Winch reality
 

Has anyone actually witnessed an 8000Lb winch not be enough to recover a 4 dr JK? I see lots of post about going big when selecting a winch, but is it reality or hype? :thinking::thinking::thinking:

I have not witnessed a 8000lb not able to get her dun. But I have seen video's of one not able to pull out another stuck vehicle that was in mud soup. heck it took two winches for the few times 1 couldn't get it done and they struggled.

Great write-up I found before buying my winch. Don't know anything about the company or their website, but the detail description of what a winch rating really equates to is great. I ended up going with the Smittybilt XRC8 because of price and rationale...how often will I really need it, does winching speed matter to me, how much weight will I really be pulling if I'm all but able to get over/out, do I care about extra features like wireless controls or on board air, where do I wheel that I'd attach to, is there usually a buddy with a strap versus a winch, etc...

http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/Winches_s/31.htm&click=5541?gclid=CJrB3Y3K-5ACFQGdPAodSGR-0w

Its reality...not hype.

I've seen sucking mud that took more than an 8K winch could deliver, and more than a 9K winch could deliver, etc.

Its all a question of degree.

A 4 dr JK has a GVWR of roughly 5,500 lb. The rule of thumb, is to select a winch with at LEAST 1.5 x the GVWR of the rig...which would be 8,250 lb....or roughly, a little bigger than an 8k winch.

That is the MINIMUM...meaning, it will work a lot of the time, but NOT ALL the time.

The primary concern is mud...the kind that sucks your boots off, etc....is the worst, but good 'ol Pine Barrens bogs are more than enough to suction a rig hard enough to make its diff's anchors.

IE: 12" of the wrong muck can capture the bottom of your diff, and make it impossible to drag you out w/o WAAAY more force than you'd think.

This is WHY you hear all of the stories about multiple rigs using all available winches to recover someone.

In rocks, if you get your face to a ledge, and need to be pulled over it...its harder than actually just lifting you straight up....and if you add some craigs and crannies to catch axles or tires, etc...well, the forces can add up quickly there too.

Frankly - the primary limiting factor on a JK winch, is the winch RATING of the bumper you attach the winch too.

Most can't HANDLE a winch over ~ 9,500 lb...so if a 9,500 lb capacity winch can't recover you...its a moot point after that anyway.

Also remember that a winch has a spool that takes up the line....and, it acts like a gear...so the more line on the spool, the thicker the diameter of the effective gear....and the LESS weight it can pull.

This means that the RATED pull of your winch is ONLY applicable for that first wrap onto the spool....once you've gotten a layer of line OVER the first one, you CANNOT pull as much anymore....and the cheaper winches tend to lose power very quickly....so your 8k winch for the first wrap might be a 4k winch on the last wrap, etc.

:D

So NO winch is going to be able to pull you out 100% of the time if you go where power is required to recover you.

SOME winches will have the power to recover you 100% of the time if you never go where power is required.

The more powerful the winch, the higher your chances of recovery success.

If you ALWAYS wheel with others who also have winches...you can hedge a bit..if YOU are counting on YOUR winch to rescue a bud, or yourself...decide HOW sure you want to be that you will be ABLE to.

Then pick a winch.

:D

Teej,

I agree with many of your points. I think that in cases where a multiple winches were used is not really the difference between an 8k and 9.5k winch.


But bottom line, is the 8k gonna leave you SOL when a 9.5 would save the day?

YES, its happened many times.

I have a Warn 9.5 XP....its rated at 9,500 lb...and a lot of people I wheel with have 8K winches - 10K winches.

I have had SEVERAL occasions over the years where the 8k winch, or even the 9K winch..just could not do the recovery....but the 9,500 lb winch DID do the recovery.

A snatch block helps if you have the line length to go there and back to use it...and the patience to drop to half line speed, etc....but, in the Pines for example...you HAVE to be far enough away from the stuck rig so YOU are on solid footing...and adding a snatch block is often just not realistic.

So, SURE - its all about the odds, but, the heavier your capacity, the better your odds of doing the recovery.

I HAVE been called at 3 AM or whatever to go out and save some sorry buds' ass from some hole...BECAUSE their 8k winch left them stranded, and the Jersey Devil was out, and they were freaking out that they were going to die if I didn't hurry, etc.

:D

I also carry snatch tackle, tree savers, etc...so I can set up off off angle and compound recoveries if I have to....but I usually do not.

I definately think that people need to winch wisely. Use levergae and pulley's (snatch blocks) to increase the pulling force of your winch.

I personally like a 12k winch. They run slower but pulls less amps, and the first wrap off the drum is usually in the 8500lb range depending on the winch. The old superwinch s9000's were actually a 12k winch, and most 8274's will pull near 12k. Still though, a winch is better than no winch in any situation. Keep in mind though that using a snatch block is only good if you have something good to attach it too. Putting it back to the bumper your winch is on may not be the best bet as the bumper may not be designed to handle the 15k or 18k force being put on it. Keep safety in mind at all times.

Jim

AND - IF the line DOING the pulling...on the end attached to the rig being recovered....is strong enough to handle the load as well......after all, if that much force is involved...its STILL applied through the cable.

:D

What the heck is a Jersey Devil - some kind of mugger...?:bleh: