Ok there are a ton of winches out there from several different companies. I'm itching to get one and something over $1000 is cost prohibitive for me until tax returns come back next year so it got me wondering - how much winch do you REALLY need?

My 2door sport is supposed to weigh 3785 lb so would it be safe to say that twice that in winch capacity (8000 lb) is enough oomph to drag my butt out of most situations - on road and off? The 8000 lb units are signiicantly cheaper than some of the crazy high end winches. Do I really need a monster 12,000 lb rig that will pull my frame off the wheels?

 

The way I see it the more the winch is rated to pull the less it will be working to pull a lighter load or the more likely that it will be to get you un-stuck or over a large hump. But what do I know, I have a 8000 lbs winch sitting in my living room waiting to be put on.

 

Warn (best name in winches) now has a 8000 lb winch for less than $500. VR8000

 

It is said that you want to take the gross vehicle weight of your jeep add in the moded weight (bumpers, tires etc) and times that number by 1.5.

So take a 6500lb * 1.5 = 9,750lb. Just an example most of our jeeps don't weigh that much.

Personally on my two door jeep. I went with a EPI 9,000lb super winch. I have winched two jeeps at the same time before up a hill in 10 inches of snow/ice on a side of a mountain before with no problems. One thing I might suggest would get a snatch block or two and maybe another loose 100' cable with hooks on each end to help get those hard to reach spots.

I love my winch others swear by Warn. If you get a good popular brand thats 8,000lb or more I would say that you're set.

 

+1 on this. The general rule of thumb we have always seen is 1.5 times the GVWR.

 

An 8,000-8,500 lb winch would be perfect for your 2-door.

 

Just a few random thoughts:

1. Sometimes it's not so much the weight of your Jeep that matters as much as the suction of the mud or sand you're stuck in.

2. A winch's advertised rating is for that last wrap of line on the spindle. The actual pulling force could be half or even less if very little line is paid out.

3. Snatch blocks, when practical, may help by multiplying pulling force or by allowing more line to be paid out.

 

If your concerned about price and pulling strength, maybe you should take a look at the Recon 10500lb winch. It has all the same specs as the popular winches, a limited lifetime warranty, and it even comes with a wireless remote. I've pulled my buddy's xj out of some nasty mud pretty effortlessly.

Also as stated above, a snatch block will do wonders

 

my 9,000lb EPI super winch with a steeel cable i tested as soon as i could. I hooked the cable to the base of a tree kept the jeep on asphalt and only had about 1/2 the spool out. So it was not pulling it's full 9,000lb force. I was in the jeep with brakes held to give it something to have to work on. The jeep hunched down in the front and started to skid with all four of my 12.50 wide tires skidding on the asphalt on a dry day. So a 9,000lb winch is more than enough to pull anything we throw at it on a 2 door or a 4 door (IMO) because at about a 6,000lb pull or less I was skidding around on asphalt. Anymore than that and you'll have to anchor yourself when recovering vehicles anyways.

That's my 2 cents

 

+1 to all. Thanks for the advice!

Leaning towards a low-price Warn right now. Everyone knows a Warn