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We got plenty of time to play with the 9500UT at Hot Springs, but we all know that the real testing is done on our rigs, when we least expect to do it. Ramsey shot us out a unit to put on our Project RUBICOHN TJ just in time for our big Moab trip . The 9500UT comes equipped with 105 ft. of 5/16" galvanized aircraft cable with a spring-loaded hook. Since we were already running a Patriot 9500 with synthetic rope on our Jeep, we pulled the 100 ft. of 3/8" Technora rope off the old winch and put it on the new one. Synthetic line can be a lot safer than steel cable in that if it frays, it will not cut your hands, but more importantly, if it does snap under a load it will drop nearly straight to the ground, whereas a steel cable can become a deadly weapon. At this time, the 9500UT is not sold with synthetic line but you can order one separately and load it onto the winch easily. In addition, the 9500UT comes with a very beefy roller fairlead. Since we are using the synthetic line, we left the roller off and put on a Viking Offroad Delrin (plastic) Hawse fairlead, which is much more friendly to synthetic ropes. Installation of most winches is quite simple on a Jeep. You'll either need a vehicle-specific winch mount or, in our case, a front bumper with an integrated winch mount. Our Shrockworks Rock Hammer bumper allows the winch to be mounted easily and keeps the winch sitting low. This lets more air get to the grille for better airflow to the radiator, vs. stacking a separate winch mount on top and having the winch sit higher. The Shrockworks bumper fits very tightly to the frame of the Jeep. Because of this, the bumper must be removed in order to gain access to two of the winch mounting bolts underneath. Not all bumpers will require this step.
With the bumper removed, mounting the winch is easy. Simply bolt the winch to the bumper or winch mount with four bolts and nuts, then mount the fairlead with two bolts and nuts.
With the winch fastened to our bumper, we bolted the assembly back on the Jeep. We then routed the two electrical leads directly to the top terminals of our Optima yellow top battery. When doing this, be sure to keep the wires out of harm's way by wire-tying them in place and keeping them far from the fan and anything hot.
We use the yellow top because it is a deep-cycle battery. This is recommended for winch use, as a 9500UT will draw 260 amps on a 4,000 lb. pull. Even revving the engine during a pull, the battery will still drain down. This can kill an ordinary battery but a deep cycle is designed to allow for full discharging and recharging.
That's pretty much it for the installation, other than the wireless setup, which we mentioned earlier, can be seen here. We have our antenna sitting right on the front bumper of this Jeep so it gets the best reception possible. Once you have everything tightened up and good to go, be sure to pull the line all the way out and wind it back on under tension. See the owner's manual for details on this. The Ramsey got a workout once we got to Moab - mostly on our trek through Pritchett Canyon. Our Jeeps were all very well setup, but we still ended up winching on a few spots. If you've ever done Pritchett you can probably guess where. So many 'wheelers winch on this trail that even the few bypasses are nasty. Some spots are equipped with metal winch anchors at the top for extra safety since the obstacles can be very dangerous. One spot that did not have an anchor was The Rock Pile. Aptly named because just about everyone ends up stacking rocks (and leaving them for the next guy), this obstacle had all of us winching. Sure, we all gave it that good ol' college try, but in the end, good sense prevailed and we pulled cable.
In my case, my good friend David had the honors of running up the hill with the line and wrapping it around a rock the size of a Honda Element. Before I could even hit the IN button on my remote, someone headed for my Jeep to engage the clutch. Back off! I've got a semi-automatic clutch! With a quick press, the line engaged and up I went over the Rock Pile. No drama. Just the whir of the motor and me helping a little with my hand throttle to keep the wheels turning and the battery charged. So if it sounds like we love the Ramsey 9500UT you're absolutely right. Once again, Ramsey has proven that they are rock solid where it counts - on the trails. We absolutely love the semi-automatic clutch and the winches work as promised and never complain that we're using them too hard. If it's time for a winch, absolutely be sure to have the Ramsey Patriot 9500UT on your short list.
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