Who's running what winch?

[backcountryislife]

My $0.02 is that the Smittybilt XRC10 with Synth-line is very lightweight and capable, and AFFORDABLE. Steel winch line weighs deceivingly more than I thought. Switching from Steel to Synth line can remove 50 lbs from the winch up front, which is significant in terms of percentage weight of the system. Also, synthetic line such as Dyneema doesnt store tensile energy like steel does, so if it were to break under load it is a less violent snap, which is safer.

Smittybilt XRC10 w/steel cable - 94 lbs
Smittybilt XRC10 w/synth cable and Hause Fairlead - 67 lbs

As a reminder for those of us running Synthetic Line - Dyneema is susceptible to UV damage, we should all be running with a Winch Cover when not in use, and usually 4WheelParts gives them out for free with the purchase of a winch anyways.

Funny, recon will give you a cover free... if you send them a pic of your rig with the winch on! Being at 9000 feet, UV damage happens FAST... I better take the pic quick

That was my only reservation about running synth line. Going to get my mount/ guard tomorrow night, I know I won't be able to hold back from getting the winch long...you look silly driving around with an empty shelf on the front :giggle:


Don't mean to piss in anyone else's wheaties... but I feel like mine get pissed in on here rather often, so I'm a little frustrated.


B.U... just saw your post, I thought that was a little extreme of a response from you. I think some how I shall survive...

 

[alrock]

I don't have any winch but I've been impressed with that Warn Powerplant. I was surprised at how quickly it aired up tires. I've always been concerned about how that big ol' setup might block airflow but Paladine and Hunner haven't seemed to have any issues.

 

[Bigunit]

I have no problem with the "going cheaper" route - the one on my T was used when I got it & the forum member who sold me the BA bumper just "threw it in" because he wasn't going to use it - so in a true sense, I got mine for "free" and I'm thankful that I did!

BTW, Alrock, is there a way to see how the Tapatalk smileys "translate/convert" to the ones that we select on here? There appears to be a true "disconnect" with the Tapatalk ones (I guess I won't be using those again! :emb.

 

[alrock]

Might have to have M22 update some of ours. This is from Tapatalk

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[58Bisc]

I'm curious why folks are going with 10-12K winches on their 3's. IIRC, 1.5 vehicle weight is the rule of thumb.Bigger can be better in the sack, but adding the extra weight off the front of your truck may bring bigger problems with suspension ie nose dive, sagging t-bars, over compression when braking hard... etc..

I don't know the weight difference between a 9.5 and a 12K, but I can imagine that running a synth line won't make up the difference.

To each his own though....right?

You do bring up a good point on weight. The winch I bought is a 12,500 and weighs 70 lb with steel cable, hook and fairing. I heard I could loose as much as 30 lb by switching over to synthetic cable, but I don't know how true that is. What do some of the smaller units weigh?

Side note is the unit I bought came with both a cable control and a wireless control for the price.

 

[backcountryislife]

I'm curious why folks are going with 10-12K winches on their 3's. IIRC, 1.5 vehicle weight is the rule of thumb.Bigger can be better in the sack, but adding the extra weight off the front of your truck may bring bigger problems with suspension ie nose dive, sagging t-bars, over compression when braking hard... etc..

My main reason for going bigger, and someone let me know if this logic is faulty please:

In the last month, twice now I've seen people have to hook someone up with a strap, then have to winch themselves & the guy behind them up. (guy stuck didn't have a winch)

With the amount of vertical we have here, I figure the vehicle winching needs to be considered into the weight equation SOME because it's not going to get perfect traction most of the time.

The recon is a little lighter than a warn 8k with synth line, so I figure I'm not taking too hard a hit on weight.

Winch weight aside, do you think I'm looking at the weight (pulling) issue wrong? My buddy last weekend was straining the he!! out of his warn 8k, spinning his tires, and still couldn't get our buddy with a disco off the rock. I figured that more pull would have helped, no?

 

[bebe]

My main reason for going bigger, and someone let me know if this logic is faulty please:

The only issue with the logic, is that all of these Winches we are discussing are Self-recovery tools. Meaning they are used to recover your own vehicle, which is why you buy the one that's "right" for your vehicle.

If you have ever seen the massive Recovery winches on a tow truck - that would be the appropriate tool for what you are describing.

If you don't have the right tool for the job...as we all know, you have to make concessions, so we can't blame that poor little winch for having a tough time doing a big winch job.

Add to that the use of multiple winches and most importantly - snatch blocks make the job easier on the equipment.

That's all

 

[bebe]

You do bring up a good point on weight. The winch I bought is a 12,500 and weighs 70 lb with steel cable, hook and fairing. I heard I could loose as much as 30 lb by switching over to synthetic cable, but I don't know how true that is. What do some of the smaller units weigh?

Side note is the unit I bought came with both a cable control and a wireless control for the price.

Only way to know for sure it to put in on a scale or read the manual - because I think most winches weigh around 90 lbs.

 

[backcountryislife]

We actually had a snatch block on the winch. I was really surprised at how hard it had to pull.


Got your point though... I just wheel with a lot of folks that don't have winches, and I know once I've got one... I'll end up using it the same way.

 

[backcountryislife]

You do bring up a good point on weight. The winch I bought is a 12,500 and weighs 70 lb with steel cable, hook and fairing. I heard I could loose as much as 30 lb by switching over to synthetic cable, but I don't know how true that is. What do some of the smaller units weigh?

Warn claims 80 lbs for the vr8000 (comes with 94' of cable), the vr8000-s they claim 66 lbs (same as the recon 10.5 which comes with 88 ft of rope). 4 wheel parts shows 80 for both, so I dug around a bit, but can't find any more accurate numbers than 80 & 66 which seems odd to me.

Found this chart on a site for synth line...

look like you save approx 20 lbs from the line

	Weight (lb/ft)	Weight of 100' Winchline
5/16" Synthetic	.025	2.5 lbs
5/16" Steel	.173	17.3 lbs
3/8 Synthetic	.037	3.7 lbs
3/8" Steel	.243	24.3 lbs

And a roller fairlead appears to weight about 11-12 lbs more than an aluminum one so that 30 lbs seems pretty accurate.

Not sure why warn only claims 14 lbs saved with synthetic, I'm guessing they've just got some generic numbers they throw at it for a shipping weight.

 

[H32NV]

I run my 10k winch with a snatchblock, its mowed through every operation ive ever needed it to, including pulling out an international scout. 67 lbs is listed. I'd split hairs over ten pounds or more, but not a few. If you select a winch over another for a 5 lb difference, then id just go with the cheaper one and stop drinking beer for a week. lol

 

[poncho1965]

Too cool thanks all for the input!! I was worried I might get roasted for a repetitive question lol! Read a lot of info on Jeep forums but i wanted to hear from the Hummer owners. I would throw a Warn Powerplant on in a heart beat but just cannot justify the cost. How much to spend for a winch when I'm thinking I might use it maybe once or twice a year?? Its mostly an addition for my own piece of mind. Would rather have it and not need it than vice versa. Thanks again all, I'll post pics when I get this done!

 

[backcountryislife]

I wheel a few days a week, with a lot of different folks, and I'd say by FAR the most common winch I see out here is the Smittybilt 8000 with steel or synthetic line. Unreal how common that winch is. It's not my choice, but only one guy I've talked to had an issue with them, and I make a point of talking to everyone I see since I'm in the market.

 

[poncho1965]

As far as bigger is better: what is your average pull length usually? Wouldn't the 10-12k winch be better off than an 8k if either or were only pulled out say, 25 feet? More wraps on the drum = less pulling power, yes?

 

[backcountryislife]

As far as bigger is better: what is your average pull length usually? Wouldn't the 10-12k winch be better off than an 8k if either or were only pulled out say, 25 feet? More wraps on the drum = less pulling power, yes?

You can always pull out more & double it over if strength is a big issue... then you're using a lower ratio, and using a snatch block to increase mechanical advantage, you gain both ways.

 

[06 H3]

Can I Thank this post twice?

YES! :hans:

 

[05Mudiak]

Recon 10.5. only thing with that if you use a bumper like the Thor parts that puts it under your grill, you will have to cut your grill to make it fit. I have yet to ise mine in a hard pull to see how well it does but I know Scarsman has used his pretty good.

I am still kinda wierd about the syn. line though they way it acts on the drum when pulling from what I hear its normal just kinda freaks me out.

 

[jakesz28]

I'm cheap. Done a lot of wheeling in the past. Only once did someone use a winch to pull me out. Never had one on my ride in the past. Got a harbor freight 9000lb winch and snatch block.
in the past the strap and jerk worked most of the time. If that failed the john Deere always worked.

 

[Reloader]

Another one with a Smittybuilt XRC10 with a Viking 100ft synthetic line. Get the XRC10 winch with the syn line included as the viking line, safety thimble, billet hawser, and repair kit cost as much as the wire cabled model that I bought. Works great. Got it mounted in my modified BA bumper (soon to be replaced with an ARB). For air I have the Smittybuilt CO2 tank. Made in China but works great for the money.

 

[cgalpha08]

Any plans for the ba?

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

 

[Reloader]

Any plans for the ba?

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

Not at the moment. Still got to get the finances to get the ARB. We've had a couple of FJ Cruisers come through the used car shop with ARBs mounted on them. They really appear to be well made. I am going to get the BA powdercoated this summer, along with the rock sliders.

 

[ColoradoH3]

I have an xrc10 and love it! I have never had it fail! For the price it was a nice buy!

 

[bebe]

LOL most of these brands didn't even exist when I bought my winch :giggle:

 

[Schwarttzy]

Guys this is just my experience, but I Hate Synthetic lines. I have seen 8 lines snap through all my wheeling and not one was steel, all synthetic. I have seen steel always out preform synthetic. I know the weight an all is dangerous, but find the failure rate is just to high for me.

But then again I don't know how well they took care of their lines.

 

[Paladine71]

They could have been dragging the synth lines across sharp rocks, etc. Rock guards are a must to use them correctly. I have done some heavy pulls with mine and it performed great.