| Here's what I was told when I bought my first one.
The general rule of thumb is that you want a winch rated at twice the weight of your vehicle. But remember that if your buddy wheels a Suburban and you have the only winch and it’s a 6000 lb unit, it won’t serve your purpose and you run the risk of toasting it in short order. So for an average 3800 lb Jeep, an 8000 lb winch would be ideal. Keep in mind that winches are rated at the drum and for each wrap of cable you loose 10% of your pull capacity. This is the main reason why I usually only put 80 feet of cable or rope on my winches and carry an extra 40 feet with me. This way I get down to the drum faster for a higher pull rating and it is easier on the winch too. I have a Warn 9500 and it hasn't let me down. |