Minimum Winch Size

jeremesh · **Posted:** Thu May 15, 2008 11:16 pm

Ok, lets say my libby weighs 5K once I get it armored up. I believe that is the weight if I were to put it on a scale correct?

Now if I want to get a winch but have a low budget so cant spring for the 12K model, what is the smallest rated winch I can get and still feel confident it can pull me out of a mud hole? If the jeep weighs 5K, it shouldnt take 5K worth of force to pull it on a horizontal plane correct? I'm not a physicist or nuttin but it seems to me I could get away with a 3K rating or so... I know, Higher is better but what would work? Currently all I got is a 4K come-a-long :-)

jsc7002 · **Posted:** Thu May 15, 2008 11:19 pm

I believe that you want one that is 1.5 times the weight of your vehicle, if I were to buy one Id prolly get a 8k or bigger

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Thu May 15, 2008 11:32 pm

Ive always heard the same thing, get at least 1.5 times the weight of the vehicle.

tommudd · **Posted:** Thu May 15, 2008 11:34 pm

3000 lb winch :lol:

thats not enough to pull it up on a trailer on flat ground, plus if you are somewhere that you need a winch then you are in mud up to your *#** so you need to pull the weight of the vehicle plus the pull from the mud or up over rocks. Start to fiqure again but you want at least 8 or I would go at least 10,000, plus what if someone else wants you to pull them out ................

Inc · **Posted:** Thu May 15, 2008 11:48 pm

Nothing below 8K. 4wd.com has an warn m8000 for like $530. Pretty good deal from what I can tell.

JL Rockies · **Posted:** Fri May 16, 2008 9:31 am

I just installed a Mile Marker PE8000 into my new ARB bumper this past weekend. It was on special this month at 4 wheel parts. I paid $399 and you got a free utility winch with purchase.

SpankyKJ · **Joined:** Fri Mar 28, 2008 4:20 am **Posts:** 83

IDK about amp draw on winches but warn list specs. http://www.quadratec.com/products/92104_01_07.htm I should consider upgrade bat.& Alt. before picking any winch? If I don't upgrade, the winch will not have enough power? Am I on the right track? 8000lb@435 amps=maybe someone can help explain 12v performance specs chart?

I read these before posting:
http://www.lostjeeps.com/forum/phpBB3/vie ... or&start=0 (Dual Bat. or High Amp Alt)
http://www.lostjeeps.com/forum/phpBB3/vie ... or&start=0 (Mean Green Alt)

Hood297 · **Posted:** Fri May 16, 2008 10:41 am

I have a Warn M8000, Warn SDB-210 lights, Renegade light bar, and 480 watt amp powering a JL audio 10-w3.

My battery isn't a hardcore optima, its an everstart max 720ca 655cca from wal-mart ( did it for the warranty) with the renegade 160 amp alternator.
I have always had plenty of juice to pull myself out, and others for that matter, not bear in mind that the lights do dim a bit when winching a big load, but it has never been an issue..

Here is one victim i had to extract with the winch..

nlife · **Joined:** Thu Aug 16, 2007 11:43 pm **Posts:** 226

What happend to that guy Hood? Swerve for an animal or something? Hopefully everyone was wearing their seatbelts and was ok.

N

JL Rockies · **Posted:** Fri May 16, 2008 12:20 pm

My winch is speced with a 4.1Hp motor

1HP = 745.7 Watts

4.1HP = 3057.4 Watts

3057.4 Watts = 244.6 Amps @ 12.5V

When the output of the alternator is overwhelmed, the battery acts as a reserve. This is why the lights dim and it's known as voltage sag. As the motor is running the current demand continues. Which causes the voltage to sag further. Since you cannot generate more average power than the charging system has available, that 4.1 HP motor is going to produce less power (2V sag = 30% loss of power).

What can you do about it?

Well, you could upgrade the charging system with a new alternator. The Jeep will need 60-80 amps to operate so the alternator will need to be hot rated @ 325 amps. I don't know of an alternator capable of this so you could get a custom bracket made and add a 250 amp alternator with another battery dedicated to the winch. I don't know how to fit it all, but that's the deal.

OR you could simply not worry about it. How often will you use your winch? Even when you do, how long will it operate? I think alot of peeps use their winches without problems. I think that it would be fair to say that when they are used, they are used as minimally as humanly possible.
If you're battery is no longer in good shape, a fresh one will help alot!

An 8000lb winch will be fine and would do the same work as a higher-rated winch connected to the same charging system.

The universe is ruled by the laws of physics not by the laws of man (or marketing departments of winch companies)

Guest · **Posted:** Fri May 16, 2008 12:42 pm

jeremesh wrote:

Ok, lets say my libby weighs 5K once I get it armored up. I believe that is the weight if I were to put it on a scale correct?

Now if I want to get a winch but have a low budget so cant spring for the 12K model, what is the smallest rated winch I can get and still feel confident it can pull me out of a mud hole? If the jeep weighs 5K, it shouldnt take 5K worth of force to pull it on a horizontal plane correct? I'm not a physicist or nuttin but it seems to me I could get away with a 3K rating or so... I know, Higher is better but what would work? Currently all I got is a 4K come-a-long :-)

Chances are, if you need to be winched...you won't be on a horizontal plane. Most of the time I've been strapped or winched, I've had a little bit of an incline - or a LOT of mud - OR both - to deal with. If your KJ weighs 5,000 pounds, and it's buried like the following picture, it's gonna take a lot more than 5,000 pounds of force to unstick. The guy that strapped me out has an XJ with a 4.0, 33s, and 4.56s...and it took a few good YANKS to get me out.

SpankyKJ · **Joined:** Fri Mar 28, 2008 4:20 am **Posts:** 83

I guess a picture is worth a thousand words.

JL Rockies · **Posted:** Fri May 16, 2008 1:16 pm

PS
A bigger alternator is a bigger drag on the motor. This increased parasitic drag on the motor will impact fuel economy. It's a matter of what's more important: efficiency of your motor or efficiency of your winch. There's no such thing as a free lunch!

JL Rockies · **Posted:** Fri May 16, 2008 1:25 pm

A good rule of thumb is to not over-drive your Jeep in the first place

Hood297 · **Posted:** Fri May 16, 2008 5:49 pm

nlife wrote:

What happend to that guy Hood? Swerve for an animal or something? Hopefully everyone was wearing their seatbelts and was ok.

N

Well I would like to say thats what happened, but I'd be lying. He was back in a place thats a local off-roading place and decided that that particular area looked "fun" so he drove in it and immediately had water up to his steering wheel and to the center console. When i pulled it out the electrical system began to smoke.

Everyone was fine however, just stupid....

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Fri May 16, 2008 8:29 pm

It really doesn't matter what alternator you have in your vehicle since all winches will be connected directly to the battery and draws off just the battery power,and under load a 8000lbs-9500lbs winch will draw more then 400amps.Get a good battery and make sure you leave your vehicle running for awhile after winching(if possible) to recharge the battery.I highly recommend a Optima Yellow Top battery for any winch,they have a ton of reserve and can handle the constant draining which a normal battery can not handle if you actually use your winch,and never attach a winch to any side terminal battery,even the side terminals on a Optima since those side hook-ups are not rated for the kind of amps the winch will draw.Optima will not warrenty any battery that had a winch hooked to the side posts.

I have a WARN 9500XP winch and need every ounce it can muster to unstick my KJ and use it mostly when I am back in SD and pull out alot of my buddies and they all drive 7000lbs+ pickups so I need a bigger winch.

Minimum Winch Size

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