Do you really need a winch? This is a question that has haunted me for many years. On my Jeep I had one, then decided to sell it to pay for some of my first upgrades on the 4Runner. I will tell you why I regret that choice dearly. Now that I’m at a point in my 4Runner build that I have a spot for a winch, I wish I had never gotten rid of the winch off the Jeep.
Let’s be honest here, nobody NEEDS a winch. If you choose to take your vehicle off-road though, you may be better off with one in your arsenal. If you are the type to go out on your own then you should DEFINITELY have one, or at least some way of self recovery.
In this post I will discuss the need for a winch, some basic techniques for winching, and a few winch choices. This my not be a super in depth article about needing or not needing, but it will give you some things to think about.
Table of Contents
A Must for the Back Country
A winch is one of those things that you may never use, but if you do, it more than likely saved your butt. A winch can save you from needing a tow out from deep in the backcountry, or it can get you past that one obstacle standing in the way of your trail.
A few years back a buddy and I were up at Websters Pass for 4th of July weekend. The trail had a spot where an avalanche blocked the path. My buddy had an older Jeep that was unable to make it across. We winched him across, and my Jeep JK managed to make it through no problem. The best part was once we got past that spot, we were the only ones on the trail. We got to stand on the top of that pass alone. Probably the best trail run of my life. Would I have wanted to even attempt crossing that washout if we didn’t have a winch? NO WAY!!
If you get stuck without a winch, you better hope someone in your party has one, or at least a way to get out. Your next best bet is to run into someone on the trail that has one. The last resort is to hike out and call a tow truck. If you have to go with option 3 believe me when I say you could have bought a winch for the price of that tow.
Budget Range
If you plan on going off-road any amount of times, then it may be worth investing in a winch. There are winches for almost any budget. I’m not saying you have to go out and buy the Warn Zeon Platinum series winch. Harbor Freight’s new Apex winch would probably be more than enough for 90% of the people out there. And guess what, you can get it for under $500. Yes Warn is made in America, (or at least the Zeon series is), and is probably a better product for the long run, but for those of you that rarely go out the Apex winch will more than suffice. There are winches between those two levels as well. We will get into those a little later.
Winching Basics
Safety
Just because you have a winch on your vehicle doesn’t mean that all is good. You need to know how to use that tool. I highly recommend taking a recovery class with someone that knows what they are doing. A winch, especially one with a steel cable can be very deadly. If that cable snaps while you are pulling, then the static energy stored in that line can easily cut someone in half.
Synthetic Winch Rope
Advantages
A lot of people are leaning towards synthetic winch rope for a couple different reasons. One being that it is significantly lighter, and the other being that it is far safer to use.
Disadvantages
There are some downsides to the synthetic line though. The biggest 2 are UV damage, and dirt/grime. The dirt can get into your line and just rub kind of like sandpaper. Over time this will weaken the line and it will be more prone to breaking. You can clean the line by unspooling it and soaking it in water while working the strands. You can prevent UV damage by keeping it covered when it is not in use.
Step by Step Winch Safety
Rule number one is always keep clear.
The person controlling the vehicle should be in the truck, and everyone else should be far enough away that if the line snaps it can’t reach them. I have seen video of winch line snapping and doing some pretty nasty things.
Use a “dead man blanket.”
This is a weighted blanket or throw that goes over the winch line. In the event that the line snaps, this will help prevent the whip that will inevitably occur.
Use the proper equipment.
Always wear gloves, don’t hook the winch line on itself. Make sure to use properly rated shackles (D-rings), or soft shackles. If you need to use a tree, make sure you use a tree saver strap. Looping a winch line around a tree will cut through that tree and scar it for life.
Know What You Are Hooking To
Safety is key here. If you are hooking to another vehicle, make sure you are hooking to an actual recovery point. Those little hooks under your truck aren’t for recovery purposes. They are used to strap the vehicle down during transport. I highly recommend a receiver hitch shackle mount. They can be had for very little money, and give you a solid place to secure to. If you venture out often it is wise to have some rated recovery points. A lot of winch bumpers will have these standard.
Try to Recover in as Straight of Line as Possible
Avoid hooking up to someone and pulling at a 90 degree angle. This will pose many more problems then I can even think of. If you can’t get a straight enough pull, utilize snatch blocks. One can get pretty creative with a couple snatch blocks and 100′ of winch line.
What is Needed for a Winch?
Mounting
You can’t just go out and buy a winch and be set. You will need a way to mount the winch. Yes you can get winches that are on a multi-mount, which essentially goes into a trailer hitch receiver. For the most part you will see winches installed onto or inside a bumper. I know for the 4Runner they even offer a hidden winch mount. This is a plate to mount the winch on that sits behind the bumper.
Suspension
Suspension will need to be addressed at some point. A winch can easily weight 50-60 lbs, and even more if you are going with a wire rope option. This coupled with your mounting system of choice, your suspension will be crying. You will definitely want to add some heavier springs up front. This will give you back some of that lost ride height. Don’t worry, with all that weight up front your ride won’t be worse with those stiffer springs.
Battery
You will also need a decent battery. This isn’t a must, but you will be pulling a lot of power. You should not be trying to recover with the vehicle shut off at all. You will be sure to end up with a dead battery in no time.
I really like the Odyssey batteries. These particular batteries are AGM or Absorbent Glass Matt batteries, are are way less susceptible to becoming damaged from all the movement that off-roading brings. The group 34 battery I got has almost double the cranking amps as the stock battery. My truck fires up fast and strong every time now.
Winch Accessories
A few of the things that I have on hand at all times with winching, even though I currently do not have a winch (I hope the bookkeeper lets me get one soon).
- Gloves– I kind of have a glove problem. I keep a set of leather mechanics wear gloves in the back of the 4Runner at all times.
- Extra D-rings– I have more than enough D-rings in my truck. generally about 4. You never know when someone is completely unprepared. I also keep a soft shackle on hand as well.
- Snatch Block– A snatch block it a great tool to have for winching. This will allow you to get a different angle on a pull if you are unable to get a straight pull. It will also double your pulling power if hooked back to the winching vehicle. I really like this one from Factor55.
- Tow Strap– This is a strap that has no elasticity to it. This can be used to straight up pull someone out, or can be used to extend the winch line.
- Tree Saver Strap– This is just like a tow strap, but only about 6 feet long. Use this to save those trees from being choked off.
- Snatch Strap– not so much a winching accessory, but highly effective. Used like a tow strap, but stretches to catapult the stuck vehicle out.
- Factor55 UtraHook– Not only does this thing look sexy, it is highly functional. You can lock the pin closed so your lines don’t come out, or you can put a D-ring right in the end of it creating a closed loop system.
What Winch Should You Choose?
Let’s get to brass tax here. What winch should you choose? I would say get the best one you can afford. If you get a high quality one, you will are able to move it to the next vehicle. Don’t do what I did and sell it.
The first thing you need to know when shopping for a winch is how much your vehicle weighs. If you have a truck that pushes 10,000 lbs, then an 8,000 lbs winch isn’t going to do you a lot of good. Leave a little leeway too. If your truck is 10,000 lbs you may want to go up to a 12,000 lbs winch.
Once you know your vehicle weight, (it will likely be higher when going to hit the trails), then decide what your budget is. below are my top choices in each price range. I’m going to list off the 10k winches as they are right in the middle, and probably the most common.
Warn Zeon Platinum 10-S
This is the bad daddy of the winch world. It comes standard with a fully wireless remote (even the clutch is wireless). You also have the ability to control up to 2 other accessories. This winch features a cone brake and 162:1 gears. It is IP68 rated. It will draw 465 amps at the 10,000 lbs pull. Comes standard with 100′ of spydura synthetic line.
Warn Zeon 10-S
This happens to be the winch I had on my Jeep. This is basically the same winch as above, but not wireless. It also has a physical clutch release. The gearing is a little different too at 216:1 planetary gears. This also features a mechanical cone brake. You are unable to control any extra accessories with this winch, but you will be able to save yourself about $600. You can add a wireless controller to this winch, but it will not be as clean looking as the Platinum. All in all this is a phenomenal winch.
Smittybilt X-RC 9.5K
The smittybilt line of winches has come a long way for days of the past. They feature a IP67 waterproof rating, a 7HP motor with forged gearing, and a controller with built in flashlight. The Gen 3 has a 12% faster line speed than the Gen 2 also.
This winch comes in at less than half of the Warn Zeon 10-S at $579.99. That is a lot of savings and even more when compared to the Warn Platinum at over $2000. This is a wired remote, and does not look to be as comfortable to handle as the Warn ones, but this would be perfect for the end user that doesn’t plan on using it as much.
Harbor Freight Badlands Apex
This winch is the newest offering from Harbor Freight, and it seems pretty legit. You can get one of those good old 20% off coupons and get this thing down to around $479. Full retail on it is $599.99. I think at that price I may lean toward the Smittlybilt.
I actually had this winch for a minute but decided to take it back as I wasn’t able to fit it in the 4Runner due to the supercharger install. This winch is only offered in a 12,000 lbs pull rating. The gearing is 210:1, has an IP68 and IP69K waterproof rating, and comes standard with a wireless remote.
To be honest the remote felt a little chincy, but it had the option to plug it in and run it wired in case of a dead battery. That is one feature that I think the Warn Platinum should offer. You will see a lot of keyboard warriors out there say they will never buy this winch. Honestly if this is the one in your budget I would not hesitate. You could buy 4 of these before you get to the Warn platinum. It’s better then having to hike out.
Final Thoughts
Not everyone needs a winch I understand that. If you find yourself venturing out alone in my mind it is a wise investment. You don’t have to get the best thing out there, you just need to get the one that will get you out when you are stuck.
Plan ahead when shopping for a winch. If you know in a year or two that you may be moving to a bigger vehicle, maybe you should buy the next size up. That way you will be able to move it over. That is unless you plan on getting that Prius and giving up the off-road life all together.
Winches are heavy, and bumpers can get heavy too. You will need to account for all this added weight on the front of your vehicle. Beef up that suspension. You know you want to avoid that saggy front end. A winch is one of those things that you almost hope you never have to use, but the second you do use it you are happy you have it. Not only are you happy you have it, it gets kind of fun. Hell you never know, you may run into someone out on the trail that needs a pull. They may even throw you some $$$ for your efforts.
See you all out there!
Nick