China. What made me buy this was the warranty five years electronic lifetime mechanical. Dust and water proof. It looks awesome Everything worked great out of the box have not tried a recovery yet with the winch.

Super easy to use ... lights up everything so you can see and the gearing is nice n smooth. I would definitely recommend upgrading to the gen 3. I can not speak on installation as 4wp installed mine.

Works like a champ. Very easy to use the control. I had it professionally installed, so I can’t speak to the installation piece.

i was impressed with the quality better than others at twice the cost

Go out and buy synthetic rope and a new polished fairlead. Otherwise great winch.

I got the winch and bumper together. Very easy install and the winch works great. I gave it 4 stars only because it didn’t come with a smittybilt sticker.

Winch is nice, installation was easy and straight forward. The plastic "Armor" that comes with it is a gimmick though. Both Armor pieces were cracked at the screws from overtightening I presume. 4WP never responded to my e mail regarding replacement of the parts, thankfully the customer Service at Smittybilt is much better, they responded and sent me replacement pieces immediately. I have not had the chance to use the winch yet, but during the break in the winch operates smoothly and seems to have a decent spool rate.

easy to install, looks great, very fast, strong winch.. down side- remote cable is hard to pull out.

The only thing don't like is rolling ferrel is mad cheap and rust quick