What do I need for a Winch?

Hello, I want to put a winch on a 1994 XJ. What should I get its stock with 1998 sPORT RIMS and super swamper ''s stock size.

Just curious to why you want a winch? You're going to need a bumper that can support it. Personally, if its for offroad use, I'd put my money into different modifications first.

well ahhh what i want to do is get the winch system first. Then i will put a Rustys Kit in. Will it interfear with the lift?

thanks

well, you will need to get a bumper that can support a winch. It shouldn't interfere with your lift. There will be extra weight up front, which may cause your springs to sit lower than without the winch. I personally would do a lift, lockers, gearing, and skid plates before I would do a winch. Do you plan on doing alot of wheeling by yourself?

dude you dont need a winch(my opinion) i have a 94 4.0 xj, aint got but a 4.5 lift and 31's i got a friend with an xterra with maxxis 32" mudders, and friend with a tacoma thats gotta 6" fabtech lift and 33" BFG's, and a friend with a wrangler that has a 4.5 rubi lift 32"bfg m/t and every thing but a winch, let me say i have a/t tires unlike them, with my jeep i do more than them i get more places, i get up things faster and smoother and i've never once gotten stuck nor needed a winch, think bout it you want to get a winch, aint even got a lift yet, where you planning on going stock that you gonna need a winch to get somewhere!!???, winchin is the least of your worries, i'd be worried bout being vertically challenged and poppin the gas tank(bad experience) but yeah go out spend 3-600 bucks on a bumper another 5-900 on a winch but be able NOT to get any where to use it, oh and if you aint got but a 2.5 4cyl. have fun trying to power tha altenator to make the winch work and not kill your power, much less burn it up!!! but have fun!!

Maybe someone should just answer the question.

The usual rule of thumb is that the winch rating should be 1-1/2 times the gross vehicle weight. A stock XJ is going to weigh somewhere around 4,000 pounds, curb weight, so a 6,000 pound winch would be right according to that formula. However, most people who wheel seriously have at least an 8,000 pound winch, and some have a 9,000.

FWIW, the factory hidden winch option (back when it was an option) was available with a 5,000 pound or a 6,000 pound winch. The winches were Ramsey, and an engineer from the Ramsey factory said they were told to engineer for a maximum 6,000 pound winch because that's what the Jeep engineeres felt the chassis was good for.

Hope that helps. There is a thread from a month or two ago in the Mod Tech forum about the hidden winch option. You might look that up and read it.

I think the answer to the question you asked was covered - you will need a bumper that can house a winch.

If you are looking for some ability to recover from getting stuck a winch is not your only option. A less expensive option would be to get some better tow hook brackets and tow hooks in the front, a tow hook in the back, and a high lift jack and some chain for winching. Read Using the Hi-Lift Jack for more information about this. I also recommend having a shovel along.

Its not as easy as having a nice bumper mounted winch - but it is a whole lot less expensive and generally will work fine.

Another option, that no one has mentioned, is getting a front hitch receiver and a winch mount that attaches to it. The receiver can then either be used as a front recovery point, or for mounting the winch.

dmillion said:

Another option, that no one has mentioned, is getting a front hitch receiver and a winch mount that attaches to it. The receiver can then either be used as a front recovery point, or for mounting the winch.

Click to expand...

You opened up a can of worms with that one. That type of system will work fine as long as you are winching in line with the vehicle. As soon as you start winching at an angle it will put a lot of stress on the receiver/hitch. I don’t know if it would actually break the receiver or bend the hitch, but I wouldn’t want to find out either. You do have a point about using the receiver for a hitch with a D shackle. I have a receiver built into my front bumper for that very purpose. It’s not necessary to have a high dollar top of the line winch to go 4 wheeling. I’ve done some pretty amazing things with a Hi-Lift jack and a come along. Of course I don’t look as cool as the guys with a Warn 12000 TI, but I still get home at the end of the day.

Thanks for all the help, a few more things. I thought that the 2.5L had the same altenator as the 4.0L but with less power[ maby not ] I guess it would have to be differnt because its on the other side of the Engine [ i think ].lol
Well I thought that it would also be used to help pull other people out with out putting so much stress on the motor and drivetrain. So i have came to the conclusion to get a 8000 just because, and to get eh Brand made winch bumper and i will also get all the tow hooks on front and rear. This is going to take a while but it also looks cool then its on. I have not got my XJ yet but i just sold my [ HONDA CIVIC ] and i have $5000 CND in the bank and thats about all i will have. So far i have only seen one 2.5L XJ in B.C. where i live!
I had seen some good deals on some 1996 2-door 4x4 classics though with the 4.oL. All i would have to do is put stronger Coils in the front to make up for the added weight i think.

Thanks very much

You might wanna consider a dual battery setup, in case you need to winch without the engine running. I don't see any problem with getting a winch on a stock height XJ. You can get plenty stuck without a lift. Lift, lockers, big tires, etc only open up more places to get stuck and help you get stuck even worse. I have a similar plan to you. I want to do more of the durability/protection/recovery work first. Then once its lifted I'll be set. I like the idea of a "sleeper" XJ out on the trails.

Heres how I'm doing it. Protection, recovery, and spare parts first. Lift, gears, lockers second. Then on down the road maybe the extras like a winch. A winch is like power windows, yea its nicer and easier, but it's not really necessary. If you break open your t-case from lack of protection, what good is the winch gonna do?

I agree with PAXJ. I also have been building my XJ up with a limited budget. When I started I wanted a winch first so I could self recover. Fortunately I listened to more experienced people - who all said get armor first. You can get people to help you get unstuck on the trail a lot easier than you can fix serious damage. If you do a search you will see that same advice given lots of times on these forums.

Besides, if you get aftermarket bumpers, rock rails, a hilift, a shovel, straps, etc - you will (a) be much better protected and (b) be a lot easier to strap when you are stuck or someone else is.

Ifyou never go 4-wheeling alone (EVEREVER) then you probably don't need a winch. Ninety-nine percent of the time, a snatch strap will get you or someone else unstuck.
If you do travel alone, a winch is an essential piece of vehicle recovery equipment.

Along with a winch, you'll need towhooks, a tree trunk saver, and a shovel. I bought an '84 XJ with factory skid plates in April of '84 and the first aftermarket option I bought was a Ramsey REP 6000 Planetary Winch. This winch and installation kit doesn't need a winch bumper. Without a heavy winch bumper it puts less stress on the springs. It's designed for the vehicle and has a very low amp draw. The installation kit was designed by Jeep engineers and the Ramsey people. It extends the front bumper out about 2 1/2 inches which minimally affects your approach angle. When you install the winch, if you use larger battery cables, its overall performance is even better. A high lift jack is quite desirable along with a snatch block or two, a D-ring and some extra cable.

There are simple rules for using a winch. Electric winches
create heat. Heat can burn up the windings in the winch.
So a good rule of thumb is, once you put a load on the cable, your first pull should not exceed three minutes followed by one full minute of rest and each pull after the initial pull, limit to one minute followed by a minute of rest.
This will lengthen the life of your winch.

When you attach a winch cable to an object by way of a tree trunk or sign post, make sure that the strap is as low as you can possibly attach it. Other than this, be sure to use all safety procedures for winching that hopefully are in with the instructions. Vehicle recovery can be quite dangerous to life and limb and oh yeah, sheet metal and windshields. The vehicle recovery person should be aware of where everyone is around the vehicle while the process is ongoing. Spectators like to run in front and along side of operations to get a better view and take pictures. Keep them well away from the cable in case it breaks. It acts like a whip and will take out whomever or whatever is in its path.

My 2 cents worth,
RangerRick

A winch is like insurance, it's a pain to pay for it but you'll be glad you did if you ever need it.

I take my wife and kids camping to remote high country lakes and streams, we don't go with anyone else so a winch is important for us. It's not for getting in to places, it's for getting out. My wife has diabetes and I'd never consider heading off road with being damn sure that we can get back to town in an emegency.

As far as a strap is concerned, yes they'll work in most "Stuck" situations, but not all. A winch will allow you to pull from a variety of angles using a snatch block and an appropriate anchor point. Basically it's a lot more versatile than strap. Let's not forget that if Ol' Billy-Bob is a little heavy on the gas peddle he's gonna break something. Winching is nice and slow so you can see what's happening and prevent damage to your rig or the other guy's.