Arthur and Sadie Warn started WARN Industries in 1948. They owned a Willy’s dealership in Southpark, Washington, and were converting the surplus WWII Jeeps into useful civilian vehicles. They began by revolutionizing the automotive industry by creating a wheel-locking hub. They sold hubs by mail order and Arthur had a small manufacturing operation to keep up with the orders. Eventually, WARN locking hubs became an option on new cars. The WARN winch was developed in 1959 and is noted as the first recreational winch. It has a tough drive train, which made it a must-have for off-road racing and others who spend their time on rugged terrain.
The Warn family was at the helm of the business until 2000 when one of the grandsons sold it to the Dover Corporation. The WARN winch comes in a variety of sizes, including the 9.5xp-s Extreme Performance Winch. Other WARN products include the Clevis D-Shackle with 6,000 pound capacity, differential skid plates and front bumpers for the Jeep Wrangler. They also manufacture a jack mount for the tire carrier on the Wrangler JK and an accessory kit for the heavy-duty WARN winch.