The Granddaddy Of The Electric Winch Celebrates Seven Decades On The Trail.

BY CHRIS COLLARD IMAGES BY CHRIS COLLARD AND WARN INDUSTRIES

I purchased my first winch back in 1984 from a buddy’s dad—a well-used Warn upright with a tangle of cables hanging off one end. I didn’t know anything about the winch or how to use it, but I knew I needed something to pull me out of future jams and Warn had the Xerox reputation in the industry. Little did I know at the time, I was entering a paragraph in what would become a 70-year chronical of high-quality off-road products. I recently had the opportunity to visit Warn’s headquarters in Clackamas, Oregon, walk through their 200,000-foot production facility and dig into the company’s rich history.

From the catwalk of a 20-foot-tall gear-cutting broach, overlooking CNC mills and plasma tables, systems technician Chad Schroll shared the company’s humble beginnings. While many only associate the Warn moniker with their line of winches, the company’s roots lay slightly aft of the fairlead—capping the front axle to be exact.