Winch selection

anchoring your truck for a heavy pull on another vehicle on slick ground is not uncommon. it is actually recommended but it does have additional concerns you should keep an eye on.. such as frame bending, bottoming out suspension (depending on line angle), and pulling past the winches capability. if the winch strains to a dead stop.. its time to reset, think about a longer pull on say the 2nd or 3rd drum wrap (strongest pull), or reset, and double back the rope/line with a pulley/snatchblock for more pulling power. however if this is not enough, and the winch is straining... it is time to re-evaluate, stack rocks/logs, dig out, or call & wait for some more help. thick mud, a 2 winch team or more may be needed (watch 4wd https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=515cXhHULGY ).. they used 3 vehicles to recover the truck from a beach. had they had an anchor point to use for 1 or all of them, they probably would have..

 

There is a military guide to recovery out there somewhere that I have seen. The key takeaway was mired up to the wheel is 150% weight. Mired up to the hub is %200, and up to the frame is %300. Something like that.

I started with a Chinese made TJM winch. It quit on me twice, then I finally bit the bullet and got a Warn 9.5xp-s. Best money I have spent on my truck, besides maxtrax. Don't cut corners with your recovery equipment. You may never actually need it, but when you do, you really, really need it.

 

Yeah, I've seen that video. I watch a bunch of their stuff.

 

You want 1.5-2 times the vehicle weight of the vehicle. If you are stuck the winch has to pull your weight, plus any friction, static weight, or vacuum force (especially in the mud). Buy a quality winch, this is not something you want to skimp out on, because its main and only purpose is to recover yourself or others, and its in those situations you definitely don't want something to break. Warn is always a great brand, but a newer brand that I think is outdoing Warn is Come-Up winches. They have external brakes to keep heat away, they have integrated wireless remotes (not plug in wireless like warn), battery and temp monitors, and so waterproof they left one of their winches in a 2 ft tank of water, running continuously, for the entire week of Sema. I like synthetic rope over cable for ease of use and safety reasons. I hope this helps.

 

I went with a Smittybuilt 9500lb winch. IMO go for a steel cable. Synthetic might weigh less, have a tad more line etc, but on multiple occasions I have seen synthetic ropes break. Not what you want to happen when needing to use the winch. Definitely get a wireless remote or wire a switch into the cab. DEFINITELY get at least one if not two snatch blocks and a tree saver. Snatch blocks can multiply your effective "winching" abilities if used correctly. Last time I needed my winch, I was just short of the tree but thankfully had a tree saver and was able to get the extra foot I needed. I've never used my winch and thought, wow I should have gotten a smaller one. Also, something to consider is the strain on your electrical system under full load. May need to install a capacitor or 2nd battery. I did neither and believe I should have....last time (same time with tree as above) I had to use the winch multiple times under a heavy load and I didn't realize I was draining the battery so much and ended up killing the battery and having to have someone come jump me off. Terrible feeling to be stuck, in the snow, winch line tight af, and a dead battery. If it can go wrong, it will. And when it rains, it pours. Always plan on the worst case.

 

this thread is super helpful. thanks

 

I've been bored and reading through everything I can find lately. Just to revive this thread I'll say this....

I dont know what type of off road driving you do but I can tell you about my approach. This is just an alternative view that suits MY use of my truck. I cant speak for you and what you need but I do think that many people geek out on gear without really thinking things out.

I dont believe that a big winch is money well spent. When you look at what is necessary the money starts getting big as does the added weight. Winch, bumper, suspension to deal with extra weight, battery concerns. You are into thousands of dollars and 100s of pounds. For what? For me it would only gain speed of recovery in the really stuck situations and cool points in parking lots. I think the importance of heavy winches is greatly exaggerated for most people's actual use of their truck.

Basic light recovery gear can get you out. It just takes longer and more careful thought.

For self recovery I carry a 3000 pound portable winch, 4 pulleys, and lots of line. Backup is a hi lift. Not much weight, cheap, highly adaptable to every situation and I can pull it out of my truck in 2 minutes if I'm driving to the city with the family. This setup gets shit on here because of the rules of thumb and safety. Honestly for those who are wondering - it works for me and it is safe. You need to know what you are doing and use your head. Mechanical advantage works. Safety isnt in the gear, safety is in how you use the gear. I listen to my gear, when tension gets too high I back off and reassess. Dig a little. Move rocks, get traction under tires etc.

All of that being said this isnt for someone who is dealing with deep mud or really pushing tough terrain. This is for the kind of terrain most sane people will run into with their expensive and essential daily driver on a normal trail. I dont need my recovery gear often because I drive well, know my truck and stay light. I've never felt held back by my system. If I want to push my limits I go with other people and again have no need of a big winch.
Dont drink the koolaid. Use your head and look critically at what you need.

 

I was just giving a basic rule of thumb that is common for when winch shopping. I agree you dont need to go with a massive winch, I see many people running 12,000 lbs winches or bigger on a simple mini truck. Which is way too much winch for the small vehicle. A 9.5 is perfect for me and my 4runner. Of course there is always ways to use mechanical advantage and use a smaller winch, but why limit yourself to always having to use mechanical advantage, and always pushing your winch to its limits? Also if I have 60ft of winch line, and what I need to winch to is more than 30ft away, I don't have a way to use mechanical advantage. So i always prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Having a winch capable of pulling me out in a single line pull when needed, but hope I dont need to use it.

 

Absolutely and not saying your wrong. You use what works best for your situation. Everything is a trade off. I just think many people will be restricted by believing bigger is better. Depending on your terrain and usage bigger might be worse. For me a heavy winch/bumper combo would be worse. An expensive, heavy, eventually rusty, rarely used addition to my truck.
I just want to put this out there for the people who ask about using smaller winches. When someone asks it seems to turn into a pile on about ratings and safety. We aren't lifting these trucks over our heads. Safety in winching has to do with learning the right way and using your senses. For me the winch is just the pull I put on my system. Enough pulleys and I could have my kids do the pulling and it would work.
I just hate the thought of people not getting out on the trails because they dont have the big high dollar equipment.
Again I dont want to imply that anyone is wrong. I just want to point out that having a small winch isnt wrong either. I think both have there place and many people would benefit from something small, portable and cheap.
And I like a good argument.

 

I have a Zeon 12-s with a extra 80ft roll of line, three snatch blocks. 4 ton come-a-long, Hi lift with winch kit, 30' strap, 30' yankem rope, plus all the other crap. I wheel alone much of the time, I'm disabled so I have to be able to self recover or I'm waiting for help. SAT phone that sends email to who ever I need.

That Yankem rope is the cats ass for recovery, takes all the hard work out of most recoveries.

 

FM 20-22

https://www.bits.de/NRANEU/others/amd-us-archive/Fm20-22(62).pdf

 

I wound up ordering the smitybilt X20 10k comp with sythetic line and wireless remote, cheapest at the time was through Amazon $557 shipped to my door. should be here by the 8th. also waiting on my SSO slimline bumper, which is in production right now. I already have a 20k snatchblock, and plenty of D-ring shackles (3 hard shackles 30k rated on rig, plus 3 soft 17K rated shackles). all I have left on my list is a tree saver strap, line arrestor/damper (i typically use a towel) and maybe a winch line extension (not critical as most areas I wheel trees/stumps are plentiful, however better to have and not need, than.... you know..). I also carry on board a cheap 10k rated 10ft tow rope with hooks, and a 20k rated Procomp 30ft 2"strap.

I went synthetic line for 2 reasons, its lighter (close to 30lbs off the front end is significant), and it can be repaired with simple tools (tape and a wooden stick (I carry bamboo skewers in my cooking kit, as well as a pocket knife, and there are sticks all around))... as opposed to cable which has to be handled with gloves, repairs can be made, but you need cable clamps, or the time/ability to cut the cable, and then rebraid a loop eye into the cable.

 

learn how to use it. Start reading now, then when you get it all together, go out and get stuck. practice self recovery using different methods. learn to pull yourself backward

 

not my first winch... had a tabor 9k on my Jeep, and did well, got me places that jeep would not get to on its own. and WAY better than using a come-a-long. a lot of people just need someone to give them pointers, and that there is more than one way to rig up a line pull, there are many ways to redirect your pull, double your pulling power, or pull your own rear axle sideways out of a sticky hole... just a few simple tricks, and setup ideas so they know what gear is necessary, and whats gear is just fluff. safety, and controlled winching is what most people want.

 

I think it depends on what you envision using your truck for. If you’re not putting your truck in situations where you will be truly stuck a lighter winch will probably work. I think it’s preferable to error on the side of too much winch.

 

Just installed a Come Up Seal Gen 2 9.5K

 

new winch and bumper are on, SSO slimline hybrid, 20" S8 driving/combo lightbar, Smitybilt X2o 10k comp winch.



next add on is lift kit dobinsons MRA 2.4"

 

I like the straight cord, i hate the coiled remote cord of my superwinch.
need to buy a cheap wireless for it

 

Harbor freight carries one.... $40

 

I'm betting the connector wont work with my winch, but I'll go give a look. Some cheapos on Amazon for around $25, they are permanent wired