Winch size? and Tire size?

[NorCalSam]

Hi I have a 94 with lockers a 2.5" OME lift with Rancho9000 shocks, ARB front bumper, custom rear bumper from 4x4 Labs and Hanna Sliders running on 285s. with 1.5 wheel spacers.

First of all it is our family car and is my wifes daily driver. At the time that we did the lift there was only 2.5, 5 or 6" . I wanted a 3 to 4" But no one made one.
I have seen a cruiser with a 2.5" lift sporting 35s However, it did not have wheel spacers. So can I fit BFG ATs 295 ? (I think I Can) or even better a pare of 34"x12.5" on my tank.

Also I want to get a winch but I don't really what to pay $1,200 for one either. How about MileMarker and do I really need a 12,000 lb. winch?

[clownmidget]

I'm sure there will be plenty of opinions on this so I'll leave mine too

With your lift you could add 1" Mr Gasket spacers up front and enough OME urethane ones (5-mm, 10-mm, combo) to get it to sit the way you want once you add a winch. Dropping the 100-lbs in the ARB will make your nose go down. Slee used to have some very nice alum bolt in front spacers that were 1.5" that are even better. MAF also carries alum 1" spring spacers but they are not listed on their site. In the end the 1" - 1.5" of spring lift might be enough for you to run 315/75R16 tires. Most of these are not true 35's anyway and much closer to 34" once mounted and weighted. This depends on which OME springs you have as well. The 850/863 "heavies" will likely stand a bit taller than the others.

Also, you could just get a good used set of J-springs. There are currently two list members selling theirs (& Andy is in SAC to boot).

As far as winches go, if you're not in a hurry just keep looking for one used. Folks in this game tend to be fickle and I've seen several good deals on M12000's with little to no use go for half of new price.

Lastly, welcome and post a pic of your truck!

Mike R

[Capt. Jim]

I have a 2.5" lift and run 315's with no problems. Also have the extra weight of an ARB front bumper w/12K winch.

AS clownmidget said, be patient and watch for a used 12K warn to come along.

Welcome aboard!

[cruiserdan]

I will address the winch question:

I will start by stating that I have an old 20910 Warn 8k low profile on mine. I have owned this particular winch since the late 1980's and it has served me well on two different vehicles. In both cases this winch could be considered "underpowered" for the vehicle it was attached to. It first resided on my 1989 Dodge 1 ton Cummins 4wd truck, hardly a lightweight vehicle. It now finds its self on my 6,400 lb 80.

It is not as big as it probably should be but it has served me well. In the case of a single-line pull it may not be enough to get me out of trouble but a snatchblock and a double back and I'm pulling 16k. The major drawbacks to this are the available wire rope length and the fact that more rigging is involved. In addition there are more possible bits that could be turned into missles if one is not paying close attention to the task at hand. The benefits are the fact that I already had it and it weighs substantially less than a 12k. In addition my current bumper set-up allows for this winch to be completely hidden and protected from the elements and thieves.

In all likelyhood a trail-prepared 80 in full trim (+6000 lbs generally) should have at least a 12k if not a 15k to be able to perform single-line extractions with maximum cable reach abilities.

I must add that I have been able to drag my 80 accross my dirt driveway with a single-line pull from the 8k. Of course that is not at all the same as being in a mud pit but it is food for thought.

D-

[spressomon]

Generally the basic minimum rule for a winch is 1.5 times the GVW of the vehicle. So a 6,000lb GVW would need a minimum of a 9,000lb rated winch. Other factors come in to play too...winch design, anticipated use, etc.

FYI: Superwinch makes the Husky 8 & 10...they are rotary gear driven winches...slower winch line speed but more torque...and under-rated for pull strength. Although they are also in the $1,000+ range and also larger footprint too...

[Capt. Jim]

Snatch block is one of the best investments to make if you plan on winchin'. Like Dan said, double it back to your rig and you've doubled your pulling power.

[NorCalDoug]

Sam,
Welcome aboard

I'm glad you found the site.

Sorry to say that you just missed out on a couple winches that were up for sale by a guy in New Jersey, but as Mike and Dan said already, you'll come across some deals again.

Mike mentioned that Andy's selling his OME J-springs now that he's moved up to the 4" springs-- those will give you a bit more room (you could PM him -- he's Cruiserdrew on this forum). I have a set of J's in my garage that I'll either use on mine or the wife's 80...not sure yet. You'll likely need to do a bit more work when you move up from the 2.5s, such as extended brakelines, drop blocks/brackets, etc.

If you go with the 295s with your current set up, as you described it, I don't think you'll have any issues with rubbing. You have those wheel spacers though, so there might be some rubbing on the flare -- not sure about that.

If you're interested, send a PM to me with your email address and I'll send an invite to you for the NorCal 80s email group.

[reffug]

Originally Posted by spressomon

Generally the basic minimum rule for a winch is 1.5 times the GVW of the vehicle. So a 6,000lb GVW would need a minimum of a 9,000lb rated winch. Other factors come in to play too...winch design, anticipated use, etc.

True dat.

Originally Posted by Capt. Jim

Snatch block is one of the best investments to make if you plan on winchin'. Like Dan said, double it back to your rig and you've doubled your pulling power.

True dat as well.

[Junk]

Originally Posted by spressomon

Generally the basic minimum rule for a winch is 1.5 times the GVW of the vehicle. So a 6,000lb GVW would need a minimum of a 9,000lb rated winch. Other factors come in to play too...winch design, anticipated use, etc.

There is a used Superwinch X9 for $650 with new sythetic cable (still in bag) in the for sale section. (I'm so subtle). BTW, the X9 has a stall rating of I think about 11,700 or 11,800 lbs. That would be a great deal for someone who does occassional offroading and just wants something for "in case".

[LandyLover]

I have a ramsey 12k winch that I love. I would get at least 10,000lbs winch for a single line pull. My bro bought a brand new superwinch husky 10 (worm gear)that he wants to sell. He has not mounted it or used it. If you're interested let me know. I know he'll part with it for much less than what they are found in stores for.


Later.

[spressomon]

Originally Posted by LandyLover

I have a ramsey 12k winch that I love. I would get at least 10,000lbs winch for a single line pull. My bro bought a brand new superwinch husky 10 (worm gear)that he wants to sell. He has not mounted it or used it. If you're interested let me know. I know he'll part with it for much less than what they are found in stores for.


Later.

Why is he selling it? I don't think I can stuff a winch as big as the Husky 10 behind my TJM T3 Classique otherwise I would be seriously interested...however I'll do some measuring tomorrow.

[LandyLover]

I convinced him to buy it for his 4 runner but he never got serious in building his bumper. He sold the truck. The nice thing about the husky 10, is that it mounts nice. The ramsey Ive got takes a lot of custom work to fit it into a bumper.

[reffug]

This ain't the classified section fella's its tech.

K

[spressomon]

Originally Posted by reffug

This ain't the classified section fella's its tech.

K

That didn't take long...

[e9999]

yea, and you know what they say about folks who need to show off a big winch...

[Junk]

Originally Posted by reffug

This ain't the classified section fella's its tech.

K

Carefull or I'll sell him your M12k