The 16.5ti is the top of Warn's truck winch line, and the thing that sets it apart is not the 16,500 lb rating. It is the thermometric indicator built into the remote. Every winch has a duty cycle, and the way most people find its edge is by cooking a motor on a long recovery. The 16.5ti tells you where you are instead, reading motor temperature back to your hand so you know when to pause rather than guessing. Around that sits the ti-series' extreme-duty sealing to keep water and grit out of the places that end winches, a Gen II 4.6 hp series-wound motor, a 315:1 three-stage planetary gearbox and 90' of 7/16" aircraft-grade wire rope. The remote also carries an integrated flashlight, which sounds like a gimmick until the recovery happens after dark.
What's Included:
- Warn 16.5ti winch with 16,500 lb rated line pull
- 90' of 7/16" aircraft-grade wire rope, factory spooled
- Roller fairlead
- Remote switch with 12' lead, thermometric indicator, S2 elements and integrated flashlight
- Contactor control pack with aluminum solenoid housing cover
- 2 gauge, 72" battery leads
- Warn operator's manual and mounting hardware
Features
Thermometric Indicator: The Winch Tells You When to Stop
The remote carries a thermometric readout that reports motor temperature back to the operator. Every electric winch has a thermal limit, and most people discover it the expensive way in the middle of a long pull. This one gives you the information in advance, so you can pause and let it cool rather than working blind and finding out afterwards.
16,500 lb, the Highest Capacity in the Warn Truck Line
16,500 lb of single-line pull on the first layer, built on a large-frame chassis with the heavy-duty carrier plates the Heavyweight series is defined by. If the M15's 15,000 lb is not quite enough margin for a loaded one-ton working in soft ground, this is where the line ends.
Extreme-Duty Sealing
The ti-series reputation is built on sealing rather than on headline numbers. Water, mud and grit reaching the motor, the gearbox or the brake are what actually kill winches, and the 16.5ti is built to keep them out. It also carries a newer aluminum solenoid housing cover in place of the older plastic part.
Faster and More Efficient Than the Winch It Replaced
Warn's redesign delivers higher line speeds at lower amp draw. In practice that means 23.6 ft/min with no load at 68 amps, and it still moves at 3.24 ft/min pulling its full 16,500 lb rating. That is quicker unloaded than the M15 despite carrying 1,500 lb more capacity.
315:1 Three-Stage Planetary and a Cone Brake
A 315:1 reduction is how a 4.6 hp Gen II series-wound motor makes 16,500 lb of pull. The automatic direct-drive cone brake holds the load on the drum rather than depending on the gearbox to creep back, which at this capacity is not something to compromise on.
Pull-by-Layer, Published
16,500 lb on layer one, then 13,500 lb, 11,423 lb, 9,900 lb and 8,735 lb as the drum fills. Even layer five out-pulls a typical 8,000 lb winch on its first layer, which is a fair summary of what this winch is.
Chromate Undercoat with High-Gloss Dark Gray Powder Coat
The 16.5ti wears a chromate undercoating beneath a high-gloss dark gray powder coat, a corrosion package aimed at winches that live on the front of a working truck through salted winters. Designed, engineered and assembled in Clackamas, Oregon.
Fitment & Compatibility
| Vehicle Class |
Fit |
| One-ton trucks, loaded, working or towing |
✓ Yes, the 16.5ti's intended application |
| Three-quarter-ton trucks in hard service |
✓ Yes, with useful margin |
| Heavy expedition and overland builds on a full-size chassis |
✓ Yes, and the thermometric readout earns its keep on long pulls |
| Half-ton trucks and full-size SUVs |
● Over-specified. The M12 or M15 is the sensible choice |
| Jeep Wrangler, mid-size 4x4s, ATV and UTV |
✗ No. Use the VR EVO, ZEON, VRX or AXON lines |
Fit guidance: This is a universal-fit winch, not a vehicle-specific part. Size it by weight: a rated pull of at least 1.5 times gross vehicle weight is the working rule, so 16,500 lb comfortably covers rigs up to roughly 11,000 lb. It uses the industry-standard 10" x 4.5" bolt pattern, but at 24.23" long and around 138 lb the mount has to be rated for a large-frame Heavyweight winch. A winch-ready bumper or dedicated winch plate is required; no mount is included.
Specifications
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Model: 16.5ti
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Part Number: 68801
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Rated Line Pull: 16,500 lb (7,484 kg) single line, first layer
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Motor: 12V DC, 4.6 hp Gen II series wound
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Geartrain: 3-stage planetary
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Gear Ratio: 315:1
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Brake: Automatic direct-drive cone
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Clutch: Rotating ring gear free-spool
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Remote Control: Remote switch, 12' (3.7m) lead, thermometric indicator, S2 elements, integrated flashlight
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Rope: 90' of 7/16" (27m, 11mm) aircraft-grade wire rope
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Fairlead: Roller
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Drum Diameter and Length: 3.5" / 8.2" (9cm / 21cm)
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Line Speed, No Load: 23.6 ft/min (7.20 m/min), 68 amps
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Line Speed at 16,500 lb: 3.24 ft/min (0.99 m/min), 507 amps
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Pull by Layer: Layer 1: 16,500 lb · Layer 2: 13,500 lb · Layer 3: 11,423 lb · Layer 4: 9,900 lb · Layer 5: 8,735 lb
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Overall Dimensions: 24.23" x 9.80" x 8.49" (615.4mm x 248.8mm x 215.7mm)
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Mounting Bolt Pattern: 10" x 4.5" (254mm x 114.3mm)
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Battery Leads: 2 gauge, 72" (1.83m)
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Recommended Battery: 650 CCA minimum for winching
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Lubrication: Molylube #1 or Aeroshell #17
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Finish: Chromate undercoat with high-gloss dark gray powder coat
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Sealing: Extreme duty
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Winch Weight: About 138 lb (63 kg)
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Country of Origin: USA
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Shipping Weight: 136.5 lb
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UPC: 012748688013
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Warranty: Limited lifetime mechanical, limited 7 year electrical
Installation
Type: Bolt-in to a winch plate, winch-ready bumper or winch carrier, plus a battery connection · Time: About 1 to 2 hours with the mount already fitted · Tools: Socket and wrench set, torque wrench, and a second person or a hoist, because the winch weighs around 138 lb · Difficulty: Intermediate
Bolt the winch to a plate or bumper rated for a large-frame Heavyweight winch on the 10" x 4.5" pattern and torque to Warn's spec. Run the 2 gauge leads to the battery clear of exhaust, steering and suspension travel, and make every high-current connection clean and tight, because at 507 amps a poor terminal costs you real pulling speed. Route the remote lead so the thermometric readout is easy to see from where you will actually stand during a recovery, not just from the driver's seat. Cycle the clutch and run the winch both directions under no load before the first pull.
Resources
Everything you need for your Warn 16.5ti Thermometric Self-Recovery Winch, in one place.
Warranty, Shipping & Returns
Warranty. Warn limited lifetime warranty on mechanical components and a limited seven year warranty on electrical components.
Free shipping. This item ships free to the lower 48 states. Because it is an oversized item, it ships by freight and typically arrives in 3 to 7 business days.
Inspect on delivery. Please inspect the packaging before signing. If you see any damage, note it on the delivery receipt and contact us right away, and we will make it right.
About Warn
Warn Industries has been building vehicle recovery gear in the Pacific Northwest since 1948, when Arthur Warn started out converting surplus military Jeeps for road use with a locking hub of his own design. The hubs turned into winches, and the winches turned Warn into the name that off-roaders, ranchers, utility fleets and search-and-rescue crews reach for when something has to come out of somewhere it should not be. The ti-series sits at the top of the truck line, and Warn designs, engineers and assembles it in Clackamas, Oregon.
What separates Warn from the price-led end of the winch market is that it treats a winch as a safety device rather than an accessory. Series-wound motors, real cone brakes, sealed contactor control packs and gear trains rated for the number printed on the box are the reason decades-old Warn winches still pull. It is also why Warn publishes full pull-by-layer and amp-draw tables instead of a single headline figure, and why the mechanical side of the warranty runs for the life of the product.
Prestige Truck is an authorized Warn dealer. Every winch we sell is new, factory-boxed, covered by the full Warn factory warranty, and supported through Warn's own dealer network.
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