Smittybilt XRC8 8000lb winch

[Digger 5]

Smittybuilt winches?

Why would you buy a winch from a company that built their business on double tube chrome roll bars :eeek:

This is SmittyBuilt in name only. Transamerican Auto Parts (parent Company of 4 Wheel Parts, 4 Wheel Drive Hardware, Pro Comp) purchased the SmittyBuilt rights a couple of years ago. Since then, they have built the brand name by knocking off products from other off road vendors.

 

[LuckyBoyOne3]

Paying other companys to build your product and putting your name on their product is not a knock-off its sub-contracting. The "first gen" of the smittybilt 8k winch had a 4.5hp motor and a garbage hand control, the new improved 8k has a 5.5hp motor and a new improved hand control, I bought mine a year ago and its still kickin $299 (no tax, free shipping) ass. It saved a dozen or so peoples ass (tickets and recovery fees) this past snow when I pulled em out free of charge.

 

[Digger 5]

Paying other companys to build your product and putting your name on their product is not a knock-off its sub-contracting. The "first gen" of the smittybilt 8k winch had a 4.5hp motor and a garbage hand control, the new improved 8k has a 5.5hp motor and a new improved hand control, I bought mine a year ago and its still kickin $299 (no tax, free shipping) ass. It saved a dozen or so peoples ass (tickets and recovery fees) this past snow when I pulled em out free of charge.

Is paying a winch company to build a custom winch incorporating features from other mfgrs considered a knock off? You may be right, this product might not be a knock off but most of the SmittyBuilt line consists of knock offs. Their bumpers (Kilby/Hansen/Currie copies) or their MasterCraft Baja RS clones and tube fenders (and many other products)are all copies of other quality products that have been sent overseas for production and cut cost and quality.
I'm glad you're happy with your winch.

 

[LuckyBoyOne3]

So with your reasoning, any tube fender other then the original set is a knock off, a bumper is only original if it was designed soley by them? well there is not a bumper on the market that doesn't look like 5 others out there, does that make everything a knock off?

I'm not looking for a battle of wits, cause I could really give a **** less, but in the world of technology demand and technology goes up, prices come down... in the world of motorsports demand goes up as do the prices and usually the quality or the customer service goes down. I applaude Transamerican for turning Smittybilt around and for making a product that is affordable, and from my experience, just as durable.

 

[Digger 5]

Small companies came up with their own designs and a large company copied their designs using inferior materials(and yes,they are inferior materials). I've personally dealt with Transamerica and understand all too well how they operate. I wouldn't be so pissed off if they made SOME effort to change a design to make it their own but that's not how they work. It's very easy to charge less for a product when you don't have to do any R&D of your own or build market demand.:looser: