I have a 91 extended cab and I am looking at getting a winch. So I read somewhere that if you take the weight of the vehicle x 1.5 that is the minimum pound rated winch to get. So the truck weighs about 3640, so that times 1.5 is 5160. So should I get a 6000 lb rated winch or should I go bigger to like a 7000 or 8000? I don't really need a monster winch because my dad has a 8000 or 9000 lb rated winch on his rig but I do need a winch so I am thinking that a 6000 lb rated one would be just fine....or am I wrong? What do you guys think?

Thanks in advance!!

 

Make sure you are factoring, fuel, fluids, passengers, gear into your weight. I would get a 8000lb.

 

Warn M8000 at minimum.

 

I asked this question awhile ago and got the answer above. Your rig only weighs 3500 lbs now but imagine how that weight gets multiplied when your wheels are tucked under a ledge or you are in some mud or something. Get at least an 8000 pounder.

 

And if you get into a recovery situation like this one you'll need all the winching power you can get. Total carnage was 1 12,00 lb hydraulic, 2 12,000 lb Warn's, some bent bumper mounting brackets on my 4Runner and too many straps to count. But we got the Jeep out of the lake

Pics start on page 16
http://bb.bc4x4.com/showthread.php?t=131616

 

thanks guys ....does Warn make the best winches out there or are there better ones....I mean I haven't heard anything bad about warn products just wondering.

 

that was some drop!! those are some crazy pics.....this is why everybody needs a winch lol.

 

I know that everyone likes Warn, but Warn makes another set of winches under another name...I think it is Mile Marker. Cheaper but the same product.

 

Nope, Tabor.

 

I stand correctec

 

personally i would say 8000 is minimum but on winches i think bigger is always better if you can afford it. i have the warn M8000 and i have gotten stuck bad enough in my 84 to need a snatch block, but i dont like using them with a steel line. they scare me
a little
just my 2 cents

 

If money is an issue, get a Smittybuilt XRC 8000 which is a Warn M8000 copy. It is way faster than my old Milemarker E8000 winch that died recently.

 

No it is NOT a Warn copy...the mile marker and smittybilt are the same winch...In fact I have seen milemarker parts INSIDE the smittybilt XRC

 

I just recently learned some stuff about winches. So I'll pass it on to you.

A winch that is rated at 8000lbs is only rated for that pull weight on the first (lowest) layer of cable.

Ex. A Warn Premium M8000 will pull 8000lbs on the first layer, 7280 on the second, 6670 on the third and only 6230 on the top layer.

With that in mind something like a 6000lb winch will very quickly fall near or below your vehicles weight when you factor in gear, passengers and how badly you're stuck.

Just some food for thought.

 

That is a very good point Junkers! Also remember a snatch block will cut your load in half...very useful to reduce stress and strain on the lines and winch motor. Just make sure your block is in good condition because it sees twice the load of other components

 

Gimme a 500 lb come-along, 1500' of cable and 8 snatch blocks and I'll pull any of you out...
it'll just take a long time.

but for a single pull line, go 8000 lb

 

First time I used the 9000# Warn on my '85 4Runner, I had become stuck in some deep wet spring snow. Was buried to the axles front and rear after breaking through the crust on the snow. Was dragging out the shovel to get myself unstuck then remembered I had finally installed that winch a while back. So pulled out 100' of cable and a tree saver strap to the nearest tree. Plugged in the controller and promptly stalled the winch, truck was not budging. I figured with over 2X the vehicle's weight in pulling power, that winch could yank that truck out of anything, wrong. However, once I popped it into 1st gear low range and let out the clutch to get the tires rotating slowly, that winch easily popped the truck out of that hole in the snow. So I learned you can never have too big a winch.

 

Yeah that was something else I should have mentioned. If at all possible put the rig in gear and let it help the winch do it's job.

 

Thanks for all the info ... So let me get this straight... Warn and Tabor are essentially the same as are Smittybilt and Mile Marker? That being said is Warn better than Smittybilt or are they kind of the same in quality? What winches do you guys have....how do you like them? looking online i keep seeing reviews of winches and people are saying that alot of the draw backs to these winches is the fact that they are slow....but wouldn't you want something slower pulling on your truck as opposed to it just being yanked toward a tree (or rock)...? Wow that was alot of questions, sorry lol. Thanks again you guys are really helping alot!

 

take a look at the comp rigs and see what 90% of them are running....Warns....

The faster the better IMO

=)