Winch Size (1 Viewer)

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kjkruer

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I know this has been discussed a few times, but I'm in the market and can't find what I need to help me choose. I'm in between a 9500lb winch and a 12,000lb winch. I can get a great deal on a 9500 right now. I'll save a few hundred by going with the smaller winch that I can contribute to some other goodies...... My question is, is a 9500 enough or is 12,000 the clear choice? I plan on doing some trails and some mud, but nothing too intense. I'm trying to not just succumb to the "Bigger is always better"... Would be nice to save a little $$$, but I'll go 12,000 if needed.

My FZJ80 is completely stock except for 285/75/16 BFG's and an ARB front bumper.

Thanks everyone!
 
I had a 10k winch for a few years and used it a lot. Worked very good after I upgraded to 00 Gauge wires. I am at about 6700 lbs and recently upgraded to 12k, which most likely is not necessary.
 
kjkruer said:
I know this has been discussed a few times, but I'm in the market and can't find what I need to help me choose. I'm in between a 9500lb winch and a 12,000lb winch. I can get a great deal on a 9500 right now. I'll save a few hundred by going with the smaller winch that I can contribute to some other goodies...... My question is, is a 9500 enough or is 12,000 the clear choice? I plan on doing some trails and some mud, but nothing too intense. I'm trying to not just succumb to the "Bigger is always better"... Would be nice to save a little $$$, but I'll go 12,000 if needed.

My FZJ80 is completely stock except for 285/75/16 BFG's and an ARB front bumper.

Thanks everyone!
Click to expand...
If you're going to be in mud, then biggest is best. You can see twice the weight of your truck as suction and friction in the mud.

I would absolutely do 12K
 
I would go with the 9.5/10K option (and did so myself).
My reasoning is that you are carrying the extra weight all the time of the heavier winch, and you are cost conscious. By pulling out your winch line and getting closer to the drum you will be using your winch more efficiently (staying closer to its max capability). Also by having a winch extension rope and a wheel/snatch block (also not free, but good to have) you increase your options.
I think for most of us a 9500# winch is just fine. That's been my experience, though I am not a winching expert by any stretch of a winch line.
 
12k for me. not sur what the weight difference is but cant be much.
 
The weight delta isn't much. I went 12K. Figure if I have the trailer on and full of gear, gonna need the extra oomph.
 
I run a M12k / 9.5XP motor combo. I personally would not go with a smaller winch for my usage - there have been several times it seemed like it was just getting the job done (single line pull). (I do think this may be partly due to the limitations of the stock alternator).

I don't think there's any significant weight savings going with a less powerful winch, especially with synthetic line.

That being said, a smaller winch and a snatch block is certainly a viable alternative most of the time. Were I lighter / less inclined to get stuck, I wouldn't have a problem running a smaller winch, especially if there were significant cost savings.
 
I’ve had my SuperwIinch EP9.5 for a long time now, and it has been sufficient and pulled me out of everything. If your not towing anything off-road, then a 9.5 winch is all you need.
 
I will echo the 12k suggestion here if you plan on hitting mud. Not sure if you heard about the unfortunate soul in Arizona this year; but one of the main reasons that their recovery attempt failed is due to the amount of load that being stuck in mud adds to the entire situation. If you are stuck in mud pretty decently, your moment of inertia can nearly double, and you essentially go from a dynamic object to a static one. I will find the video that help explain what happened in Arizona. He does the math IIRC

Not to scare you, but to educate on why these things are important:
 
That event was due to using a trailer hitch which was really stupid in that situation. Over powering force can be just as dangerous. When I started off-roading, a guy in our club got buried in deep mud with LR Discovery. Got a backhoe to try to pull him out with the bucket. Chain snapped and came flying at him while seated in the drivers seat. Luckily, the chain stopped just in front of his vehicle.
 
canman said:
That event was due to using a trailer hitch which was really stupid in that situation. Over powering force can be just as dangerous. When I started off-roading, a guy in our club got buried in deep mud with LR Discovery. Got a backhoe to try to pull him out with the bucket. Chain snapped and came flying at him while seated in the drivers seat. Luckily, the chain stopped just in front of his vehicle.
Click to expand...
Agreed that it was the wrong hitch, but he does the math in the video of explaining the strength of the different hitches/recovery points. Which even with a proper recovery point, if you don't have the right gear for the load, you can experience this same type of failure
 
My 8274 has never let me down, but I get the impression it's not a true 8k lbs winch.
 
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Thanks everyone for the responses. Sounds like there’s some split which I anticipated with the majority agreeing on the 12,000. I guess it comes down to what I plan on getting into off road, which even I’m not sure what that’s gonna be as I’m pretty new to this. Years ago I had a Warn M9000 on a 95 4Runner and it never let me down. I guess just for context I’m wanting to buy an ARB and I have a buddy selling a new in box SB XRC Gen 2 9.5K for $250. (He had to sell the truck he was going to install it on) That gets me a new bumper and a winch for less than $1500. If I go with a 12K I’m gonna be closer to $2000 plus since I’d probably have to buy one from a shop. Trying to debate if saving $500 up front is worth giving the smaller winch a shot and then if it doesn’t work out I can upgrade…. But I guess I gotta make that call on my own!!😝. Thank you all for the responses! This forum has made LC ownership way better!!
 
HF12k (bought new) on our '93, M8000 (used) on our '97. That said, I've had good luck with my Ramsey 9.5e on my rather portly K5 on 1-ton gear, for over a dozen years.
The 9.5 on the K5 has seen the most use, the M8000 none so far. For the K5, all pulls have been in the rocks, e.g. up/over ledges (either myself or others), so, very short. I currently only have ~50 feet of rope on the drum, with the goal to make those short pulls easier for the winch. There's a 90 foot extension rope in the boonies box. The other two have 80-90 feet of rope on the drum.

Might not be a bad idea to check the electrical requirements of each winch that you're considering. That (and money being a factor back then) led to the purchase of that Ramsey for the K5.

I found the video educational in restating that trailer hitches are not for recovery, and I liked the explanation by numbers.
 
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I'm not a heavy wincher as I don't play in mud but speed might be a factor to consider. I realize we're not competing for speed or time but getting out of mud in a reasonable amount of time while water is getting into the cab would be at the top of my list. I really hate mud ;).

With that said, heavy gauge wires, awesome crimping. throttle bump up cable and the largest capacity battery that you can stuff in there will do wonders for a loaded winch. I measured the amp draw on my Warn M10k while purposely burying my 80 many years ago and it pulled somewhere north of 600amps o_O. My 80amp alternator had no issues but Ididn't exactly pull the cable for half hour or some such thing. As always, common sense over ego usually wins!

If I can stuff a 8274 winch with a motor from a M12k, that'd be the shiznit.
 
Standard in winch sizing is double the weight of your vehicle.
Using a snatch block with double you’re pulling power, so if you go with a 9.5 just make sure you carry a snatch block/ pulley
A high quality Name brand winch Trump’s all.
I run a 10k Warn winch but always carry a snatch block it has served me well.
 
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Douglas S said:
You've got that backwards. The more line is spooled out the slower the line speed, but the higher the pulling power gets.
Click to expand...

▲This▲
Learn to use your winch and its capability. An electric winch with 5' out is only good for 1/2 the rated capacity.
With that said I use a 26-year-old Warn 8000K with proper accessories on my 80 series and never needed more winch just a better anchor.
 
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