AEV Winch Hook Isolator

Very nice quality. Does a great job protecting fairlead

Can't believe this isn't a factory item. Looks and fits as if it is. Installation is super easy, remove the cotter pin on your winch hook, remove hook, install isolator, reinstall hook. Secures in place well, back side has a contour to match the fairlead. Looks great. Super happy.

Keeps hook tight on fairlead

There was some question as to if this worked only with a roller fairlead. It works perfect with my synthetic rope and a Hawse fairlead. I have a Warren Epic hook and was worried it would mar up the fairlead with the hook retracted right up against it. It took countless internet searches to figure out a solution and discover this product. Seemed to be priced a bit high for what it is, but there was nothing else out there. I was going to go with a Factor 55 Prolink just because of it's rubber backing, but I didn't like the look of it. This product puts the rubber backing in place and should with most hook styles.

Used this on a Jeep JK with a Rock Hard bumper and Smittybilt X2O Winch. This jeep is often towed behind an RV, and the breakaway cables conveniently attach to the shackles. The problem is there really isn't enough room on the shackle for the breakaway cable hook and the winch hook at the same time. This looked like a very clean looking, reasonable solution for a lot less money than a Factor 55n hook. So right off the bat I realized this would not work with the stock Smittybilt hook because the hook attaches with a loop which is oriented 90 degrees from a hook with a pin. If you use the stock hook it sticks straight out and does not fold. I could see from the pictures it is designed to work with a hook that has a raised, round profile around the pin. I don't believe a flat hook will work. Almost every picture you see has this isolator used with a Warn hook, either stock or the Warn Epic. I wanted to make sure it would work, so I went with an Epic. So, cut off the old hook, install the isolator and new hook, reel it in, and am dissapointed to see the rubber isolator deform and not allow the hook to lay flat. If I dinked around with it enough, I was able to get just enough tension on it to hold the hook up straight and not drastically deform the isolator, which left it certainly not flat, but not sticking way out either. I realized that the isolator was not fitting into the narrow slot in the Smittybilt Hawse fairlead, allowing the isolator to easily deform. Maybe it fits a Warn, I don't know. So, I spent an hour pulling it back off and trimming the back down with a utility knife until it sort of fit in the fairlead slot. The hook now sits better but not perfect, it looks like the rubber is going to deform to a certain extent no matter how well the isolator fits the slot. Bottom line, if I spend some time bumping the line in and out, in search of the perfect line tension, I can get where it sits not too far from flat with enough tension to hold the hook up straight. So yeah, it's not perfect like the pictures, but it's pretty close. I think if the isolator had a denser/harder composition, and the cup area was a little shallower (If it was shallower it could deform slightly and still let the hook lay flat), and if it fit my Smittybilt fairlead without trimming, it would work better and I would be happier with it.

Correspond to the description. It is foreseen for cable (with roller) more than synthetic rope.

After trying multiple isolators, they all failed to work as they were intended with the large steel cable fairlead from Warn. I even tried multiple hooks, but they all set crooked, or stuck out several inches and just didnt look right or hold tight. I ended up settling on a harbor freight 12K hook because it actually can fit a quality tow rope in it and latch, but when the winch line is tight it even tried to full through the fairlead causing cuts in the iron and still set off center, but the AEV isolator fixed this in minuets. The cable and eye fit through it like it was made for it, and the tapering on the back is awesome, it actually fits the mouth of the fairlead! Others are flat and slide all over, but the AEV stays in place and is everything I have been looking for for years!

I really like AEV products and this one is great. I liked it on my 2020 Colorado ZR2 Bison diesel with a Warn winch and now I like it on my 2023 Bronco Big Bend with another Warn winch. It's black so that goes with anything, if that's important. I respect the AEV quality and design. Great piece of equipment.