Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives Need Winch Advice

After the second time in less than a month of nearly having to get a wrecker to extract one of my work trucks, it’s time to get winches installed so we can self-extract.

I have never had a winch in anything except wheelers so I am a novice here.

Our trucks with tanks are probably 12-15k. What do you guys recommend?

Minimum 10k electric or hydraulic with snatchblocks, if they get really bogged down. The hydraulic winches tend to stand up better to heavy, sustained pulls. Ideally, you want a winch that is single line pull rated the same gross weight of the vehicle. You can usually get by with less with snatchblocks.

Specific brands or models?

I was thinking a 15k winch. I’m not too worried about price. I want something that will get the damn job done. Because if I’m really stuck in some of the places we frequent, a wrecker extraction may cost 4-figures.

If price is not really a concern then the only answer is Warn

on my hunting truck.....warn 16.5ti...with full winch accessories ….I don't think a 10 or 12,000 is enough.....bob

You need a big winch. 16k minimum and some rigging, e.g. blocks, straps, etc. Can you go hydraulic? Do you have an electrical system that will handle a big winch? I don’t know what your fleet looks like, but it might be cheaper in the long run to outfit one service truck really well that you can use to extract your other trucks. I’d much rather have one really robust setup, that I maintain and can rely on, rather than a bunch of pretty good setups, that get used less frequently by less experienced operators.

You're saying that a 6k winch is enough for my Dodge 2500 diesel?

^^^^
Good advice if distances do not become a problem.
Being well equipped for self recovery requires a lot of equipment,
Costs a lot, takes a good bit of room in a truck.
You need enough cable to reach a good anchor. Think worse case. How far is it?
A winch well in excess of vehicle weight is best.
Snatch blocks are often needed, but they double the cable needed
and half the speed. If a straight pull is possible, it's a lot easier.

Synthetic cable is your best way to carry extra. It's lighter and easier to store.

Yep, Warn winch with synthetic cable. I'd go with a 12,000 lb rated.

The Gross weight of your Dodge Diesel is a lot more than 6k. It is probably closer to 10k. So no, that’s not what I’m saying.

If your rig will run an hydraulic winch, take a look at Mile Marker. They have been the benchmark for hydraulic winches for many years. They are popular with the flat-bed wrecker crowd, and if they hold up to severe duty like that, they should serve you well.

Not disagreeing, but clarifying. A snatch block will only double the cable needed for the last leg. Assuming you've got extensions rated for 2X your winch rating, you can single line from one end or the other. The other nice thing about a snatch block is it gives you more ways to get down to a the last wraps on the winch drum. Trying to pull a buried rig out with only 20 feet of line pulled puts a huge strain on your winch.

Synthetic winch line is cheap enough now that you can carry a fair bit of extension without much weight/expense.

I have a 8K winch on my ~3K Toyota, and never wished it was smaller.

In my experience with diesel trucks, they are usually stuck so early that they don't get too buried.

The curb wt in the specs is 6030lb. Of course that doesn't include fuel, passengers and gear so call it 8k. That's still not much of a winch.

Hmmm I always thought there was a difference between curb weight and gross.

You need to think about grade resistance and mire resistance before you start shopping. And without that info, nobody can really give you an honest recommendation. A little research, and you'll be able to answers those for yourself.

Consider commercial grade winches.

I'd also think about training for anyone who you think will operate the winch. Vehicle damage, employee injury, or even death are a lot worse than getting stuck. Most people seem clueless about safe vehicle recovery.

Good info and food for thought.

I will clarify that the majority of what I expect with regard extractions are simple muddy situations in a yard or field just off a road.

I have F350 and F450 pickup. The 19.5 inch tires are not very good when it comes to mud and couple that with the weight, it becomes a problem.

Today, it was a situation backing into a drive and the gravel around a culvert had been washed and a dual dropped deep in really loose grave alongside the culvert. Hitch was on the ground. That dual was sunk deep.

A winch on the front of that attached to a parked vehicle on the road would've gotten him out in 20-30 minutes. Instead, they struggled and tried this and that and finally a farmer came by with a 4wd tractor. Pulled them straight out.

Did you read that part? I added a ton.

I did now. My 2003 2500 Cummins 4X4 had a gross weight of just over 9k, my 2014 2500 4X4 Cummins door sticker says gross weight is 10 000lb. You never did say what year model you have. The newer models tend to be a little heavier than the earlier ones.

Mine's an '08 quad cab, long bed. The specs say 6030 curb weight. The gross on the sticker is 9000 but I'll never be offroad with any more than a ton extra.