I don’t know about 17 years ago, but Warn is not being made in the US anymore. According to Summit, their 10k winch is being made in China
View attachment 1716239034
You can also read between the lines on the Warn industries webpage-
“For over 70 years, the small army of engineers, technicians, and machinists who design, engineer, and test our products are the very same people who use them, right here in the rugged Pacific Northwest.”
Notice it doesn’t say “build” or “manufacture” their products in that bit. That’s not an accident, it’s because they outsource their manufacturing now. They say they’ll “ship from our factory in Oregon”, but you don’t see “made in the USA” on their website. Because they aren’t.
Harbor Freight is a US headquartered company too, at least they’re not trying to fool you into thinking you’re buying US made products at US made prices.
