Warn Industries' 70th Anniversary

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

- Chris Collard

I PURCHASED my first winch back in 1984 from a buddy’s dad: a well-used Warn upright with a cable-operated brake. 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 that I was entering a paragraph in what would become a 70-year chronical of high-quality offroad products. Recently, I took the opportunity to visit Warn’s headquarters in Clackamas, Oregon, tour the production plant, and dig into the company’s rich history.

I met with systems technician Chad Schroll for a tour of their 200,000ft² facility. From the catwalk of a 20-foot-tall gear-cutting broach, overlooking CNC mills and plasma tables, he shared the company’s humble beginnings. While many only associate the Warn moniker to its line of winches, the company’s roots lay slightly aft of the fairlead – capping the front axle to be exact.

After WWII, surplus Willys flat fender Jeeps, which could be purchased for a few hundred dollars, flooded the civilian markets. Arthur Warn, who had opened a Willys dealership with his wife Sadie in Southpark, Washington, in the 1930s, realised the need for a way to disengage the front axle to allow for on-pavement use. He took it upon himself to design a new hub to allow for “free-wheeling” in two-wheel drive. Early sales were generated by going door-to-door demonstrating the new product, but upon his wife’s suggestion Arthur invested in an ad in Popular Mechanics. It not only provided national exposure, but was the catalyst for future global expansion.