Winches

[towcat]

Oh come now didn't you watch mythbusters where they showed a cable couldn't cut skin let alone a truck cab

As far as I am concerned and OSHA too, that episode did more harm for worker safety than anything else did. I have worked around hydraulic winches for the last 15 years and have a healthy fear of what they can do to someone who's not careful.
I found two excerpts to the mythbusters episode and this one had the aftermath whereas mythbusters cut it short.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRKN8DCYyrE&NR=1

 

[OLDBULL8]

You can put any size cable on any winch you want. It's the length of cable that the drum will hold in relation to the size of cable. Naturally the larger diameter cable the stronger it is. Put a 1/2' cable on a 3500 winch and you'll brake the winch before the cable, but might have only 25 ft of cable..

 

[RLDSL]

Thanks guys!!! Thanks for all the info, and thanks for the links. I think I have decided against any new winches from HF or TSC or any think like that. Best prices I'm finding for a 3K winch are roughly $120. Even if I could find one for $100, I can get a Superwinch UT3000 for $120 which I think would be a better value. I noticed that HF sells 50' rolls of 3/16 cable for $10, and 1/4" for $20. I'm thinking that I'll pick up a couple spools of 1/4". I can hook them directly to the truck, and use them to drag with, or hook a winch to.

My question now is what size do I really NEED to look for. The 3000 lb winches seem to run just a little over $120. The 4,000 and 4,500 lb winches are $200+. Am I really gaining that much by spending almost twice as much for the bigger winches. Even when the spool is full, the 3K winches are pulling over a thousand pounds, which will likely be more than anything I'm ever going to drag out of a ravine. Throw in a 8K snatch block, and I should be able to drag out some decent size tree tops. The only thing I don't like about the 3K winches is that they have 3/16 cable. Even still, if I needed to use it to get the truck out, I can anchor a spool of 1/4" to something, and then use a snatch block with the winch.

Thoughts or opinions?

Thanks,
Mark

Go to the Superwinch site and click on the "what most people don't know about winching" link and it will open up a pdf file with the formula charts for figuring up what you need to for calculating requirements for a winch for just about any use. ( according to that thing, I should be able to load up to 12,000pounds into my carhauler with my 3000 pound winch, which is overkill since i wouldn'e ever put more than about 7k max back there

 

[towcat]

You can put any size cable on any winch you want. It's the length of cable that the drum will hold in relation to the size of cable. Naturally the larger diameter cable the stronger it is. Put a 1/2' cable on a 3500 winch and you'll brake the winch before the cable, but might have only 25 ft of cable..

wrong.
the diameter of the drum determines the maximum thickness of the wire rope. that is why there's different diameter pullies in the snatch blocks. the same goes for the drum diameter.

 

[OLDBULL8]

The only thing I don't like about the 3K winches is that they have 3/16 cable. Even still, if I needed to use it to get the truck out, I can anchor a spool of 1/4" to something, and then use a snatch block with the winch.

Calvin: That's what I was refering.

 

[Black dawg]

Thanks guys!!! Thanks for all the info, and thanks for the links. I think I have decided against any new winches from HF or TSC or any think like that. Best prices I'm finding for a 3K winch are roughly $120. Even if I could find one for $100, I can get a Superwinch UT3000 for $120 which I think would be a better value. I noticed that HF sells 50' rolls of 3/16 cable for $10, and 1/4" for $20. I'm thinking that I'll pick up a couple spools of 1/4". I can hook them directly to the truck, and use them to drag with, or hook a winch to.

My question now is what size do I really NEED to look for. The 3000 lb winches seem to run just a little over $120. The 4,000 and 4,500 lb winches are $200+. Am I really gaining that much by spending almost twice as much for the bigger winches. Even when the spool is full, the 3K winches are pulling over a thousand pounds, which will likely be more than anything I'm ever going to drag out of a ravine. Throw in a 8K snatch block, and I should be able to drag out some decent size tree tops. The only thing I don't like about the 3K winches is that they have 3/16 cable. Even still, if I needed to use it to get the truck out, I can anchor a spool of 1/4" to something, and then use a snatch block with the winch.

Thoughts or opinions?

Thanks,
Mark

Buy the biggest winch you can afford(8k+), Electric winches can be pretty dissapointing in the power department.

 

[riotwarrior]

OK Get the biggest damn winch you can afford and a quality one at that. If you drive a standard, get a PTO if you can. Or hydraulic, 8000lb minimum.

Heck I am looking for a 15-20 K PTO or Hydraulic for my bronco....

 

[fields_mj]

Buy the biggest winch you can afford(8k+), Electric winches can be pretty dissapointing in the power department.

Sorry, but I've seen enough of this information, and it's about time something is said. Black dawg, this isn't directed at you, your post just happens to be the last one on the screen.

See, the problem here is "afford". Since I'm not an off road enthusiast, I do have a house payment, house repairs, a wife, 2 small children, and 2 well used vehicles that constantly need some kind of repair, what I can really afford is one of those $20 hand crank winches at HF.

Now, since I'm looking at a "tool" that I can use to retrieve a substancial amount of good firewood that I use to heat my house, I can adjust my budget to something a little more costly, more powerfull, and more usefull than a $20 hand winch. Considering what buring firewood for heat saves me every year, and factoring in the cost of using it (time spent adding wood to the furnace during the day, time spent cutting wood, $$ spend on saws, chains, ATV and Truck repairs, ect) I've determined that $150 is a reasonable budget for this tool, including what ever additional cable, chains, hooks, blocks, and mounting hardware might be needed.

Now I know some folks who have more money than sense (and for some of them, that ain't much), and they would gladly go spend a few thousand dollars today on a 20K hydrolic winch to mount on their tricked out Jeep even though if they get laid off tomorrow, they won't be able to make their house payment/rent at the end of the month. If you happen to fit into this catagory, please refrain from EVER GIVING ANYONE ANY KIND OF FINANCIAL ADVISE WHAT SO EVER. Listening to such advice would be the equivalent of asking my 3 year old daughter for advice on a healthy meal plan (her's would include lots of chocolate). There's nothing wrong with tricking out a toy, and if that's what you're into, then great for you. I'm not a 24 yo kid any more with relatively unlimited funds, and mommy and daddy sure as heck ain't paying any of my bills. So, before any of you tells someone the should spend over a thousand dollars on a winch that will be used to winch 500~1000 lb logs out of a ravine, take a moment and consider whether or not the rest of us want to squander away what little resources we have on something that will look cool on our truck. For a lot of us, it's not just ourselves that will go hungery, but it's our family as well, and after learning enough of life's lessons the hard way, we've lost our appreciation for youthful ignorance. We DO appreciate being reminded that a 3K winch will not safely winch our 7,000+ pound vehicle out of the mud when it's sitting on its frame, and we DO appreciate being reminded about the safe working loads of various sizes of cables, but we often don't appreciate "go big or go home" statements.

Okay, I'll get of my soap box now.

Mark

 

[sassyrel]

hydraulic winches can tear a truck in two
I have put my money in Ramsey 9000lb winches in my trucks over the years and they have brought home the bacon with minimal maintenance.

and pto winches,,will break them in half!!!!

 

[sassyrel]

Sorry, but I've seen enough of this information, and it's about time something is said. Black dawg, this isn't directed at you, your post just happens to be the last one on the screen.

See, the problem here is "afford". Since I'm not an off road enthusiast, I do have a house payment, house repairs, a wife, 2 small children, and 2 well used vehicles that constantly need some kind of repair, what I can really afford is one of those $20 hand crank winches at HF.

Now, since I'm looking at a "tool" that I can use to retrieve a substancial amount of good firewood that I use to heat my house, I can adjust my budget to something a little more costly, more powerfull, and more usefull than a $20 hand winch. Considering what buring firewood for heat saves me every year, and factoring in the cost of using it (time spent adding wood to the furnace during the day, time spent cutting wood, $$ spend on saws, chains, ATV and Truck repairs, ect) I've determined that $150 is a reasonable budget for this tool, including what ever additional cable, chains, hooks, blocks, and mounting hardware might be needed.

Now I know some folks who have more money than sense (and for some of them, that ain't much), and they would gladly go spend a few thousand dollars today on a 20K hydrolic winch to mount on their tricked out Jeep even though if they get laid off tomorrow, they won't be able to make their house payment/rent at the end of the month. If you happen to fit into this catagory, please refrain from EVER GIVING ANYONE ANY KIND OF FINANCIAL ADVISE WHAT SO EVER. Listening to such advice would be the equivalent of asking my 3 year old daughter for advice on a healthy meal plan (her's would include lots of chocolate). There's nothing wrong with tricking out a toy, and if that's what you're into, then great for you. I'm not a 24 yo kid any more with relatively unlimited funds, and mommy and daddy sure as heck ain't paying any of my bills. So, before any of you tells someone the should spend over a thousand dollars on a winch that will be used to winch 500~1000 lb logs out of a ravine, take a moment and consider whether or not the rest of us want to squander away what little resources we have on something that will look cool on our truck. For a lot of us, it's not just ourselves that will go hungery, but it's our family as well, and after learning enough of life's lessons the hard way, we've lost our appreciation for youthful ignorance. We DO appreciate being reminded that a 3K winch will not safely winch our 7,000+ pound vehicle out of the mud when it's sitting on its frame, and we DO appreciate being reminded about the safe working loads of various sizes of cables, but we often don't appreciate "go big or go home" statements.

Okay, I'll get of my soap box now.

Mark

 

[JackSpeed]

My vote is for a used Warn. Both of mine are nearing 20 years of very hard abuse one of which has over 100 hard pulls on it and no problems.

If you care to check I believe most of the Warns are still made in the US. All HF and probably every other brand you can think of is made in China. 4 wheel & offroad magazine put together a chart a few years back comparing winches and showing where they were made.

As for hydraulic winches- a friend of mine was a Mile Marker dealer for a while and he won't use their products anymore. Between two of my friends and 4 wheel & offroad mag I have read or seen 3 for 3 Mile Markers burn up power steering pumps without completing a single pull. That was 10 years ago so I assume things are better. I'd like to know others experience for a fair evaluation of current products.

 

[RLDSL]

Sorry, but I've seen enough of this information, and it's about time something is said. Black dawg, this isn't directed at you, your post just happens to be the last one on the screen.

See, the problem here is "afford". Since I'm not an off road enthusiast, I do have a house payment, house repairs, a wife, 2 small children, and 2 well used vehicles that constantly need some kind of repair, what I can really afford is one of those $20 hand crank winches at HF.

Now, since I'm looking at a "tool" that I can use to retrieve a substancial amount of good firewood that I use to heat my house, I can adjust my budget to something a little more costly, more powerfull, and more usefull than a $20 hand winch. Considering what buring firewood for heat saves me every year, and factoring in the cost of using it (time spent adding wood to the furnace during the day, time spent cutting wood, $$ spend on saws, chains, ATV and Truck repairs, ect) I've determined that $150 is a reasonable budget for this tool, including what ever additional cable, chains, hooks, blocks, and mounting hardware might be needed.

Now I know some folks who have more money than sense (and for some of them, that ain't much), and they would gladly go spend a few thousand dollars today on a 20K hydrolic winch to mount on their tricked out Jeep even though if they get laid off tomorrow, they won't be able to make their house payment/rent at the end of the month. If you happen to fit into this catagory, please refrain from EVER GIVING ANYONE ANY KIND OF FINANCIAL ADVISE WHAT SO EVER. Listening to such advice would be the equivalent of asking my 3 year old daughter for advice on a healthy meal plan (her's would include lots of chocolate). There's nothing wrong with tricking out a toy, and if that's what you're into, then great for you. I'm not a 24 yo kid any more with relatively unlimited funds, and mommy and daddy sure as heck ain't paying any of my bills. So, before any of you tells someone the should spend over a thousand dollars on a winch that will be used to winch 500~1000 lb logs out of a ravine, take a moment and consider whether or not the rest of us want to squander away what little resources we have on something that will look cool on our truck. For a lot of us, it's not just ourselves that will go hungery, but it's our family as well, and after learning enough of life's lessons the hard way, we've lost our appreciation for youthful ignorance. We DO appreciate being reminded that a 3K winch will not safely winch our 7,000+ pound vehicle out of the mud when it's sitting on its frame, and we DO appreciate being reminded about the safe working loads of various sizes of cables, but we often don't appreciate "go big or go home" statements.

Okay, I'll get of my soap box now.

Mark

Hey, if you're only going to be moving little small logs under 1000 poinds, according to the scale then you only need a winch that will handle up to 1 1/2 times the load for dead weight so a 3000 lb winch should do the trick. I picked up a 3000 lb winch with a remote from Harbor freight that I have in my carhauler for a whopping $69, they have them on sale for $59 sometimes and the little sucker is a brute. of course you can always put a snatch block on it and double the line pull so even for a dead pull you would be good for 3000 with a snatch block I've drug car lifts on skids up into my carhauler while hanging up the skids and splintering them on the entryway at teh top of the ramp and having to tear through with the winch power. Amazingly stout little critter.

 

[pennsylvaniabo]

I am looking at getting a smittybilt xrc10 some time in the future. Smittybilt is well accepted in the internet jeep crowd. Yes, at about $550 it's out of your specified price range, but at about half the cost of a warn.....

I have a smittybilt 12k on my offroad truck and love it!

 

[93turbo_animal]

As far as I am concerned and OSHA too, that episode did more harm for worker safety than anything else did. I have worked around hydraulic winches for the last 15 years and have a healthy fear of what they can do to someone who's not careful.
I found two excerpts to the mythbusters episode and this one had the aftermath whereas mythbusters cut it short.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRKN8DCYyrE&NR=1

I didn't say a cable couldn't hurt you but its not gonna cut you in half like people have been led to beleive by movies. Your clip actually helps prove this even more as a huge cable snapped under extreme circumstances hit the guy in the legs and he just stands back up. I am much more afraid of what ever I hook to breaking and becoming a projectile then I am cable snaps

 

[rjjp]

Personally for you're use I would go to a scrap yard and look for a pto driven capstan type winch, or look into the adapters to use you're chainsaw to power it. Ok, never mind the chainsaw idea, unless you find a used setup, they got expensive.

But I don't like electronic winches, I have overheated them on quads and killed them (superwinch). As long as you watch the duty cycle with one it should be all right.