2017 Ford F-250 winch

[Tex68w]

Just picked up a new 2017 F-250 King Ranch that I intend to build into an overland that I can comfortably DD. My first question is whether or not you guys think a 12,000 lb winch is enough for this truck or if I should go up to the 16.5ti? It weighs 7600ish stock but add bumpers, bigger tires/wheels, winch, lights, drawers, camper/rack, and gear/fluids it'll easily creep up to 8500 lbs. Also, what are everyones thoughts in regards to metal cable vs synthetic winch line on a heavier truck like this?

Pics and a build thread to come soon. Thanks for the help!

 

[Doc Foster]

Go with the 16.5 winch. General rule of thumb is winch should be capable of 1.5 to 2 times the full weight of rig. If you are adding camper and a bunch of overland gear, the weight adds up very quickly. Most do the full size rig bumpers will accept a 16.5 winch, but make sure when buying that bumper.

 

[Scoutn79]

You want a winch that is rated at least 1.5X the weight of the truck. So if you weight 8500 x 1.5=12750. Remember the rated pull for a winch is on the last wrap of the drum and most times you don't need to spool out that much so your actual pull will be less than rated...most times you don't need full pull either so it usually doesn't make that big of a difference. If you aren't playing in the big rocks or deep mud you could get away with the 12k but no one ever complained about having too much winch....as long as the mount was up to the task. You can also run a leader and a snatch block to increase the pull for the short distance you usually need max power from the winch.

I still run steel cable on my 8274 and it has seen a lot of usage. Most, if not all, 4 wheeldrive competitions require synthetic rope due to the safety factor. I like the steel because it will take a lot more abuse. My cable is around 40 years old and just fine...not sure how long synthetic lasts. Synthetic can easily be spliced if damaged...steel not so much. I would just run what ever comes on the winch.

Chances are if you are just overlanding your use of the winch will be very few and far between.

Darrell

 

[Tex68w]

My thoughts here are that I won't need the winch all that often in overloading conditions so I am assuming that I could get away with the 12K. The majority of sticks would be fixable with a set of Maxtraxs. Also, a lot of the available bumpers for these new trucks are only rated for the smaller frame winches which stop at 12,000 lbs. I prefer the Warn Ascent bumper that will hold a VR12000 or Zeon 12000 winch, I just don't want to feel under-winched lol. I found a good deal locally on a new 16.5ti that I can get for less than a new VR12000 so that is appealing but it forces me to drastically narrow my bumper options.

 

[Dalko43]

The more conservative approach is to multiply your GVWR by 1.5. This ensures that even if your vehicle is loaded to max capacity, your winch will be able to pull it.

Edit: honestly, a 12k winch seems like it would be barely acceptable for a vehicle with a GVWR of 9k-10k lbs. A 15k or 16k winch would be a much safer bet. A 12k might work for a less serious situation, but if you get truly stuck, you're going to want a winch with a more appropriate rating.

 

[Buliwyf]

How stuck do you get? There's a huge difference between practical use, and lets go play and see how stuck we can get. I'd imagine that most fullsizes don't need a playtime sized winch, unless they're a towing company.

My work truck had an Xd9000i winch. It was an 11,000# F350 with an enclosed utility body and stock size GY Duratracs. Powerlines, fireroads, gas line roads, railroads, city water plants, are all places that truck had to go. Grab a shovel and some tire chains as well. The Xd9000i is the most popular winch for Telecom in my area as well. And those trucks are 12-13,000#.

12,000 is plenty, 16.5 is overkill unless your a wheeler. A washed out sand road on the way to a Florida campground, or being stuck in a farm field in slick clay after breaking through the grass, only 3" deep, doesn't require a heavy 16.5 winch. A quality Warn winch is all I need. I don't need more than 5000# of force, a decent sized horse could pull me out of most of the stucks I've been in. I like having both my eyes and all of my limbs, so I shovel as needed.

Steel cable is best for practical use that often has a pointy rock in the worst possible spot. Or some rude shmuck runs over your cable after/before winching (Texans). Rope is best for playtime 4x4's that need winching 3 times a day because your trying to challenge yourself and get stuck as often as possible. Because your exposed to more winch use in that type of use, the safety of rope is huge.

How much does each winch weigh? I wouldn't use price decide between the two. Weight, durability, and ease of disassembly are things I want in a winch. Keep in mind you have to pop it apart from time to time to grease, clean, and get any salt out.

 

[b9ev]

Buliwyf has a great point. Fwiw I have a Superwinch 12.5 Talon synthetic rope on my 9k lb F350. I would not feel it's underpowered in any situation I would find myself in. I have yet to use it for self recovery as the shovel makes it out first. The winch Works great to remove jeeps, 4runners, etc from mud and snow.

 

[Dalko43]

I think a lot of this comes down to driving style and intended uses for the vehicle. If you're cruising fairly tame roads, a lower-rated winch, or nothing at all, may work just fine. If you're heading into more remote forestry roads and older roads that haven't been maintained in a while, a powerful winch makes more sense IMHO. Obviously no one goes out of their way to get their axles sunk in mud or sand (or at least most people don't), but if that happens the weight of the pull will be much higher than the vehicle's simple weight. It's for that reason that many winch companies recommend multiplying the GVWR by 1.5 to get a rough estimate of what you'll need to extract yourself.

Also, a shovel and maxtrax work for some situations, but for others that's just not a realistic solution.

 

[b9ev]

I hope to never be axle deep in mud but if it happens I will still be within the comfort zone on my winch, snatchblock, shovel, etc. Absolute worst case is I have to let the mud dry first. Luckily we have 300+ days of sunshine in NM.

I think a lot of this comes down to driving style and intended uses for the vehicle. If you're cruising fairly tame roads, a lower-rated winch, or nothing at all, may work just fine. If you're heading into more remote forestry roads and older roads that haven't been maintained in a while, a powerful winch makes more sense IMHO. Obviously no one goes out of their way to get their axles sunk in mud or sand (or at least most people don't), but if that happens the weight of the pull will be much higher than the vehicle's simple weight. It's for that reason that many winch companies recommend multiplying the GVWR by 1.5 to get a rough estimate of what you'll need to extract yourself.

Also, a shovel and maxtrax work for some situations, but for others that's just not a realistic solution.

 

[Tex68w]

I think I am going to go with the Zeon 12000 lb in either the Warn Ascent bumper, Rogue Racing Enforcer bumper, or the Hammerhead winch bumper. I like the minimalist look and don't care much for the options with lots of brush guards and excessive tube work, it's overkill and detracts from the looks of the truck IMHO. I think the 16.5ti would give me more peace of mind but it's big/heavy and I just don't see it being used all that often. When and if it is it'll likely be to pull someone else out or to help in a hairy situation or small stick scenario. I will just have to make sure to always carry MaxTrax's, and a shovel.

 

[XJINTX]

I have a 12K on my F250 with an FWC. (Knock on wood) have not needed mine to extract myself... yet. I have used for extraction of other vehicles and none full sized. The winch gives me a "warm Fuzzy" when out by myself. I use the Warn Hidden winch bumper. I like keeping the stock look and it's a lot less weight vice aftermarket. I don't crawl with the superduty so that works for me.

 

[Zebco Kid]

Hello All,

I drive a Ford F-250 Super Duty Diesel. I carry a Lance 835 camper, which is 2,600 lbs +/-. This weekend I was in the eastern sierras driving down a road. Decided to turn around with a 3 point turn. Back up, wheel down to the left pushing the tires off the dirt road (now perpendicular to the dirt roadway), slapped it in drive, and proceeded to bury the wheels to the axle. The extraction cost $1,000. No winch (which is why I found this topic string). Never again. Well...never again without a fighting chance with my own winch.

The silver lining is we ended up finding a most amazing valley in which to camp. The way we rationalized the $1,000 was that it turned into 2 really nice hotel stays for $500 each in a fantastic place.

That being said...I'm going to get me a winch!

Thanks for all your information and thoughts.