So is a '9000' class winch 'enough' for a 6500# Suburban

rayra

Expedition Leader
Thx and yes, can be dangerous. I am indeed worried about the weld quality on some of these chinesium parts. And would just as soon have something heavier duty from thicker plate and much better welds be done. This project drags out many more years and I will probably weld my own. I'll have an actual workshop and better gear by then.


Here's a rear hook pic from a couple years ago. I need to drill some holes and re-add those hooks now that I have my rear hitch reinstalled.

hookinstalled.jpg


or get some clevis tabs welded to some mounting plates that are drilled to fit my hitch mount bolt pattern. But the hooks are more suited to how I have been doing things for decades.


My 30k strap is described as recovery and tow and not as a stretchy 'snatch' strap.

little perturbing that Smittybilt doesn't seem to explain or differentiate between the two types of strap.

ARB seems more correct in their use of terms
 
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Wilbah

Adventurer
The non stretch tow strap will work if the slack is removed from the strap and the towing vehicle does a genital pull from a stopped/no slack position. The result is you will get very little pulling action from this type of a pull.

Think of this like a chain or winch cable with no stretch and the towing vehicle gets a running start with slack in the chainThe result will be breakage and a very big jerk. If something does not break the result would be like a vehicle being rear ended in a accident (whiplash).

I suggest avoiding genital pulls from vehicles....just saying....?
 

Ace Brown

Retired Ol’ Fart
I know that there will be people who will proof read a little better in the future.

So after you have read it about 3 time you can get you head out of the gutter.

The spell check and my not proof reading are responsible for the mistake. I would correct it if I had not got such a laugh out of my mistake. Enjoy.

I have had a much needed big gut laugh. Read it and learn a new to my knowledge untested recovery system. I have not used this myself and do Not recommend it to anyone! It is not safe!

That certainly is not your first typo that I’ve had a good laugh over, and I know for a positive fact it won’t be your last.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

rayra

Expedition Leader
heh. great word replacement typo. I curse my iPhone all the time for foisting such mistakes on my own typing.

Thanks for the info and posts folks. I think I've got this shopped out, but it will probably be a few months before I get my front and rear electrical plug wiring done and get serious about the winch and receiver mounting plate.
 

Wilbah

Adventurer
I know that there will be people who will proof read a little better in the future.

So after you have read it about 3 time you can get you head out of the gutter.

The spell check and my not proof reading are responsible for the mistake. I would correct it if I had not got such a laugh out of my mistake. Enjoy.

I have had a much needed big gut laugh. Read it and learn a new to my knowledge untested recovery system. I have not used this myself and do Not recommend it to anyone! It is not safe!

If I didnt do that many times myself I would have said nothing. But I do it all the time and please feel free to hammer me when I do! Haha. :)
 

NoDak

Well-known member
I've read that recommended is 1.5x the GVWR. I've been looking at winches and hidden mounts for my F150 and with a GVWR of 7600lbs I'll be looking at 12000lb winches. Your burb is probably close to that.
 

rayra

Expedition Leader
I'ts not a lot of price difference between 9000 and 12000 pricing in the winch line I'm considering, so I'm intending to go with the 12k model. The Suburban, loaded with people gear and fluids is at least 7500# and I'd much rather have a bigger winch not working as hard or at its max capacity.

I've also just gone ahead and ordered a 3/8"x100' dyneema / synthetic rope & hook kit. I've had it in my Amazon Wish List for a while and the price dipped 35% and I went ahead and bought it. Been buying the Anderson SB175 couplings and other oddments to complete the project. I'm sort of buying from both ends of the project, least expensive stuff first. Then the hitch carrier and winch itself at the end. The synthetic rope will be useful if needed, before the winch is set up.

 

nitro_rat

Lunchbox Lockers
Go to harbor freight and pull a winch cradle off the shelf. Now carry it over to the winches. Pull a 12k winch off the shelf. Toss the winch cradle box on the winch box and carry it to the counter. If you haven't had any trouble yet then a cradle mounted winch might be a good idea for you...
 

rayra

Expedition Leader
Go to harbor freight and pull a winch cradle off the shelf. Now carry it over to the winches. Pull a 12k winch off the shelf. Toss the winch cradle box on the winch box and carry it to the counter. If you haven't had any trouble yet then a cradle mounted winch might be a good idea for you...
Sure. And their cradle mount isn't rated for over a 9k winch. Already looked, wise-ass. Part of what got me wondering if I could make-do with a 9k winch. Hence the topic.
Curt doesn't seem to claim a weight rating for their hitch winch carrier.
I've found a couple other brands on Amazon that claim a 13k and 15k rating.
And still going with the Curt front hitch offering for a bolt-in solution for my Sub.
I'm just basically pulling the parts in, starting on the small money end of things as I get the wiring and connections in place. I'm too busy with a crazy school schedule right now to do much more, anyway.
 

nitro_rat

Lunchbox Lockers
Sure. And their cradle mount isn't rated for over a 9k winch. Already looked, wise-ass. Part of what got me wondering if I could make-do with a 9k winch. Hence the topic.

I bet the weight difference between the Harbor Freight winch carrier and anyone else's is negligible rating aside. Same with the 9500 vs 12k winch. My point is that that ******** is heavy. I have or have had Warn M5000, a M8000, a Champion 9500 from Tractor Supply and several Harbor Freight 12k's. I've never noticed much difference lugging any of them around the shop...
 

rayra

Expedition Leader
True, they're all about 25# for the carrier and ballpark $50. 12k winch setup is about 85#. Save about 11# with 100' of synthetic vs the 65' of steel that comes with the winch.
Save a few pounds with a plate fairlead instead of rollers. Still about 100# for the whole setup. I've moved enough ReadiMix to know what a pain in the back it will be to move around.
Probably will be the death knell for my high-mileage torsion bars, too.
 

MOguy

Explorer
Is there a rule of thumb for winch capacity, besides 'more is better'?

Might go 9000/9500, might go 12000/12500. Trying to gather some real-world experience info re the two classes. The winch would be an accessory on a vehicle that wont intentionally be driven places it might get majorly stuck. It's more likely to be used in getting other people unstuck. Or in some disaster scenario, rather than in a lot of hard wheelin' use or frequently. I also get 'duty cycle', and don't mind things taking a little longer. I've got more time than money, anyway.

Anyone that's read my topics should already know I'm a cheap bastard and I've already got too many hobbies. Running around getting stuck and unstuck or breaking my vehicle is not (deliberately) one of them. So no 'buy once, cry once' advice need apply. Sorry, Warn guys.

eta
I've got plenty of offroad experience with mini-trucks and my 4800# pickup, using recovery and snatch straps, shackles, gloves, throwing a blanket or jackets on the midpoint. And frame-mounted hooks, with #8 bolts. I'm 55, been offroading and getting stuff stuck and unstuck since my teens. And I'm pretty handy mechanically and with physics. I get the physical forces at work. Just never owned a winch or had much time working with one. So not really sure of how hard a lighter duty winch can be used / abused in extremis.

If it were me, I would not have a winch that small on a vehicle that big

That is a big vehicle. I have a Warn 9500lb winch on my Jeep and bracing myself to a tree I was able to winch a friend his 3/4 ton super duty with ease, he just had a tire hanging in a hole. I have had my Jeep stuck in mud (my Jeep weigh less than 4K) were my winch got a real work out.

It isn't just the weight of the vehicle it also matter how stuck you are.

Others mentioned using a hitch mount. I wouldn't. We do have a larger truck at work were we have a hitch style mount. It uses two class IV mounting points where the winch mount slides into.
 
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rayra

Expedition Leader
well weak point that it might be, the carrier / hitch mount is a GO, for various stated reasons. Don't want a permanent mount, I'm in Los Angeles where car theft and vandalism is a sport. And the plan for a carrier-mounted winch has been set for years, back when I first started running 1/0 cabling to my rear cargo area. That was laid down to provide power for a rear-mounted winch. Everything else I've done with inverters, solar attachment, etc was all made possible by the rear winch plan.
And likewise the intent to go forward with a 12k-class winch. The price difference is minimal and would rather have the heavier class working lighter, than vice-versa.
And with the switch from 65' of steel cable to 100' of dyneema, with a snatch block I may be able to run out and back to the vehicle and get a stronger pull from the get go.
 

MOguy

Explorer
well weak point that it might be, the carrier / hitch mount is a GO, for various stated reasons. Don't want a permanent mount, I'm in Los Angeles where car theft and vandalism is a sport. And the plan for a carrier-mounted winch has been set for years, back when I first started running 1/0 cabling to my rear cargo area. That was laid down to provide power for a rear-mounted winch. Everything else I've done with inverters, solar attachment, etc was all made possible by the rear winch plan.
And likewise the intent to go forward with a 12k-class winch. The price difference is minimal and would rather have the heavier class working lighter, than vice-versa.
And with the switch from 65' of steel cable to 100' of dyneema, with a snatch block I may be able to run out and back to the vehicle and get a stronger pull from the get go.

A winch is heavy, when you get stuck you will be in less than Ideal conditions. It may be difficult, dangerous and or not even possible to mount it when you get stuck. My advice is mount you winch before you go. If you keep it in your vehicle secure it so if you are in an accident it wont go flying. If it does go flying around inside your vehicle something that heavy WILL KILL you and or/your occupants.

I would NEVER consider a single slide in mount for a vehicle that size.

It is your vehicle, not mine.

You can do what you want, you don't have to listen to anyone.
 
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rayra

Expedition Leader
It's not that I'm not listening, I'm just evaluating the use-case and options and risks differently from much of the lore. I'm not willingly seeking to drive places where'd I'd get so stuck that the max use and stresses come into play. My desire for a winch is for a vanishingly small possibility of need. I'm not looking to go bogging or grinding on anything.

And yes, it will be in the front receiver before I head off-road. Have had ZERO intention of the rig being loose in the back of my vehicle. Don't want that hard 100# of steel loose in the back of my SUV, or have to engineer a mounted receiver in the cargo area of the vehicle to mount the dismounted winch setup.
I just don't want the winch mounted on the vehicle every day / mile, for the 99% of mileage I spend ON-pavement.
 

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