Thread: what winch is best for me

Here's something to ponder on regarding winch pull... (It's something I posted up on another forum.)

OK... You ready for this?

Firstly, let us look at pulling the van along a level surface. Take the total weight of the vehicle and multiply it by the following loadings:
Road – 5%
Grass – 15%
Sand/Gravel – 20%
Soft sand – 30%
Mud – 35%
Bog/clay – 50%
So, if you’re running at your maximum and you’re stuck in soft sand, you will need a line pull of 1050kg (3500 x 30%).

Now, let us look at going up hill! The equation looks much like this: (Angle of slope / 60) x vehicle weight. Once you have calculated this, you then add it to the previously calculated pull on a level surface.

So, let us put that van in a very sticky situation... It is stuck in very sticky mud and you’re trying to winch it up a 20 degree slope. (Frankly, you probably would have turned around a while back but it makes for a good example). The calculations come out much like this:

Ground - 3500kg x 50% = 1750kg
Slope – 3500 x (20/60) = 1166kg

Total line pull required will be 2916kg (1750kg + 1166kg).
So, even for a fairly extreme situation, you probably wouldn’t need more than a 3000kg pull...

Make sense??

As for the Turfors... They might be slow but they're lighter and will get you out of more situations than a vehicle mounted electric winch.

M

Actually... As it's such a common question, it might be worth creating a sticky regarding winches.

M

for what it's worth I toasted my Warn 9500 lb winch in a bog hole with the pan suctioned to the bottom.

It was only single pull right out to the last wrap, which is the strongest wrap on a winch.

P.S. it did last long enough to get me out

so at least a 12000lb next for me

Hmmm... Was that the fault of the winch or laziness of the operator not getting in there with a spade to help clear a route out???

Even at 9,500lb, you risk pulling the front end off or deforming the chassis...

Maybe you should be thankful it was just your motor that gave out!!

M