SmittyBilt XRC-9.5K WINCH GEN2 - SB97495

I’ve been running the Smittybilt XRC-9.5K Gen2 for a few months, and it’s been a solid performer. The 6.6 hp motor and 3-stage gear system pull hard and steady — no issues recovering my Jeep from some deep mud. Installation was straightforward, and the IP67 waterproof rating holds up in rain and creek crossings. It’s heavy, and the steel cable adds even more weight, but that’s the trade-off for durability. The remote plug feels a bit loose, so I added some dielectric grease for peace of mind. For the price, you can’t beat it — great performance, solid build, and good warranty coverage. Perfect for weekend off-roaders who want reliability without spending a fortune.

I am rating this Winch a 5 Star because it is a BEAST, and Does a WONDERFUL job. However there are several things that were not good and had to be overcome to get it to that point. This of course was annoying. The first issue was I got the Winch in and Mounted it to my 2500 Chevy Silverado Diesel. The Winch was SO big I had to make some modifications to the Winch Cradle I got from Tuff Stuff to make it fit the Curt 31042 Front trailer hitch. 2nd after I did 5 pulls with the Winch it just completely quit and would never work again. Now I did do four of those five pulls back to back. However that should NOT have been enough to kill it, but it did. So I told Amazon and they promptly sent me a new one that arrived within 2 days, which was nice. No questions were asked. I have used the new one for 10 pulls and it is VERY strong and works Amazing!! 3rd Alot of the fastener hardware is cheap Chinese screws that have the head strip out easily if you don't press it hard as an 800 lb. Gorilla can. I recommend replacing ALL fasteners with American made Stainless Steel equivalents. 4th they sent the Wrong Mounting bracket so I could not Mount the Module on the left side of the unit like I had preferred to do. Going to call SmittyBilt and see if they will send me the correct bracket. 5th So since the side mount Bracket did not have the correct fitment I had to use the center mount method. Well once installed the module, it would slide from side to side on the cross members. So I had to take it off and bend the Bracket so when mounted it would be tight and could not move. A hassle for sure but not that big of a deal. 6th the second winch that came in had a remote that would randomly bump the line back out into Spool out mode. So While I would try to wind it up the line would just start coming back out. I corrected this by taking the first Winch'es Remote and sending back the second Winch'es remote with the defective Winch. The Winch has Not had that problem at all since trading out remotes. 7th on both Units You have to bump the Remote in or out sometimes to get the clutch to engage or disengage. (Not to big of a deal just a little Quirky) 8th Finally the Free Spool is a little difficult. I am 6'-4" and a pretty strong guy, However I have to really put the Muscle into it and really lean all my weight into pulling the line to get it off the drum. I know that was alot, but if you can get past these quirks as I did the Winch is actually quite Outstanding. The main thing is I think SmittyBilt REALLY needs to up their game on the Quality control department, as well as upgrading ALL fastener hardware. I have loaded vehicles onto trailers, pulled up stumps and destroyed a mobile home with this Winch. it is Very Stout. I will come back and give it a 6 month review when that time comes. IF this unit ends up dying in that time.... I will get it fixed, sell it, and buy the Most expensive Warn I can find. I hope it Will not come to that though..... and by all the other reviews I have seen.... I dont think it will. I say Give this Winch a try You Might end up liking it.

UPDATE: 5-2025: this winch is still kicking and pulls like a champ. Sounds pretty bad these days but hasn't lost any pulling power. We've had this thing under water numerous times and it's had a rough life with no end in sight! The winch itself is a monster on my little jeep. Plenty of pulling power and always comes through. Used this winch at least 100 times and it still functions as good as it did on day 1. The only cons I have are: The wires to the remote are starting to pull away from the wire shroud at the winch side connection. May need to be repaired soon. Also the rope that came with it worked great and help up well when winching just myself. I recently had to winch out a full size Dodge Crew Cab and broke the rope that came stock. I would say better care for the rope and better rigging may have prevented this since the rope had frays and looked rough from continuous usage. I was impressed when the rope snapped, there was no slingshot effect and it didn't pose any harm to the people or vehicles standing around. I will always use a synthetic rope for this reason alone Otherwise it's very power demanding (As with ANY Winch) if you are considering adding a winch, consider upgrading your power options. I have seen guys left hanging from chain store winches that cost just a fraction less than these. This is a good winch that I have put to the test before making this review.

Dónde puedo conseguir este resorte. Al parecer es parte del freno interno

Se ve increible, y funciona bien, aun no eh tenido chance de meterle estres, lo cale con freno de mano el motor encendido y colocando un tronco bloqueando las llantas traseras de mi jeep CJ5, sin problemas lo arrastro 10 metros, apenas se puso tibio tal ves por que esta sobrado de fuerza para mover mi jeep. Solo espero la oportunidad de ponerlo a prueba...

It will sit alot until needed. Well packaged. Came with some extra little parts for different mounting. Have heard from others that it is tough but have not needed to pull myself out of a hole yet.

Winch looks great and easy to install. Haven’t put it to the test yet though. Shipping company took forever to get it to me though, several weeks and I live in Canada

No lo he probado, ya lo instale en el jeep y se ve muy bien