[liredneck]

How long have you had the nets ? Will they hold your dog in if he wants out ? I'm looking into them for the same reasons . My 85lb a$$hole pitbull ( also my best friend ) wants to stand on the fenders when we're going down the road . Looked back once and he was out of his harness and standing in the spare at 70mph down the freeway. He's a jack a$$

[Shakey]

Originally Posted by RUoffroader

Most of the people that say they make crappy stuff, are people that bought things when they first came out as a brand. They have come a long way since the beginning and make some good quality stuff now.

By these statements, I can tell that you are pretty new to Jeeps. So you really shouldn't be so defensive of what the community knows to be second rate products.

You should read up on when Smittybuilt "first came out as a brand." I'll bet that it wasn't in your lifetime. Smittybuilt's history is a factor in why so many people don't like the current brand.

[PlatinumOre]

I just put on the Smittybilt XRC rocker guards, front bumper and rear bumper with tire carrier on my JK. They look good were cheap and are pretty freaking heavy.

Would I look to buy anything that needs precision? probably not, I tend to stick to american made for that stuff, such as suspension components. but for bumpers etc, as long as the holes line up they are pretty hard to screw up..

I did have to wait 3 months for everything to come in though... but I also saved quite a few dollars and got the look I wanted, money in my pocket.

[wushaw]

Originally Posted by liredneck

How long have you had the nets ? Will they hold your dog in if he wants out ? I'm looking into them for the same reasons . My 85lb a$$hole pitbull ( also my best friend ) wants to stand on the fenders when we're going down the road . Looked back once and he was out of his harness and standing in the spare at 70mph down the freeway. He's a jack a$$

He just doesn't know it hurts to jump out. I taught my first Brittany pup by putting him in the back of the truck and driving 25mph on roads less traveled and when he jumped, rolled and I let him run a little to try to catch the truck, he never tried to jump out again.

Grown hounds just never learned it as a pup.

Would the net hold a 85lb pit? Probably, not unless he really wants out then I wouldn't think it would.

[4wdjeepguy]

What make the quality of an American made product superior? Just curious

[clintrivera]

Originally Posted by RUoffroader

Going to disagree 100% with this statement! You look at my sig, and you'll see I have smittybilt parts everywhere... rockers, front a rear bumpers, winch, I even have the cargo net. I think they look good, and my rig is by no means a mall crawler. Mine get beat up pretty much every wheeling trip and the strength is great in my opinion. Most of the people that say they make crappy stuff, are people that bought things when they first came out as a brand. They have come a long way since the beginning and make some good quality stuff now. Yes, their paint isn't the best thing ever, but look at red lyner for Christ sake. His Jeep is always clean and new looking. And why is that? Because when stuff gets scratched up, it needs some TLC to make it look good again. I will always back Smittybilt 100%!!

You can disagree all you want. My brothers Jeep is covered with Smittybuilt. The welds are horrible. That's probably why they cover it in bedliner. It's harder to see. Is it better than the factory sheet metal? Sure it is. But it's a far cry from Rokmen.

Good welders (both the machines and the people that run them) cost money. As does quality steel.

I bought one of their winches for my old Jeep and it worked fine the few times I used it. I certainly wouldn't put myself in a situation that I knew I had to depend on it though.

[chubbena]

Originally Posted by Shakey

This harms legitimate companies that design and manufacture new products for the industry.

Or keeps local businessmen honest to a certain degree. Parts in Canada, let's say from the States, is 2 times higher than the States. Same parts, when charged more, don't make them better quality but instead make the businessmen fatter.
Thanks to the internet, we can somehow enjoy a fairer price now.

[wushaw]

Originally Posted by unlrubicon05

What make the quality of an American made product superior? Just curious

If ya ever have to modify something built in China? For some reason even after ya clean off the paint the metal just doesn't weld real well (like welding galvanized or rusted metal) as metals I can from my local metal supplier which are not from here but obviously better metal.

[pmcjeep]

If you dont like the fact smittybilt copied someone elses product then buy the ones off ebay that copied smittybilt. Lol

[SKINUM]

Originally Posted by mike_dippert

Using a line/hook rated higher than the winch is just more safety margin. It's not going to magically transfer more load to the winch. They get worn and weaker over time, I'd prefer 3/8 to 5/16 any day, both of which are rated higher than my winch. Any company that has any kind of common sense would build in a safety factor to the frame & drum so the motor stalls before anything breaks.

In his case, smitty's QC has failed.

Why wouldn't the line/hook transfer more load to the winch if it's capable of accepting it? Sure the winch should only be able to pull so much. However, if the motor doesn't give and the force being applied is great enough then something has got to give.

We can go by Smittybilt calculations on their product ratings but obviously with these failures the calculations or parts involved are off somewhat.

I agree with u on the fact that the motor should shut off first. However, this doesn't happen. Maybe this is due to Smittybilt offering "mechanical" warranties on their winches. They know the drum will break before anything mechanically fails.

Actually, the winch mounting arms on a Smittybilt winch do seem quite cheap. However,
I'd bet many winch users will never push the winch hard enough to break them.

My point is something will eventually give and if there QC isn't taking all things into consideration it's just a matter of what will give first.

Now if the drum failure happened with their standard cable then they have a major problem.

[Scarfist]

Originally Posted by liredneck

How long have you had the nets ? Will they hold your dog in if he wants out ? I'm looking into them for the same reasons . My 85lb a$$hole pitbull ( also my best friend ) wants to stand on the fenders when we're going down the road . Looked back once and he was out of his harness and standing in the spare at 70mph down the freeway. He's a jack a$$

I have had the Cargo Net for almost a year now. It has held in the 50lb beast and I have not seen any ripping in the material surrounding the area he puts his head through. I'm sure he could chew his way out easily if he wanted, but so far he has obeyed the "STAY" command. If I have to I will reinforce the head port with some extra webbing material.
It is just a sheet of material with the holes cut out, not a true "Cargo Net".

[1999TJRED85000]

We need a physics class here. lol Using a stronger shackle, a different strap/cable,
or a different winch will not "transer the weight" anywhere. The forces on a system
remain constant within the laws of physics. So, under the ideal setup, the forces will
remain evenly distributed, unless the puller is intentionally using a lever or multi-point
setup to reduce/distribute forces over several areas.

[SKINUM]

Originally Posted by 1999TJRED85000

We need a physics class here. lol Using a stronger shackle, a different strap/cable,
or a different winch will not "transer the weight" anywhere. The forces on a system
remain constant within the laws of physics. So, under the ideal setup, the forces will
remain evenly distributed, unless the puller is intentionally using a lever or multi-point
setup to reduce/distribute forces over several areas.

All I'm saying is something will eventually give. Whether it's the drum, motor, cable etc.......In each system there is a weak link that will fail if worked hard enough.

[88hatchy]

The only parts from Smittybilt that are worth getting are things like bumpers, armor, some tire carriers, D-rings, and tow straps. Smittybilt winches are complete garbage, they fail on a regular basis.

[Necromancer_tat]

Originally Posted by 88hatchy

The only parts from Smittybilt that are worth getting are things like bumpers, armor, some tire carriers, D-rings, and tow straps. Smittybilt winches are complete garbage, they fail on a regular basis.

Really? Lots of my friends run them and they all are having great luck with them. What's the failure rate on the Smitty winches? So far in this thread one guy had the drum break on him, and Imped had a selonoid fail, but most others report them working rather well for them.