hitch mounted winch rating

[Kyle Kelso]

I am looking to purchase a hitch mounted winch cradle and wondering about the appropriate size winch to get. My truck is a loaded up (tools and stuff, not trim!) 2011 F350 crew cab short box diesel, so it is quite heavy. If I was permanently mounting I would definitely be going 12k minimum, but I'm wondering about the hitch setup. My front hitch is only rated to 9,000lb line pull, but the rear is a classIV so it's higher.
I have gotten by so far without a winch and I don't plan on rock crawling my truck, but work gets pretty muddy, highways get pretty icy and we do get out into mountain trails for camping so I would like to have one should the need arise. If I'm honest I'll probably find reasons to use it more than it will be needed, pulling people out of the ditch in the winter, collecting firewood, etc.

I'm not sure if I should get an 8000lb winch so that I know I won't over-stress the front receiver and accept that it will only help but not be able to completely recover my truck, or get a 10,000lb so I can use it to full capacity on rear hitch but be cautious to not tear the front receiver off. Is a 10,000lb winch on a 9000lb front receiver asking for trouble? Surely they apply a generous safety margin

Thanks

 

[dp7197]

Here is my $.02. A truck as heavy is yours should have a winch capacity of 2X the GVW. A typical winch application is 1.5X your GVW, but when you get to heavier vehicles, 2X is a preferred recommendation. None of this is worth a hoot though if you do not understand how to properly use the winch. You have taken the first step in purchasing in determining your GVW. Of course, the GVW is only part of a stuck assessment.

What you need to remember is that your truck may require more pull than just the GVW to get it unstuck. Gradients, types of soil/mud, and vehicle breaks will add into the amount of winch capacity you will need. You may determine that you will need 9k pounds of pull EVERY time you get stuck.

So, get as big a winch that you can carry. You need to forget the receiver application. I have had them in the past and the reality is that if you are going to depend on your winch to get you unstuck, a 9k# rated receiver with a winch possibly pulling off-center is not your best bet. Could it work? I guess so. Would I want to depend on it? No.

I would look into a 12k# winch at a minimum on a permanent mount where you can see the cable/rope as it winds onto the drum. Hidden winches that don't allow you to see the cable/rope winding in should be avoided. Get yourself the proper recovery gear to match the winch rating with the WLLs marked clearly on them, take a training class on how to use everything safely, and you will wind up never getting stuck and needing to use it for yourself - just someone else.

 

[Wh1t3nukle]

The load capacity is only as good as the weakest link.

The weakest link is the receiver.

You can be sure that additional safety margin was included to specify the rating....just b/c there are people out there to test them.....


I agree with dp7197 with exception of the broad brush on "avoiding hidden winches". That is a case-by-case configuration as it's dependent on the design and function.

 

[98dango]

OK hear is my thoughts. You want a cradle so multi mount style. Can be seen not the best on a side pull but beats a come along. One thing many on hear forget is the use of a block. This will make your 8000 winch a 16000 give or take. A 12000 winch is only that on the last row on the drum. So most never actually use there winch fully.

All that said I would still get a 12000 or better you can add bracing and if you double the line you are pulling from 2 points not 1.

 

[Kyle Kelso]

I certainly acknowledge that a permanently mounted, higher rated winch would be the best option, but I have a whole pile of factors playing against that. First of all, I already have a front and rear hitch receiver. Otherwise I would have to buy a new bumper or something like the Warn Trans4mer mount which is an added expense. Second, I like the idea of having winching capabilities from either end and am not about to install 2! And lastly is that I don't think my truck would fit in my new garage with the added length of a winch bumper up front. I chose to build wide vs deep and knew that the truck would be a snug fit. (The wife didn't want to give up much yard depth...)

I have seen a quad pull a truck from the mud, and a pickup pull a semi out of the snow. Sometimes you just need a little helping tug to get you going. I know that what I'm proposing is inadequate if I high center myself in a bolder field or sink to the bumpers in mud, but I am not going to put myself in a situation like that (except at work but there are dozers and such to pull you out if you really muck up!)

Now I will look into the measurements and cost of adding a permanent winch just to cover all the bases, but back to my original question...
For a class 3 front hitch rated to 9000lb line pull and a class 5 rear hitch rated at 14000lb what size winch is going to be most appropriate? I can go small to not tear off the front hitch but not have much pull if I need it, or I can go 10 or even 12k to use on the rear hitch and just go easy on the front...

I'll have to look into the physics of using snatch blocks properly too.

Thanks for the replies

 

[DetroitDarin]

Keep in mind the load capacity is only for the first layer of rope on the drum. After that layer, the effective capacity drops. By the time you have two or three layers you might have lost 40-50% of the winch's pulling power. A rule of thumb is - with each wrap of the drum, you've lost 10-15% of the pulling power. Further, you mentioned mud. Depending on how stuck your truck might be, the weight the winch "sees" can increase a lot. If your truck is stuck in clay-type mud? Heck - that could make the winch 'see' another 40% of the weight of your truck (Gross weight - fully loaded, etc). If the thing is burried up to its axles in the mud? You'd probably be doubling things. Throw in weird angles and it might increase more.

Now, the good news - snatch blocks can double the pulling power. A double-line pull (Run the cable to a point ahead, through the block, and back to the truck) would give you about twice the pulling power. Thus, buy the heaviest winch you can afford, and use snatch-blocks. And do not forget the tree-savers.

I'm off my soap box now.

 

[brp]

I have what I call a double receiver on the back of my F450, see the picture. The two 2" receivers will hold a winch cradle or the rear bumper, the center receiver is to function as a standard hitch or plug a tow hook into it.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-94thgaoQn8Q/Upjpy7scKKI/AAAAAAAACYY/GDtiq7IdZ4s/s320/IMG_0540.JPG

I plan to make something similar for the front, minus the 2.5" receiver in the middle. It will mount where the two tow eyes are on the front and there will be 2x2" receivers basically hidden near the license plate.

The winch cradle will have 2x(2"x2") tube that plugs in.

I feel very good about the strength of this arrangement, especially for side pulls. The single receiver mounts seem weak for side pulls. It won't add any length to the truck, and only a little weight, I'll maintain the factory bumper. I am going to keep the winch in an aluminum tool box and have wiring harnesses front and rear for it, keep it safe and out of the weather. I am looking at the Superwinch Talon 18SR, looks like a nice option for the heavy trucks and offers the benefits of synthetic rope.

 

[98dango]

Looks cool but how heavy will the winch and cradle be?

 

[dp7197]

My front hitch is only rated to 9,000lb line pull, but the rear is a classIV so it's higher.
I'm not sure if I should get an 8000lb winch so that I know I won't over-stress the front receiver and accept that it will only help but not be able to completely recover my truck, or get a 10,000lb so I can use it to full capacity on rear hitch but be cautious to not tear the front receiver off. Is a 10,000lb winch on a 9000lb front receiver asking for trouble? Surely they apply a generous safety margin

For a class 3 front hitch rated to 9000lb line pull and a class 5 rear hitch rated at 14000lb what size winch is going to be most appropriate? I can go small to not tear off the front hitch but not have much pull if I need it, or I can go 10 or even 12k to use on the rear hitch and just go easy on the front...

I'll have to look into the physics of using snatch blocks properly too.

Thanks for the replies

I think you have answered your own questions. Your limiting factor is the front 9k# receiver.

Is there a safety margin? Probably, not sure what it is. Is the receiver rated for off-center pulls? Probably not.

I am not sure how you will "just go easy" on the front. The winch will pull only what the load is, up to it's rated capacity - i.e. - if the load is 3,478lbs, that is what the winch is pulling. If the load is 8,422lbs, then that is what the winch is trying to pull. What that load actually is, is why you would do your stuck assessment. It will give you an educated guess as to what you are going to need to do to get unstuck. If you are willing to accept the fact that your winch might not get you unstuck, then you are no better off than if you did nothing.

One of the easiest ways to answer this is - what winch capacities are available in a multi-mount configuration. For years it was 8k#, then it became 9.5k#, and now I believe Warn has a 10k# multi-mount setup. Can you go to Harbor Freight, buy a 12k# winch, bolt it to a multi-mount, and try it out? Sure. Will it get you unstuck without breaking something? Maybe. Remember, if your worst case stuck assessment for your truck is 9k# (100% grade, sand, with a broken axle), then everything may work out just fine. Your 12k# winch will only be pulling the actual load (9k#), it won't be drawing quite as many amps, and maybe the receiver will be fine.

Get your pulley blocks, understand what adding the pulley is doing (change of direction or dividing the load), and get properly trained. Purchase only quality gear with WLLs on them and have fun.

 

[DetroitDarin]

I just have to say, I'd believe ANY winch advice from a guy named "Pullen" - Well said, Dave.

 

[brp]

Superwinch has the winch at 147lbs. The cradle will be 30lb I guess, and the mount itself also 30lb. Only 30lbs permanently hanging on the front.

 

[82fb]

That 9k front receiver is way stronger than the four, 3/8" low grade bolts that hold the winch to the plate. Buy the biggest winch you can afford(and lift). Plenty of 20-30K straps are snapped while pulling from hitches rated at 5-10k. Numbers from manufacturers are generally pretty suspect in my book.

 

[brp]

The hitch might be stronger, but if the bolts shear off you still have a problem.

 

[98dango]

What he is saying the bolts that hold the winch to the plate are only 3/8 or 7/16 meaning the winch will rip off the mount be for the hitch fails.

 

[jasondavidmann]

Subscribed. I just installed a 9k Curt front receiver on my F150


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