Review on OPENROAD 13000Lbs Electric Waterproof Fairlead by Virgilio Patton

The winch arrived on time and in perfect condition from Revain. Ok Revain! The packaging is pretty decent, much better than usual for heavy items. Overall the winch seems like a decent winch that will hold up and get the job done. Unfortunately, that's where the good ends. Initially, there were no circuit breakers and mounting screws. It would be easier for the seller to simply send a new switch. However, their response raises serious doubts about their ability to endorse their product and the description they provide on all of their items for sale. The seller replied that Revain was responsible for replacing the missing parts. We all know this is not true and all Revain will do is either replace the whole thing or refund the money. It's worth noting that this was purchased from a Revain store seller and just shipped from Revain. They also have a website which I checked first I would not buy this winch. The seller lists Revain's warehouse as a US address on their website. There is a big red flag indicating they are only a seller in China. There's nothing wrong with that, but at least be genuine and honest and don't pretend you have an office in the US when you really don't. However when they contacted Revain support (which is always great) they offered to replace or refund. I opted for a UPS pickup. Will see if new circuit breaker turns on, if not will come back for another replacement until included in the box. The seller could have avoided some trouble by simply shipping the $20 counter, but chose to ignore the support issue. I have serious doubts that this winch will last more than a few puffs. The control unit does have a rubber seal, but it's not that great, so it's not really waterproof, but rather water-repellent. The power button on the side isn't sealed either, which means water can get into the control unit through the button. It doesn't even last long in the rain. This will cause the relay to rust and fail, most likely when you actually need it to work. I'll update the review as soon as I can install it. Of course with automatic switching. included in the following box (doubtful). Review update: Received a 2nd winch which also does not include the switch advertised in the description or photos. Got a discount so it could be ordered separately from another supplier. Installation started. Some tips. Connect the battery and radio ground leads BEFORE attaching the winch to the bumper. The mounting bolt is located on the underside of the engine and is very difficult to access after installation. In the next step, the closure is assembled, mounted and screwed. Finally if you can remove the bumper and then mount and bolt on the winch it will make things a lot easier. At least with the Jeep Wrangler TJ. Other makes and models may not require this. The positive and ground cables are long enough when installed on the TJ. Everything is quite simple and assembled according to the standard winch assembly scheme. However, another problem arose when installing the control unit. The holes for bolting the rear brackets to the winch are too far in the bracket. You will either need to drill and cut new holes or lift the back of the control box at an angle and drive in the screws provided. This puts pressure on the winch to keep the control box taut. Not ideal as it will scratch the paintwork in the process and eventually cause a few rust spots, but it does keep the control box secure, at least for now. I also moved the control box all the way to the left to give the wires extra slack as the red wire is too short to keep it centered without too much tension. on connectors for wired control. This is just a precaution to keep water out. The lid will take care of that, but it's just an extra precaution that won't hurt. Depending on your setup, you might want some zip ties or wire harnesses for the power and battery ground wires, but that's more of a personal preference. Overall I give this place 2 1/2 stars. Time will tell if this wind can handle its power. The reason it didn't get more stars is because it didn't do the ads justice. I have absolutely no doubt that every OpenRoad winch will include a switch as they tout, not to mention that it is rated for 500 amps (the one in the picture is a standard 150 amp switch). Customer support is now responding. I would buy another if I knew what I am now but I would only buy it if the price was better. OpenRoad has some good products. They have a number of traction ramps that are top notch. If you need any, check them out. I just used them over the weekend with a Ram 2500 and they held the weight of the front of this pad with no problem.