How Much Winch Power?

i dont know if this has been posted before, i searched around, but couldnt really find much. i am looking for a good winch for my rig, but i dont really know how much pulling power i really need. and the price difference between a few thousand pounds is pretty significant, so all the input i could get would be helpful

You want fast unloaded line speed. 8-9.5k. If you have big bucks buy one of the new light weight rock-crawler warn winches and carry extra line. I found a good deal on a super winch. It's fast for the money. Get one with the controll box on the side so you don't block too much air flow to your radiator.

dgrigorenko said:

i dont know if this has been posted before, i searched around, but couldnt really find much. i am looking for a good winch for my rig, but i dont really know how much pulling power i really need. and the price difference between a few thousand pounds is pretty significant, so all the input i could get would be helpful

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To answer your question.
The standard is minimum 1.5 X your vehicle weight. That means if your XJ weighs 4000lbs, including you, fluids, cargo, etc., you need a minimum 6000lbs rated winch. Thats bare minimum, most recommend at least 8000lbs.

I run a 9000 lb mile marker.

Stumpalump said:

You want fast unloaded line speed. 8-9.5k. If you have big bucks buy one of the new light weight rock-crawler warn winches and carry extra line. I found a good deal on a super winch. It's fast for the money. Get one with the controll box on the side so you don't block too much air flow to your radiator.

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Poor advice. The warn 9.0rc is a competition winch. If you want fast line speed get an 8274-50. But they are a pita to mount to an XJ.

For your application you want at least an 8000 pound winch. And who cares how slow it goes? You aren't going anywhere when you are stuck. That being said I have a warn XD9000i and it has never let me down. Don't have that kind of money? Tabor is warn's budget line.

KarlVP said:

And who cares how slow it goes? You aren't going anywhere when you are stuck.

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I've always thought the same thing. People get all concerned with speed. I never understood that. lol

Poor advice The hotest new winch in decades? Can you see that it is also very fast and powerfull and it won't block much air from you radiator. And it is small powerful and fast and you can mount them on a smaller bracket or bumper. It is so bad all the pro's use them and all the real jeepers want them but can't afford them so they try to find foults in it.

Hey 96xj, You will understand line speed when you have lost momentem on a hill climb. You can use your winch to get you going again but if you have a slow unloaded line speed you will run over your cable and have to stop and rewinch. Plus if you can keep the slack out of you cable as you crawl up you wont slid back and yank the slack cable. Fast line speed is really nice and worth the extra money. Not saying you need the fastes but alot faster than a Ramsey REP or a china winch is money well spent.

stumpy,

I didn't think he was slagging the winch, he was saying that the original question suggested a budget, and you're telling him to get the latest and greatest, without him understanding his winching needs. He asked 2 good questions and both should be answered.

He also asked for all the input he could get and since the main topic was winches thats what I gave. Now he knows the merits of light small and fast he can decide what is best for his aplication. Allways remember in jeep building that there is more than one way to do it right but opinions and uses vary from person to person. It's all good!!! Even a come along is great if it adds confidence to the driver.

Problem with the warn 9.0Rc is that according to Warn's website it isn't any faster then the M8000, and only comes with 50 feet of Synthetic rope. Yet you pay over $300 extra for it. The only real advantages it has is slightly less weight (54 Vs. 73 lbs.), Synthetic Rope, 9000 Vs. 8000 Lbs. Capacity, and narrower so it will block less airflow. Not really worth the higher price and shorter rope in my opinion.

If you want a good winch that won’t cost too much and will bolt into all the pre-made bumpers out there, get a Warn M8000. It’s dependable, has good line speed, and won’t break the bank. Just make sure you get the 100 feet cable and Roller fairlead model.

If you want the best of the best get the Warn 8274-50. It’s the most dependable, has the fastest line speed, and holds 150 feet of rope for those long hill climbs. Problem is you will have to fab your own bumper, and it will block more airflow to the radiator since it is taller. Plus it’s about twice the price of an M8000. Personally though, this is the rought I am going.

I'd defentally go with at least an 8K. If you are on a budget you should look around for a used Warn. You can get replacement parts for even and old winch and they work great. I picked up my 8274 for $300.

The only bad part about the 8274 is its size and no one seems to make XJ bumpers for it. It wasn't hard to fab one up though. The extra line capacity is really handy though. Specially if you wheel in an area where winch points can some times be far apart.

You don't need anything more than an 8000 lb winch. However, faster line speed is a nice thing to have, it can save your winch cable and is safer. In many winching situations you still have to drive, trying to get some traction as you're winching. There is a tendancy for many to overdrive their winch, meaning that they power ahead when they get some traction and get slack in the cable, then they slip again tightening the cable, and this can happen a number of times during a winch pull. When the cable goes slack you get loose wraps of cable on the drum, then when it tightens up again those loose wraps get pinched and it puts a kink in the cable. Now those kinks are a weak spot where the cable can potentially break under load on a future pull, possibly hurting someone. So, the faster line speed helps to not get kinks in the cable.

Once you're using the winch, don't try to show your friends you can still go, just stay patiently on the winch until your clear and save your cable. If you have kinks in your cable, be responsible and get a new cable.

The new comp winches are a lousy choice for recreational wheeling, not enough cable, and if you have to carry a cable extension why not just carry the extra line on the winch drum where it's much easier to use.

Thanks for all the input, it definatly relieved all the questions i had!

Just remember that a winch is only as good as the bumper its mounted on.

This is my milemarker/jcr combo:

i have a protofab winch bumper that is set to go, just dont have the winch yet

When someone asks what winch to buy, winch speed always comes up. Its a factor to think about but I wouldnt get too wrapped up in it. For one thing, different winches will have different speeds with different loads on them, meaning that in comparing two winches, one winch may be faster with no load but slower with max load and the same two winches may be the same speed with a moderate load. Another factor to consider is Amp draw. Again, the specs can sometimes be misleading, almost to the point that they should be ignored because theres no standard for measuring Amp draw between manufaturers
My personal feeling is, get a winch that you can depend on to work EVERYTIME you need it and you wont be bothered if its a few seconds slower or draws a few more Amps. Lets face it, all winches are slow, you can outdrive any of them, it doesnt matter if you buy the fastest one made.