Our Ian Bellert has had a Bushranger Revo 10 S on the front of his HiLux for the last 15 months…and last weekend it saved him three times in two hours.
WORDS AND PHOTOS (the one’s of the stuck HiLux 😉 ) BY IAN BELLERT: The Bushranger Revo 10S was launched onto the market in 2019 and it immediately grabbed my attention with its yellow and black colours, silver free spool handle and silver-coloured synthetic rope (there’s a cheaper version with steel rope and wired controller) with an offset alloy two-position hawse fairlead.
Purchased mine as soon as it was launched but it wasn’t used in anger until last weekend – and it copped a hiding. Sure, it’s helped out clearing some shrubs from the front yard at home or to move my camper trailer around the driveway.
Some nuts and bolts. The Revo 10S can be bolted onto a bar or mounted flat onto a bumper. There are four motor positions and 16 gearbox positions so getting this thing to suit your rig is a cinch. It weighs, with rope, about 33 kg and comes with a limited lifetime mechanical warranty and seven-year electrical warranty. My Revo 10 S lists for $1045.00.
The Revo 10s is rated to 10,000lb hence the name and there are bigger models available but for my dual-cab this is the perfect size winch. When choosing a winch you want something that’s got capacity to handle more than 1.5 to twice the GVM of your vehicle. The 12V motor offers 5.2hp and it’s IP67 rated against dust and water. Essentially, you can dump this thing into around a metre of water for about half-an-hour and it’ll still work when you’ve got it back out. And the wireless controller is water and dust sealed to IP67 too; there’s also a cable if you need.
One of the features I like is the zero drag braking system which means you don’t have to pull against a brake system that can cause heat buildup in the winch, rather the Revo 10 S uses the power of the winch to unspool the line.
When Bushranger launched the Revo range it promised it would undercut other brands on price but with quality that matched or exceeded its competitors. And, after 15 months of ownership it’s still looking good with only some slight discolouration of the transfer lever which locks and unlocks the spool. Nothing that a spray of WD40 doesn’t fix. The ability to completely unlock the spool is a handy one when getting the rope out quickly and can often mean the difference between water getting into your vehicle and being pulled out before any damage occurs.
For our test, we headed to The Forest run at TJ’s 4B park in the Howes Valley NSW… I’d perched the HiLux on the edge of a creek bank which the track follows. After a quick look, I eased forward in anticipation of the front wheels getting traction and powering up the creek/track.
When the front end buried into the creek bottom, I knew the time had come. It was Revo time. As luck would have it, a crowd mysteriously turned up to watch my effort. The wireless remote connected as it had done every time before. After securing the rope and trunk protector to a sturdy tree, it was time.
Let me set the scene, the Hilux nose was wedged into the creek bed, the belly firmly entrenched on the bank and zero traction at any wheel. And then it was another 15 metres along the creek and then a steep little lip to clamber over to get out of the water. Not exactly an easy christening for the Revo 10 S.
Sitting in the driver’s seat, it was time to hit the “in” button on the wireless controller. The Revo wound up the slack, then the magic happened. It was an absolute skull drag till the Hilux popped over the lip at the end and I was free, and feeling pretty good with how the winch had performed.
And after not having used the winch, in anger, in the last 15 months it was just 100 metres later that I was rolling it out again. This time it was when I got stuck in a bog hole with a step exit hidden beneath murky smelly water.
Again the Revo dragged the Hilux out with ease. And then, because Murphy’s Law was hard at work…10 minutes later it was Revo time again. This time with silty mud up to the sills of the HiLux. Always nice when you have to get off the track for some unaware drivers and end up bogged, as they drive by with a lame wave. By now I was feeling like a pro and smashed out the recovery in no time.
So, after 15 months waiting for its time to shine, the Revo 10S worked perfectly in three different recovery situations. It’s fully sealed as I mentioned earlier, so being dunked in the creek for 10 minutes didn’t hurt it at all, it’s got enough power to pull the Hilux out. The wireless remote is a cracker too. And while I haven’t had to use the winch in the bush until recently, I do feel a lot safer and secure knowing it is mounted on the front of my truck.
Bushranger Revo 10 S Specifications
Dimensions: 583mm (L) x 165mm (W) x 216mm (H) (excludes control box)
Rated Line Pull (single): 10,000lbs (4,536kg)
Motor: Series wound, 12V, 5.2HP (3.9kw)
Remote Control: Two functions, hand controller (Wireless, 30m range) (Wired, 5m lead)
Electrical: Contactor IP67 500A
Gear Train: 4 stage gear driven
Gear Ratio: 171:1
Clutch (freespooling): Rotating Ring Gear
Brake: Gearbox Mounted, Proportional Friction Brake System
Drum Diameter/Length: 63.5mm x 244mm
Mounting: Bolt Pattern 254mm x 114mm
Rope: 10mm x 28m Synthetic Rope
Fairlead: Two position Aluminium Hawse Fairlead
Recommend Battery: 650CCA minimum
Battery Leads: 1850mm
Finish: Black Powder Coat
Mechanical Warranty: Limited Lifetime
Electrical Warranty: 7 years
Waterproof Rating: IP67
Certification: CE, IP67
Winch Weight: 33kg
Packaged Weight: 37kg
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