EPISODE 6: Westin Automotive T-Max EW-8500S Winch Install

Level of Difficulty: Moderate
Tools Required: Hand tools for install, electrical tools to wire power.
Installed By: OC Motorsports
Install Time: Approximately 1.5 hours

We have learned a few lessons taking our Centennial JK off road; one of the first things we learned is that a good winch isn’t just for show. If you are going to tackle real trails you will need to get your Jeep (or your friends Jeep) out of precarious positions. JC Whitney Centennial sponsor Westin Automotive has a full range of winches for many different uses including off road, trailers and ATV with choices of steel or synthetic rope to fit nearly any application. With our new off road bumper in place we had the perfect platform to mount a winch to our JK; we chose a Westin EW8500S winch with 100’ of synthetic line. With 5.5 horsepower, an 8500 pound pull rating and a 12’ wired control the Westin T-Max ticked all of our boxes. Plus, the synthetic rope saves considerable weight compared to traditional wire cable while being much safer to the user. The Westin winch turned out to be a simple installation and Daniel at OC Motorsports showed us the steps required.

Our T-Max winch was neatly packaged and all of the parts and instructions required were present in the box. Daniel started the process by removing the winch and wiring from the box to connect the winch motor to the control box.

Westin color codes the terminals and wires for a virtually fool-proof install. Daniel matched up the wires from the winch motor to the control box and mounted the control box on top of the winch. Westin’s control box mounting brackets allow the control box to be mounted in several different configurations. For this install, we chose to center it above the winch. With the winch control wiring completed Daniel test fit the winch with its mounting plate and fairlead to the bumper and looked for a clean route to run the power and ground wires to our battery.

With the power and ground wires routed along the frame rails and zip-tied to prevent any chafing, Daniel terminated the wires on the battery. After bolting the winch into position Daniel gave the wired winch control a test and confirmed that it’s working correctly. The Westin winch is more than capable of getting us out of any off road troubles and looks ready for duty on the front bumper. As a reminder to protect the off road environment and “Tread Lightly” Westin sent us a trunk protector if we have to hook up to a tree. We will post video here on the Centennial site when we get to use it.

Brands featured in this episode:

• Westin