1. Sometimes new is not so...
1. Sometimes new is not so good, but we like the look of the new Warn winch. Its smooth lines make it look like it was designed in a wind tunnel.
Hit the trails enough and eventually you will wish you had a winch. Usually it is when you are stuck door-deep in mud or wedged in a precarious position on the rocks. We have seen plenty of times when a tow strap just wouldn't cut it, times when the smooth pull and power of a winch cable was the only answer.
Warn, a name synonymous with winches, recently introduced its newest winch, the 9.5ti Thermometric. Besides boasting a brand-new look, the new 9.5ti provides 9,500 pounds of pulling capacity. Its new alloy housing is also better sealed at key points for better water and environmental resistance. Internally, the winch features a new Gen II Bosch motor along with a rugged three-stage planetary gear-train reduction system and multi-segment CAM-actuated brake. A new indexed connector for the hand-held remote and an easy-to-use clutch lever are also highlights of the new winch.
So, what's the deal with the Thermometric name? Well, the new winch features a motor-mounted thermal sensor that relays temperature information to the hand-held winch remote. If the winch motor gets too hot, a light on the remote will flash to tell you it would be a good idea to take a break and let the motor cool. Best of all, you can keep on winching if you have too, as the sensor does not automatically shut down the winch. We followed along as the Warn 9.5ti Thermometric was slapped onto a Jeep TJ. Installation was easy, and took roughly 30 minutes.
 2. A good winch mount is necessary...  2. A good winch mount is necessary to safely mount a winch on the front of your rig. This TJ was already equipped with a Warn Rock Crawler front bumper that makes for a strong mount. |  3. A winch plate is used to...  3. A winch plate is used to strongly attach the winch to the bumper. This plate can also be used on the stock TJ bumper. |  4. The next step was to simply...  4. The next step was to simply bolt the winch to the winch plate. We also attached the Rock Crawler Grille Guard Tube at the same time. |
 5. After attaching the roller...  5. After attaching the roller fairlead and winch to the winch plate, the whole assembly was bolted to the front bumper. |  6. Once everything is snugged...  6. Once everything is snugged down, it is a simple matter of routing the power and ground cables to the battery. If you are just using your winch for the occasional stuck, a good battery will probably do. If you plan on doing lots of pulling, however, a high-output alternator and dual-battery system would be a good idea. | |