Ideas for winch size on 3rd gen

What size winch does everyone suggest for moderate off-roading?

 

Dollar for dollar, you can't beat the Badlands 12k with synthetic rope.

 

10k

 

My warn m8000s has never let me down.

 

Smitty X20 10k has been sufficient for all of my situations so far.
Have to watch what size your bumper will allow some can not accommodate a 12k.

 

Depends on the 12k. The Smitty 10k x20 you and I have is the exact same size as the x20 12k. Only reason I bought the 10k was there were ones will yellow rope on sale for WAY cheaper than the standard 10 and 12k at the time.

 

I've had both 8000lb and 9000lb winches and both have had no issues with pulling my Toyota's out of a jam.

 

I'd prefer synthetic rope but the Badland 12000lb with wire rope is $299 with coupon right now.

 

Moderate offroading? If you wheel with others I'd say you don't need a winch. Just about all of my offroading has been solo. I've never had a winch in the past or have been winched out in over 30 years. That said, been a few times it would have helped. Several times I had to turn around or re-route.

In the last 6 months I've installed a Warn EVO 10k winch (that I think I bought about a year ago), with discounts and rebates I got it for under $300. Otherwise I was looking at 8k - 9.5k winches but this deal was too good to pass up. With the little winching I expect to do I also hooked it up to the single starter battery and didn't go with an isolated battery for the winch. I do carry a jump pack just in case I were to drain the starter battery too much.

In my opinion, for moderate offroading, it's as important to consider factors like power demand on your system (do you need a second/isolated battery?) upgraded electrical, bumper, additional frame support, weight/physical size of the winch as well. For me, it was much more than throw a 12k on there and be done with it.

 

Generaly recommendation for winches is to buy at least 1.5x the weight of your vehicle however it's typically setup. So for a ~5500lb truck, that'd be an 8k rated winch. If you're typically in mud, mud to the center of the wheel is typically guessed to add about 50% of the vehicle weight, buried to the frame about 75%+. So 9500/10k's start to make sense.

Other things to consider, is what distance you typically expect to pull. Short pulls generally mean you won't have much cable off the drum, and more cable on the drum means a decreased (taller) gear ratio, meaning less pulling power. Some manufacturers tell you the rsted pull by # of wraps of cable on the winch. So if you're typically pulling short distances, either uprate the winch you buy, or plan to use a snatchblock (pulls more cable wraps off the drum and increases pulling power simultaneously, the tradeoff being decreased speed and increased time winching).

The other consideration, as we get increasingly out into the weeds, is the amp draw of the winch.

You can compare winches that tell you amp draw at different pull ratings. A heavier winch will generally draw much less current at a sub-max load than a winch rated for the same pull thats maxed out (e.g. a 12k winch may pull 75+ amps less at 8k than a typical 8k winch).

Lots of tradeoffs to consider. But there is a combination of right boxes checked for your typical use.

 

Go to Lowe's https://www.lowes.com/pd/Carry-On-Trailer-12-000-LB-TRUCK-WINCH/5001962397


The really best bang for your buck

 

I've actually used my winch all of one time... to pull a rhododendron out of my yard, lol. So yeah, I'm actually with you on this. I'd put the money down on a full set of 4 maxtrax instead. I've used those 30-40 times easy, if not more at this point. Use them half a dozen times a day on some trips. I also throw them in the SxS and they've come in handy. In the winter I throw a set in my wife's car just in case.