My 2 8274s might as well be 8074s. I never free spool them since it's too hard. Much easier to just power out.
I would happily use an 8074. This is such a great design-good for all time.
For whatever reason, I thought the 8074s were exclusive to Jeeps as a dealer add on. Interesting to hear from Warn that they were also sold outright.
For the OP---I would just run that winch. It will be plenty for your truck-these winches are work horses. If you're worried, carry a snatch block. You should double line most pulls anyway for safety and to decrease the electrical load on the motor of the winch.
I keep reading the same thing about freespooling vs power out. I guess it's no loss not having it.
I've heard rumors that the 8000 pound rating was more like a conservative estimate; they're punching above their weight. I've also read that the 6hp motor makes these things a beast. I know it's not officially recommended by Warn, but by many reports it's worthwhile. Being 4 decades old, I wouldn't be surprised if this thing needed a motor, but I'll open it up and see.
I really only bought it because it was so cheap I just couldn't go wrong. I already have a 9.5CTI on a multi mount waiting in the garage, and I was given a M10000 earlier this week complete with cable, a (beat up) roller fairlead, solenoid pack and remote (it works too, just likely needs to be freshened up). It was a good week!
I'm really leaning toward ditching the multi mount and installing the 9.5CTI in a proper bumper, I'm not really a fan of the multi mount systems, even though they have their merit. What I could really use is a winch bumper for my Chevy, but no luck thus far.