Newb winch question
Thread Starter
JK Newbie
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 95
Likes: 1
From: Port Coquitlam BC
Newb winch question
Looking for some info regarding winching and related gear. Did a little searching but didn't find much so any info helps. Please point me in the right direction if this has been covered.
I've never even used a winch before but I just installed a RS9500S - 9500 LB. Winch on my jku - JEEP WINCHES by GEMINI JEEP PARTS JEEP ACCESSORIES ONLINE
Research shows that I will need a tree saver, snatch block and D-rings. (anything else I should be looking into?)
Question is, what kind of weight ratings and sizes should I be looking at for the above? Obviously more is better but higher rated items seem to come with a higher price tag. Not trying to be cheap, just don't see the point in going way overboard. Any info on specs or theory would be awesome.
Sorry for the newb questions but Better safe than sorry.
I've never even used a winch before but I just installed a RS9500S - 9500 LB. Winch on my jku - JEEP WINCHES by GEMINI JEEP PARTS JEEP ACCESSORIES ONLINE
Research shows that I will need a tree saver, snatch block and D-rings. (anything else I should be looking into?)
Question is, what kind of weight ratings and sizes should I be looking at for the above? Obviously more is better but higher rated items seem to come with a higher price tag. Not trying to be cheap, just don't see the point in going way overboard. Any info on specs or theory would be awesome.
Sorry for the newb questions but Better safe than sorry.
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 219
Likes: 1
From: Oregon
Research shows that I will need a tree saver, snatch block and D-rings. (anything else I should be looking into?)
Question is, what kind of weight ratings and sizes should I be looking at for the above? Obviously more is better but higher rated items seem to come with a higher price tag. Not trying to be cheap, just don't see the point in going way overboard. Any info on specs or theory would be awesome.
Sorry for the newb questions but Better safe than sorry.
Question is, what kind of weight ratings and sizes should I be looking at for the above? Obviously more is better but higher rated items seem to come with a higher price tag. Not trying to be cheap, just don't see the point in going way overboard. Any info on specs or theory would be awesome.
Sorry for the newb questions but Better safe than sorry.
You are wise to research this! Winches and recovery gear can be dangerous if used improperly, and one of the most common mistakes is to use mismatched components or components that are not rated high enough for the forces involved.
What you want is to know where the "weakest link" in your recovery system is most likely to be. In other words, if you kept on pulling and pulling, what do YOU want to have fail first? For me, I want the winch to stop working before any component in the rigging fails. If something breaks under load, all that kinetic energy has to go somewhere! Better the winch stops pulling than something in the rigging snaps and sends missiles all over the place!
EVERY piece of the system MUST be rated high enough to withstand the forces they will be asked to cope with, and people ROUTINELY UNDERESTIMATE how high those forces can get, especially if the line is shock loaded (i.e., the line goes slack then the force hits it again, such as when the driver attempts to drive out and overtakes the winch too soon). The bumper hardware, the tow points, the hardware mounting the winch, the winch itself, the line on the winch, the snatch block, clevises, anchor point, etc.... every piece must be strong enough to handle the loads.
As a general rule of thumb, you want the components in your rigging (winch line, clevises, snatch block, anchor strap, tow points, etc.) to be rated at least TWICE the capacity of the winch itself. This is because, in a typical 2:1 mechanical advantage setup, if your winch is pulling 9000 lbs, the force on the line is split in half and shared between the two (4500 lbs per line), but the force on the snatch block and anchor rigging is still the full amount (9000).
There are some great threads on the topic, but I'm out of time and GTG. Good luck!
JK Enthusiast
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 219
Likes: 0
From: Denver, Colorado
You are wise to research this! Winches and recovery gear can be dangerous if used improperly, and one of the most common mistakes is to use mismatched components or components that are not rated high enough for the forces involved.
What you want is to know where the "weakest link" in your recovery system is most likely to be. In other words, if you kept on pulling and pulling, what do YOU want to have fail first? For me, I want the winch to stop working before any component in the rigging fails. If something breaks under load, all that kinetic energy has to go somewhere! Better the winch stops pulling than something in the rigging snaps and sends missiles all over the place!
EVERY piece of the system MUST be rated high enough to withstand the forces they will be asked to cope with, and people ROUTINELY UNDERESTIMATE how high those forces can get, especially if the line is shock loaded (i.e., the line goes slack then the force hits it again, such as when the driver attempts to drive out and overtakes the winch too soon). The bumper hardware, the tow points, the hardware mounting the winch, the winch itself, the line on the winch, the snatch block, clevises, anchor point, etc.... every piece must be strong enough to handle the loads.
As a general rule of thumb, you want the components in your rigging (winch line, clevises, snatch block, anchor strap, tow points, etc.) to be rated at least TWICE the capacity of the winch itself. This is because, in a typical 2:1 mechanical advantage setup, if your winch is pulling 9000 lbs, the force on the line is split in half and shared between the two (4500 lbs per line), but the force on the snatch block and anchor rigging is still the full amount (9000).
There are some great threads on the topic, but I'm out of time and GTG. Good luck!
What you want is to know where the "weakest link" in your recovery system is most likely to be. In other words, if you kept on pulling and pulling, what do YOU want to have fail first? For me, I want the winch to stop working before any component in the rigging fails. If something breaks under load, all that kinetic energy has to go somewhere! Better the winch stops pulling than something in the rigging snaps and sends missiles all over the place!
EVERY piece of the system MUST be rated high enough to withstand the forces they will be asked to cope with, and people ROUTINELY UNDERESTIMATE how high those forces can get, especially if the line is shock loaded (i.e., the line goes slack then the force hits it again, such as when the driver attempts to drive out and overtakes the winch too soon). The bumper hardware, the tow points, the hardware mounting the winch, the winch itself, the line on the winch, the snatch block, clevises, anchor point, etc.... every piece must be strong enough to handle the loads.
As a general rule of thumb, you want the components in your rigging (winch line, clevises, snatch block, anchor strap, tow points, etc.) to be rated at least TWICE the capacity of the winch itself. This is because, in a typical 2:1 mechanical advantage setup, if your winch is pulling 9000 lbs, the force on the line is split in half and shared between the two (4500 lbs per line), but the force on the snatch block and anchor rigging is still the full amount (9000).
There are some great threads on the topic, but I'm out of time and GTG. Good luck!