Drahcir495 Posted November 30, 2023 Share Posted November 30, 2023 I’m looking at winches and was wondering what size I should be looking at? I am checking out the new Warn winches and they have a 8000#, but is that large enough? If I’m being realistic it will probably just be used to pull out of mud holes. Maybe just an occasional trip outside of my state, so not much rock crawling at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertRat1991 Posted November 30, 2023 Share Posted November 30, 2023 General Rule #1: Minimum winch capacity is 2x vehicle weight including all mods and all your adventure gear. Then, add a fudge factor for the extra load created in sticky situations. In some ways, deep mud can be worse than rocks because of the suction created. General Rule #2: Maximum winch capacity is the largest winch you can afford, that will actually fit on your rig. Larger winches will offer a more generous duty cycle for quicker recoveries. The down side is that they weigh more and your charging system may not be able to handle the load. If a winch exceeds the capacity of your charging system it does not "fit." These are small trucks but a properly kitted rig with larger tires, armor, gear and passengers will be knocking on 4500-5000lbs before you know it. I would say an 8k winch is a conservative option, but 10k to 12k is a more comfortable choice for an offroad XJ/MJ. Side note: You just missed some killer Black Friday deals on Warn winches. They were like $200 off this weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted November 30, 2023 Share Posted November 30, 2023 mud = need more winch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drahcir495 Posted November 30, 2023 Author Share Posted November 30, 2023 Thank you Desertrat1991. A lot of helpful information . Dang I missed it. I guess I should keep my Q9000 winch that’s on the Cherokee. I was going to sell it with the Jeep, but they can get on their own and save me some cash. I really don’t like going in the mud but some places it’s unavoidable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiatslug87 Posted November 30, 2023 Share Posted November 30, 2023 I don’t have any first hand experience with the 12K winch from HF but a lot of people like it for the price point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrandBoost98 Posted November 30, 2023 Share Posted November 30, 2023 These trucks are so light you could easily get away with an 8k winch. Carry a snatch block if youre worried. I used an old Warn 6000lb winch on my YJ for years before upgrading to a Warn 8274. That little thing pulled out more full size trucks than you could imagine. Its still doing work on my trailer dragging up immobile vehicles. Ive only owned 30+ year old Warn winches so I can't say much about badlands other than theyre slow and Ive seen more new in-op badland winches than Ive seen old used Warns. But they are cheap, in comparison, and if you don't abuse it/take care of it, I'm sure it will serve you well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drahcir495 Posted December 1, 2023 Author Share Posted December 1, 2023 Great to know! Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiatslug87 Posted December 1, 2023 Share Posted December 1, 2023 For what it’s worth, wasn’t the OEM hidden winch only 6k or 8k? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted December 1, 2023 Share Posted December 1, 2023 On 11/30/2023 at 4:29 AM, GrandBoost98 said: These trucks are so light you could easily get away with an 8k winch. Carry a snatch block if youre worried. I used an old Warn 6000lb winch on my YJ for years before upgrading to a Warn 8274. That little thing pulled out more full size trucks than you could imagine. Its still doing work on my trailer dragging up immobile vehicles. Ive only owned 30+ year old Warn winches so I can't say much about badlands other than theyre slow and Ive seen more new in-op badland winches than Ive seen old used Warns. But they are cheap, in comparison, and if you don't abuse it/take care of it, I'm sure it will serve you well My experience exactly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertRat1991 Posted December 1, 2023 Share Posted December 1, 2023 9 hours ago, fiatslug87 said: For what it’s worth, wasn’t the OEM hidden winch only 6k or 8k? It was a Ramsey 6k. Note that curb weight for a bone stock MJ is ~3000lbs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted December 1, 2023 Share Posted December 1, 2023 6K is fine. Have a snatch block. Or 2. I owned a towing business for 13 years. My off-road recovery vehicle was a Toyota Landcruiser with a warn 8000 lb winch. Always worked fine. What really helped was the pair of Group 31 batteries mounted on the floor right behind the passenger seats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Limeyjeeper Posted December 6, 2023 Share Posted December 6, 2023 An 8,000lb winch is only 8,000lb at the first layer It is surprising how much rating you lose with each layer. Warn has a nice article on it. Obviously snatch blocks are your friend. WARN Winch Performance Specifications: Pulling Capacity by Layer | WARN Industries Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schardein Posted December 6, 2023 Share Posted December 6, 2023 2 hours ago, Limeyjeeper said: An 8,000lb winch is only 8,000lb at the first layer It is surprising how much rating you lose with each layer. Warn has a nice article on it. Obviously snatch blocks are your friend. WARN Winch Performance Specifications: Pulling Capacity by Layer | WARN Industries I run a Warn 9.0rc. It is a short drum winch. I chose it because it is very light and compact, but still has a 9000 pound rating. A standard Warn 8000 pound winch (with steel cable) on the front of my CJ7 made the front end sit 1" lower. The 9.0rc made zero measurable difference in ride height. A benefit of the short drum is that when you play out the line, you get to the lower layers faster than a standard width drum, for more pulling power. A drawback is the winch cable (synthetic rope on the 9.0rc, for more weight savings) is shorter. It's easy to carry extra cable (rope), but I've never needed it. Before the 9.0rc, I ran a Warn short drum 6000 pound winch. It was marketed as the "Short Drum Portable" (SDP) and was mounted on a plate intended to be mounted in a trailer hitch. I added synthetic rope and mounted it straight to the bumper. Warn no longer makes the 6000SDP as far as I know. Later on when the budget allowed, I went to the 9.0rc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrandBoost98 Posted December 6, 2023 Share Posted December 6, 2023 While this is true, winchs are rated on their first layer, the 8274 (originally rated for 8000lbs) came with 150 feet of steel cable on it and is found on many full size vehicles. Some people put even larger drums on them. I still say an 8000lb winch is plenty for an MJ. Ill eventually get a front hitch receiver for my MJ and have no qualms using my Warn 6000lb winch on it Not that theres anything wrong with a big winch, if you can fit and afford it. A guy in my club has a 15k Ramsey winch on his TJ lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WranglerMangler Posted December 11, 2023 Share Posted December 11, 2023 I’m a big fan of the old Warn M8000s and the Warn 9.5CTI. I probably won’t be purchasing any of the new cheap Chinese Warns any time soon. Winch isn’t the place to cheap out. Just my .02 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derf Posted December 11, 2023 Share Posted December 11, 2023 Whatever winch you get, it's only as good as your battery. Winches draw over 300 smps. Some can draw over 500. No alternator is going to feed that. You need a strong battery. Get a good quality battery with a high CCA rating. Your winch will thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drahcir495 Posted December 12, 2023 Author Share Posted December 12, 2023 Good to note that. Thanks derf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertRat1991 Posted December 13, 2023 Share Posted December 13, 2023 Just got an e-mail: Warn $150 rebate extended to Dec. 31 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrandBoost98 Posted December 13, 2023 Share Posted December 13, 2023 Looks like its just for their cheaper line that is made in china. And still going to cost around $700. I bought one of those VR winches for cheap on marketplace. Had it on my jeep for about a week and took it off. It just looked too new and out of place on an older vehicle. Personally, I would keep an eye out for a better used Warn. I got my 8274 with a bumper and cradle for $400. My old Warn MX6085 cost me a bottle of grey goose vodka. Deals can be had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjeff87 Posted December 13, 2023 Share Posted December 13, 2023 <- ducks in to thread quickly.... Saw a post over on irate that HF has their 9500 Badlands winch on sale right now for $199. <- quickly runs away.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokeyyank Posted December 13, 2023 Share Posted December 13, 2023 1 hour ago, mjeff87 said: <- ducks in to thread quickly.... Saw a post over on irate that HF has their 9500 Badlands winch on sale right now for $199. <- quickly runs away.... Haha, was just about to say the same thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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