Off Roading winchs

[DISPATCH]

i am looking for a winch that i can use for my trailer. it sucks trying to use a come-a-long to get broken down trucks on the trailer. i was considering buying a winch that i can place on the trailer and also use on my 75' dodge 75' ford and any other truck for that matter. i don't have a whole lot to spend so i guess the question is what size winch do i need to get 7500lbs trucks on to a deck over trailer but use ocaasionally on the wheeling truck if need be. can i get away with a 6000lbs winch and a snatch block if needed? where is a good place to buy winches and what brand winch? i would be willing to buy an off brand winch if it will work well.



thanks in advance

drew

 

[Black-Smoker]

I have had good luck with my warn m8274 on my jeep. The advice that I would give is to buy the biggest winch that you can afford and to stay away from the off brands. There is a lot of junk out there.

 

[NC_Mog]

You are talking two different applications. You can go with a real small winch if you're talking use on a trailer only. For trail use, a 6k winch is too small for a full size truck even with a snatch block. One thing to look at is the amount of cable on the drum, and a snatch block means you'll cut that number in half. What you end up with is a short usable line length. I wouldn't have anything less than 75 to 100 ft of usable line length. Unless you are with other full size rigs, winches on Jeeps and such will not be able to help you much. Personally, I've made pulls that were about 150 ft.

 

[JKlopp]

A low cost winch is avaliable from harbor freight. It's rated at 8000 pounds pull and works well. The pull rating is actual not rolling weight, allows you to use a short single cable without a snatch block. The low frequency of use makes an off brand acceptable for loading a car trailer, in my oppinion. Cost is around $300. 00. Trying to load your trailer with a 2000 pound name brand winch is to much hassel. If you must have a name brand winch, expect to pay at least twice as much.

 

[TKingsbury]

I just removed a Warn 8274 from a truck at work and installed a Ramsey REP 8000. When I pulled it out of the box I thought it looked kinda cheesey. After I put it on it didn't even work, the motor was shorted or locked up or something. Took it back off and sent back for a new one. This is my first and only dealing with Ramsey and I'm not impressed. I'd buy a Warn, they are good winches. A cheap off brand is ok for a trailer, but if you're in the middle of nowhere will it work?

Travis. .

 

[willyslover]

several off road shop are selling the MileMarker electric 8000 lb for $450. 00 a great price for a reasonable winch. . also at Summit

 

[RProvost]

4wheelparts.com sells 12000# Milemarker winch with mounting kit, roller fairlead and cover for $588. 99. Very good price.

 

[jkalchik]

Personally, I wouldn't consider ANYTHING under 12,000 lbs for a CTD. Unfortunately, that puts you into the fixed mount range, all the receiver mounts top out at 9,000 lbs.



If you're talking light duty on the truck, consider getting a multi-mount kit with a Warn winch, and welding a receiver tube on the front of your trailer. With the appropriate connector kits, you'll be able to move the winch from truck to truck to trailer easily, as well as being able to use it front and rear on the trucks.



My brother just ordered this type of kit from http://www.gowarn.com. I haven't talked to him since he got the kit, but he tells me that it came in nice and complete.

 

[pwerwagn]

I have a ramsey RE8,000, a RE12,000, a warn 8274, a hickey sidewinder 9,000 and a warn 2000. The warn 2000 is surprisingly strong for the weight. Im putting it on my trailer (it was on the golf cart, but it got rolled!). the 8274 winch is great, extremely fast.

the RE8000 (not the cheap rep series) is decent, its been used to death (over 100 times with hard pulls)

the RE12,000 is pretty strong. the RE series are worm drive. but they draw a lot of amps.

My grandpa has a REP8000 and a mile marker 12,000. he has had excellent luck with both of them. The REP has been used probably 30 times. no problems.

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

Comparing their winches on the Warn website, the 8274 is fastest under no load and light to moderate loads. Nearer to rated max, the M8000 and XD9000 are faster. More details are forthcoming in the next issue of the TDR The 8274 remains an excellent winch, but pricey and bulky. More wind resistance and obstruction to the radiator's air flow, etc. The 8274 is also relatively heavy at 110 lb vs. 74 for the M8000 and 78 lb. for the XD9000 and costs around $300+ more than the other two.



I'm not trying to fault anyone's choice of the 8274. It is a great, heavy duty winch and lasts a long time. Consider your intended use, space available, weight, etc. Since these 3 winches all come with 5/16" wire rope with a breaking strength (when new, and in perfect condition) of 9800 lb, you aren't going to get any 12,000 pound pull with it using single-line. Using a snatch block or not, the M12000 and M15000 will outpull it in extreme cases, because the cable remains the "fuse" and Warn uses 3/8" and 7/16" cables on them, respectively. As a possible plus, the 8274 comes with more cable (150 ft), but you get full pulling power with any of these winches only on the first wrap on the drum, meaning the cable must be almost fully played out.

 

[wcjp]

The rule of thumb says to use a winch rated for 1. 5times the weight of the vehicle. Using this standard a 6000pd winch is barely adequate for a 4500lb Jeep. The Warn 8274 is probably one of the best winches ever made for a Jeep/Toyota. It's just not strong enough for a CTD. Might be at the outer edge for a 1/2ton fullsize. It appears you're in the market for two different winches. The reason for a winch with 1. 5times the capacity is resistance. When a vehicle is stuck, the winch must overcome the resistance of stumps, mud and rock. The trailer winch won't have obstacle to defeat.

 

[Ol'TrailDog]

Good ol' M8274 and snatch blocks for snagging firewood. $250 used

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

I will discuss that 1. 5 rule of thumb in the next TDR. Actual requirement can be anywhere from a fraction of the vehicle's weight to several times its weight, depending on how "stuck" it is and the angle of pull.



Great deal on that winch. I suggest replacing the lube if there is any chance it got contaminated with water, etc. in its former life. Most of the Warns take Aeroshell 17, which is a moly airplane grease from Shell. It can be found on the web, but few places sell less than a drum of it



I have found snatch blocks at several internet vendors for decent prices. AWdirect.com has grade 80 hooks and chain too. They offer a gr 80 3/8" slip hook with a wide throat, about 2", that is great for attaching to straps. (I got my pieces of chains as remnants at my local wire rope and rigging supply real cheaply. ) FWIW, that 3/8" hook is rated 7100 lb with a safety factor of 4, so it will be intact when the 5/16" cable has snapped and wrapped itself around things you didn't want it to Ig uess what really concerns me in general about winches is that so many folks crisscross the cable and get it dirty. It soon gets abraded and loses a lot of strength--which it can't afford to lose since it may be operated so far above its safety factor routinely. 5/16" cable has a rated working load of 1960 lb.

 

[wcjp]

To add to what Joseph Donnelly just mentioned. Please use a strap when attaching to trees for a snatchblock. The strap is commonly refered to as a tree saver. DO NOT USE CHAIN to wrap the tree. The chain will break the bark of the tree providing a very short lifespan for the tree. This makes an unsafe condition for the next guy in the future. Secondly, it gives the enviro's something to talk about.

 

[pwerwagn]

Even worse is when some people wrap the winch cable round' the tree and hook it back to itself. certain death for both the tree and the cable. Also, take some time to wind the cable up nicely. It'll save you mucho $$$ in the long run. My 8274 is over 20 years old, and the cable has been wound perfect every time, pulled pretty straight every time, and still looks good (although, I may replace it soon for safety's sake).

I would like to add something about cable diameter:

I had 3/8" cable on my 12K winch. It was very difficult to handle, and also a little harder to spool corrrectly. Fo general trailer use, i think something with 5/16" would be more user friendly.

Also, the 8274 does not make a good "portable" winch. It is too bulky and heavy! Neither does the RE series ramseys, they are physically large also. For a portable, id stick with either one of the warn's that Joe mentioned.



--Jeff

 

[JoshPeters]

I've got an older 8000lbs ramsey winch in the front of my truck. I got it used with the bumper. I have used it to pull my truck up a pretty decient hill where the E-brake was locked up. It did it no problem. I hooked up a 2 relays and a switch inside the cab, so i don't have to be out front to operate the winch.

Overall... I'm pretty happy with it.



Josh

 

[Ol'TrailDog]

Quote: "Also, the 8274 does not make a good "portable" winch. It is too bulky and heavy!"



Darn, now you tell me. Maybe thats why I grunt and grown mating that sucker to the receiver hitch. :-laf

 

[Cummins Pilot]

What bothers me is the lack of respect some people have of a cable, chain or strap. I've seen them all snap, and all I can say is wow!

 

[JoshPeters]

What bothers me is the lack of respect some people have of a cable, chain or strap. I've seen them all snap, and all I can say is wow!

Very Very true! I put a 14,000lbs chain through the windshield of my truck. (ask Duluth Diesel, it happened in his yard!) Not just break the windshield... it went through and put a small dent in the dash. I have been told that as long as it is an angled shot, a winsheild can take a hit from a 9mm handgun and it won't go through! Respect for these things is totally nessissary. The moment you don't respect them, is the moment you or someone around you will get hurt!



Josh

 

[pwerwagn]

Mmm Hmmmm. I broke a 60K rated strap. man, the tailgate didnt appreciate that!