12,000# HF Badlands Winch

Glenn F.

Member
In reviewing winch options for my 12,000# rated trailer I am
looking at the Harbor Freight Badlands unit. Based on reviews
it seems the way to go. The $390 price seems fair enough. Do
any of you have this winch? Are you pleased. It really
wouldn't get used much, but there are certainly times when it's
necessary.

Thanks,
Glenn F.
 
I have one and it is a good winch for the average fellow. If I was pulling things every day then I would go up to a Warner but for the non commercial user the Badlands is a good value.

Buy the wireless remote while your at it. The corded winch control is OK but it is much easier to use the wireless remote if your loading things by yourself. Just watch when jogging the wireless remote. You will get a few inches each jog. The direct wired control give you smaller amounts when jogging.
 
I have the 12,000 lb. Harbor Freight Bad land on my trailer. I got mine for $299.00 with coupon out of my NRA magazine. I have built a cover to take most of the weather off of the winch.
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I'm not sure of the brand name on my winch but I believe it's a 9,000 lb. winch I bought at H.F. probably 15 years ago. It's done everything I.ve asked it to do. I have a couple snatch blocks that I use sometimes if the pull is going to be sideways or if the load is going to be really heavy. They take a lot of the load off the winch and in my old mind saves the winch. The only complaint I've ever had is the switch in the plastic handle on the control wet bad last year and the part was no longer available so I bought a simple on off switch that would go back to neutral and mounted it in a metal electrical switch box. It works great. My winch is not covered and has been out in all kinds of weather all these years and if it quits working tomorrow, I'll go buy another H.F. one. Keith
 
I used to have a 10,000 lb HF winch on a Jeep I had and it was a very nice winch, can't go wrong with one of them, their tough winches
 
I put a 12,000-pound Badlands winch on my new car trailer two years ago. It performs flawlessly, will easily even pull vehicles with locked-up wheels. But don't pay $390. HF always has them on sale with coupon for less than $300.
 
I have a 12,00lb also, serves my needs just fine. I also did cut off about 25' of cable. Just unwind all the cable and cut it off at the reel end. If I need more power, I put a block&tackle on it.
 
for 300.00 is that 12000# with a snatch block, dead pull or rolling? sounds cheep to me. I have a waren wench 12000# dead pull for 900.00 several years ago.......if it works a couple of times maby its worth the money to you
 
(quoted from post at 21:14:30 06/17/17) I have one and it is a good winch for the average fellow. If I was pulling things every day then I would go up to a Warner but for the non commercial user the Badlands is a good value.

Buy the wireless remote while your at it. The corded winch control is OK but it is much easier to use the wireless remote if your loading things by yourself. Just watch when jogging the wireless remote. You will get a few inches each jog. The direct wired control give you smaller amounts when jogging.

Put one of these on a golf cart trailer once, with the wireless remote. I remember thinking while installing that it would work great until Dennis lost the remote. Guess what happened two weeks later? It got a switch hard-wired in after that.
 
Between my son, his buddies, and myself we have probably a dozen HF winches. Used and abused and still going strong. Agree about cutting some of the cable off. Pulled my 3/4 ton 4x4 and my sons 1 ton 4x4 together out of a ditch where he got stuck.
 
There is one under there. Pulled this truck tractor on the trailer single line no problem. It took longer to chain down then load. Has pulled tractors and other trucks on also.
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Harbor freight coupons came in email today. That very winch is on sale for 286.99, but sale supposedly ends today.
 
I have 3000, 9,000 and 12,000 Lb HF winches mounted on various trailers and all of them have preformed flawlessly. Only problems I know of is people who run in the winter, the road salt eats them up as it does an other brand. Mine are all either enclosed or removable, they dont sit out in the weather.
 

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