[Kelowna]

Stock '12 Rubicon will be here soon. Just how much winch is really needed for a normal stuck Jeep. No plans to be too extreme, but do wish to install an adequately sized unit to retrieve my friends, or self. Is 6K lbs too small, the Jeep weighs less than that. Stock bumper attachment? Stock electrical, battery, charging system, problems?

 

[Chris]

Myself and many others run the Smittybuilt XRC8 it is around 300 bucks new and has pulled me out of everything I have been stuck in. If you did rock crawling all day I would get something like a Warn but for the occasional use it works great. Good cheap insurance.

 

[Kelowna]

Thanks Chris, I do not foresee it being ised more than a couple times a year. Suggested way to mount it on a stock Jeep? Do they come with mounting plates, or other means.

 

[Chris]

I don't know if you have Harbor Freight there but they are only about 30 bucks there. Or you can get them anywhere that sells winches but they will run around 100 bucks. or you can buy a bumper that has a mount built in.

 

[MrSig]

With the heaver JK I would go with at least a 10,000. I have got so stuck it took 2 winches to get me out. I have been running my Champion for over 4 years now and it still works fine. It is a bit slower than a warn but a lot cheaper in price.

 

[Kelowna]

I have looked a little at winches, bumpers etc. Smittybuilt seems to have good pricing on its stuff, so may go that route. The winch I looked at was an 8,000 pound unit. Since Jeeps really do not weigh much, in comparison to somethings. Why does it take such a high poundage rated winch to just pull one out? An 8K winch should lift 2 Jeeps off the ground and suspend them.

 

[shewoolf]

Because when you become stuck your pull weight goes up. The harder the stuck the higher the weight of the pull. If you are pulling on flat ground with no restriction then you are only pulling the weight of the vehicle. But think about stepping on pavement then step in to thick mud, does it take more effort to pull your foot free from the mud? Same thing when you get your jeep stuck in mud.

 

[eumel789]

I have looked a little at winches, bumpers etc. Smittybuilt seems to have good pricing on its stuff, so may go that route. The winch I looked at was an 8,000 pound unit. Since Jeeps really do not weigh much, in comparison to somethings. Why does it take such a high poundage rated winch to just pull one out? An 8K winch should lift 2 Jeeps off the ground and suspend them.

It's not just the weight of the vehicle! When you are stuck really good in some heavy mud, your wheels and undercarriage are packed real tight with that stuff, so it weighs a lot more. If the axles are also burried, the winch has to actually move a mountain of dirt ahead of both axles, because you are pulling horizontly, not lifting it straight up! Some mud can pull your boots right of your feet while walking in it! Maybe you can see now why you need at least 8k pulling power (MrSig said 10k - I have a 12k for my JKU). Buy a snatch block and double that.
Also, check www.harborfreight.com for real cheap winch related items. Just remember that most of their stuff comes from China.

 

[shewoolf]

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