OPENROAD 13500 lb Recovery Winch with Synthetic Rope and 2 Wireless Remotes - IP68 Waterproof 12V Electric Winch for Jeep, SUV, Truck & Trailer - Panther Series 3S

I was looking for a winch for my second-generation Toyota Tundra and, after doing quite a bit of research, decided to go with the OpenRoad 13,500 lb winch. The installation on the Tundra was somewhat involved since the front bumper had to be removed and a winch plate installed, but that is related to the truck setup itself and not an issue with the OpenRoad winch. For my Tundra setup, the winch clutch handle also had to be rotated 180 degrees so it could be accessed from underneath the bumper. OpenRoad provides clear instructions on their website for this process, and rotating the clutch handle was quick and very easy. I performed an initial test in my driveway, and the winch was able to pull the truck very easily without any issues. So far, I’m happy with its performance. I’m looking forward to testing it in a real off-road recovery situation and will update this review after more real-world use. Hopefully, the OpenRoad winch proves to be durable and long-lasting — fingers crossed!

I bought this because another brand literally busted apart when I put a small amount of tension on it (it was a portable unit rated at 4500#). I was going to use the portable unit for the car and a bigger one for the SUV. The reviews are not very impressive for the portable ones, so I went a different route there; however, due to the despicable customer service and quality of the other brand, I bought this one for the larger load capacity. I have not used this other than respool the winch rope as is needed when you first get it. I had it pull my full-size SUV on fairly level ground so that it would put a decent load on the winch rope when spooling on. It worked flawlessly on that. I'm going to give it the benefit of the doubt and give it 5 stars. I like the way it is set up right out of the box. The remote controls worked very well. More importantly, it didn't break into pieces when I used it. I have seen where it has gotten some pretty good reviews, which is why I bought it. I like what I see so far!!

I haven’t had to use this winch for an actual recovery yet, but I did test it in my driveway and everything worked as expected. The winch feels well-built, the synthetic rope looks high quality, and the controls were easy to operate. Installation was straightforward, and it looks great mounted on my Jeep. So far, I’m very impressed with the quality and value. Looking forward to putting it to the test on the trail, but my first impressions are excellent.

I love this winch. Wireless buttons can get stuck on and continue running the winch if you push the buttons in a way the rubber catches under the casing. Other than that I absolutely love this thing. After having that button issue twice I'm now more conscious on how hard I'm pushing on the buttons. Never had an issue since. I use this winch for my job and it has held up well and pulls great.

Used this winch to pull up my 25hp tractor that would not start on to a trailer. The winch had no problem pulling it up! Super impressive power!

Extremely pleased with the winch itself, I've used to drag loaded trailers up onto my trailer, as well as trucks and cars that either didnt roll or had no wheels at all sliding on the frame, and I drug a skidsteer with it, nothing weighed over 13.5k but the winch never once struggled, the rope, being my first time using synthetic rope has finally snapped on me after dragging a v8 dodge dakota with no front suspension onto the trailer, but I would chock that up to user error, it pulled hard enough and tight enough that the rope pinched in between other rows of rope on the drum and then snapped, it did however fall straight down to the trailer with little to no snapback, I was impressed with that and will be ordering a new rope to see how it holds up, the wireless remote works flawlessly and is great for steering a vehicle onto the trailer while controlling the winch, I actually have yet to use the wired remote because the wireless is so convenient. The only reason for 4 instead of 5 starts is the solenoid on top of the winch did come loose as its mounting bracket is only on one side of the winch and only has 2 screws, mounted to my trailer the screws have rattled out, but thats the only issue ive had out of it yet and ive been quite impressed, id say it almost stands up to the M12000 Warn winch mounted to the front of my truck

A little complicated. (FYI) Originally thought that all the mounting hardware was not included but when I picked the (what I thought) empty box up, it felt out of place weight, after removing bottom Styrofoam found hardware underneath. Not sure on mounting direction, as it now stands, comes off from underneath and not over the top, as battery cables are directed towards battery, not sure if that is an important factor. All else aside was pretty straight forward and installed it with the hidden bracket( as usual) by myself, so you know that it can be done. Still have to install battery disconnect switch (included) and an added 3 terminal distribution box ( from 3rd party) so for now cannot tell you how well it operates but expect it to perform well as advertised based on all the reviews.

Customer service is terrible. Got it mounted-1st operation I reversed winch direction by accident. Shot sparks out the back. Contacted CS and they said they would send repair parts. Asked why that happened and they gave some response about plates being too close together. Too busy to send intelligent response. Fast forward to a week later, I asked them where the parts were that were supposed to be shipped out. They said that the issue is now with the quick disconnect on the winch/truck, even though I've never had a problem on the other winch that was on this truck, they said they don't sell disconnects to go pick one up(just like the one i had)and they would reimburse me. Got tired of the runaround, so I boxed the winch back up and sent it back. They finally responded with a semi intelligent explanation of what happened-, something about the emf from it being reversed caused the sparking. Not going to deal with poor customer service on an expensive purchase like this. Reading some of the other reviews, it doesn't look like a good winch anyway , so i'm glad i'm sending it back. Really shocked about the sticking remotes destroying bumpers etc. I would be so pissed if that was my truck. WARNING- i've read that this winch could possibly pull 300 plus amps at full load.The two gauge wiring that is on that winch , is not sufficient to handle that load on a long pull. Dont start a fire due to these clowns.

Edit: open road saw this review and contacted me for a replacement winch or parts and with the following information and I hope it helps others who might be experiencing similar issues: Wireless remote power button: They have already worked with their engineers to redesign the power button for the remote. The new design requires a long press of 3 seconds to activate, which should prevent similar problems. If you’re experiencing this issue you can contact OPENROAD4WD and they will ship you a modified wireless remote for free. Rope Thickness Issue: They are saying that the supplied rope is designed and produced to a standard 3/8-inch diameter, with a breaking strength of 18,000 lbs—far exceeding the winch’s 13,000 lbs capacity. Rope mounting options: Open road is saying that the winch drum should have a pre drilled hole on the side of the drum to accommodate ropes with a square tip. This is actually very good because then their drum potentially can accommodate both round tip and a square tip rope. Conclusion: To make things right open road is offering free replacement components or a free replacement winch. Because I see that they are truly trying to make things right based on their feedback I am upgrading my star review. Original review: There are a few critical issues: The wireless remotes that are provided with the winch don’t have a safety. Be careful where you store those remotes because the lightest touch on the power button turns them on. Higher priced brands have remotes that will require holding the power button for a few seconds in order to turn them on. In my case, the remotes were store in a bin and something touched the remote, turn it on and started winching while the hook was still connected to my bumper. Luckily, the quality of the rope is not great so it ripped off before it ripped my bumper. No way to contact support other than email and they never responded to emails. Changing rope was not easy because of the way open road hook up the rope end into the drum. They use a metal sleeve pressed over the tip while most rope providers make ropes with a metal square that has a hole intended to fasten to the drum with a screw. Look for winches that have those and make your life easier when you want to change ropes. Also, comparing my previous winch rope which was rated for 9500lbs to open roads I see that open roads rope is slightly thinner while the winch is rated higher at 13000 lbs. these seems questionable. So While there are rave reviews from well known YouTubers for this winch I would not buy it again as I feel those reviews are marketing ploys. Instead I would look for companies who stand behind their warranties by responding to your emails and customer supper requests.