8274 winch maintainence

[Joe J-Truck]

I just mounted my warn 8274 winch on the front and hooked it up. It works great woohoo! OK, now, this thing is an oldie but a goodie. I can only guess how old it is. I want to know what I should do to prolong its life. (lubrication, cable care, etc.) This is my first winch so I need guidance from old winchin' hands who know what to do..
Thanks!

[Kaiserjeeps]

Best winch made in my opinion. I moved my laydown 8K to my wagoneer and when I finially found a decent used 8274 I put that on my CJ. Great winch. There should be a date code on the top of the gearbox case. It should be 2 letters and a number example(EQ9) Get that and your serial number and call Warn down here in Milwaukee Oregon and ask them if they have any reprints of the owners manual for that version. It will tell you everything about the winch. And only use 10WT oil in your gearcase. That comes from a senior design engineer at Warn. Other than that run massive electrical cables to the winch and keep the connections clean and tight for maximum pulling power. Some 8274's have been tested to pull 10,000 lbs! Another thing would be to lube your cable once in awhile. This is a very neglected area of maintenance. I spray maybe 2-3 times a year with Tri-flo. Your cable will love you for it. Should you ever smoke your motor Warn has a neat replacement that bolts right on. Its a Bosch motor and even pulls a little harder. Be sure and get some good accessories for winching. Most importantly a tree protector, 1 or 2 medium sized shackles, leather gloves, correctly rated snatch block (pully), 4' section of chain with locking hooks. I hope this helps, got kinda long winded but more was coming to me as I wrote. On a final note, If you were to take one good piece of info from this message let it be this. If your hand is within three feet of your winch fairlead while you are respooling with an 8274 you will be in great danger of loosing part of your hand should it get caught and pulled through the fairlead. This happened last summer at an offroad event. Not pretty. 8274's are very fast. It can catch you off guard, so be carefull. Enjoy your winch!!...

[Joe J-Truck]

This may seem like a doofus question, but how do I change the oil?

[KYJ10]

There are a handful of allen head bolts on the top metalic cover. The piece that covers the gears. Take it off, empty it out, fill it back up. Call Warn, cause I forgot how much it holds. Dennis

[Kaiserjeeps]

I forgot how much it holds too. You should be able to use a turkey baster to get the old stuff out. Just don't put it back in the kitchen...Ha.ha...Warn's number is 503-722-1200 Ask to speak to someone in the winch dept... Good luck and Merry Christmas!!

[tjosha]

My father has offered to sell me one that he traded for some other parts. He wants $350 for it. It did run work when he traded for it about 2 years ago and has sat outside since then. Is this a fair price?

Thanks

[Manhattan]

I'll chip in for the brake... unless that's why it didn't work. My (free) M8274 (not a "Warn" but a "Jeep Specialty Equipment" winch ;) ) works great but does not hold... the brake is shot.

I think Warn charges over $250 for the brake.

[tjosha]

BTT

Hoping for an answer.