The tow truck vid shows what CAN happen when anchoring off of another vehicle, but that thing had everything working against it. The back boom would have easily lifted the front of the truck with no issues for the frame (minus the 3-ton weight hooked on the front). The truck would have easily handled the forces applied had they been in a relatively straight line. In a normal situation, if the winch cable doesn't break before your truck frame even thinks about permanently deforming, you either need to get a new truck, or make a few million selling your new indestructible winch line.
The rear springs looked to be extremely stiff (good for towing, but not good for this situation) forcing a higher fulcrum point which increased the angle made between the Disco and the Chevy that met in the middle of the Ford's frame. The height of the boom and it's mounting position on the frame didn't help things here either. Even with the severe angle they were working with, the frame might have survived had they been able to keep the torsional load to a minimum. Along with the slight off-camber angle the truck was sitting at, I think what broke the proverbial camel's back was the extra torque applied to the frame when the driver hit the gas harder (also applying even more leverage on the frame). It most likely buckled the frame sideways much like how a thin flat piece of wood is hard to break when totally upright but will easily snap when slightly twisted.
A simple rear mounted winch at bumper height would have been much better for this situation since the boom doesn't do anything to help with pulling force. All it did was enable the winch to apply a ridiculous amount leverage on the frame.
Long story short, a decent truck with a decent (non rusty) frame should easily stand up to the pulling force applied by a normal off-road winch. Granted it should be applied in a fairly straight line, I really doubt you would have to worry about stretching the frame. Bending it or possibly tearing through a mounting hole might be more likely though if the forces are applied badly.
FWIW
The rear springs looked to be extremely stiff (good for towing, but not good for this situation) forcing a higher fulcrum point which increased the angle made between the Disco and the Chevy that met in the middle of the Ford's frame. The height of the boom and it's mounting position on the frame didn't help things here either. Even with the severe angle they were working with, the frame might have survived had they been able to keep the torsional load to a minimum. Along with the slight off-camber angle the truck was sitting at, I think what broke the proverbial camel's back was the extra torque applied to the frame when the driver hit the gas harder (also applying even more leverage on the frame). It most likely buckled the frame sideways much like how a thin flat piece of wood is hard to break when totally upright but will easily snap when slightly twisted.
A simple rear mounted winch at bumper height would have been much better for this situation since the boom doesn't do anything to help with pulling force. All it did was enable the winch to apply a ridiculous amount leverage on the frame.
Long story short, a decent truck with a decent (non rusty) frame should easily stand up to the pulling force applied by a normal off-road winch. Granted it should be applied in a fairly straight line, I really doubt you would have to worry about stretching the frame. Bending it or possibly tearing through a mounting hole might be more likely though if the forces are applied badly.
FWIW
