Aftermarket Accessories, Part II:
Always Be Prepared to Get Unstuck, The Winch
I wrote in Part I about some basic items needed to make getting unstuck an
easier task. Being prepared and having a plan does make that effort simpler. This time I
will discuss the electric winch.
Originally the PTO (power-take-off) winch was the only
recovery winch available to recreational 4-wheelers. Because winches were developed for
the military and industrial applications, speed, strength and dependability were the
criteria for a good winch. Weight, ease of operation, and some portability have made the
winch manufacturers change the way they market and build this most useful tool.
The recreational market has exploded with new winch styles
and types. When I was in the Army I got to work with some big winches, some rated over
200,000 pounds, with cable 2" in diameter. It took a "small" winch like
those on our Jeeps and trucks to pull the cable from the big winch to be rigged. Imagine
pulling 300 feet of 2" cable through Holy Cross bog to get a 96 ton tank unstuck!
There are winches made today that are lightweight, electric
operated units that make 4-wheeling a little bit easier. There are still PTO and hydraulic
winches available for your rig. But I like using the electric operated winch because if
(when) the engine stalls in a bad situation and won’t restart due to mechanical
failure (Murphy’s Law), the batteries, if in good shape to begin with, will usually
have enough juice left to winch out of the situation. You will then be on better ground to
work on the rig!
A lot of people ask me
about aftermarket accessories and what should be the first few items to make their rig
unstoppable. I mention the things I wrote about in Part I
and a winch. I get the normally asked questions about "lockers," big tires,
suspensions, big engines, etc. I would rather see a winch go on first than lockers et al. THE
WINCH WILL ALWAYS GET YOU OUT, the other things will always get you stuck! If you
don’t have a way to get unstuck, then what good are all those fancy traction devices
and all the power in the world? Stuck is stuck is stuck!
Purchase a winch that is rated at least 1½ times the GROSS
(not meaning your vehicle is gross, although some trail machines are!) VEHICLE WEIGHT
(GVW). Take the rig to a truck scale and for about $5.00, weigh it. Have the dog, your
buddies, the cooler, the kids, all the junk--er equipment--you carry (tent, bags, starter,
axle shafts, air filter, extra oil, tools...you get my drift) and a full tank of gas.
Multiply that weight by 1.5 and you have the minimum rating for the winch, usually around
8000 or 9000 pounds for most Jeeps and Land Rovers. For the big rigs like full-size
Broncos and Blazers and trucks, think 10,000 or 12,000 pound winch. Of course, with the
correct accessories like pulley blocks (not SNATCH blocks) you can double the capacity of
any winch.
You have now ascertained what size winch you want, now what
make? You all know I have a very strong opinion about that subject. Email me winch@bb4wa.com and I will discuss it with you. It is
really up to you and the availability of the product. I do know that some winch companies
rate the winch at the capacity of the unit and that is where it will "stall."
Others rate it at working strength which puts the stall speed much higher, giving a higher
capacity overall. In other words, some winches will stall at the rated 9000 pounds and
other winches will stall at a higher weight limit, say 11000 pounds, but be rated at 9000
pounds. So chose your winch wisely.
The line speed and amperage draw under load might be
important to you. I figure speed is not too important a feature unless I enter another
Triathlon or Camel Trophy; as long as the winch pulls me out
I’m happy!
Amperage draw is a point to consider. Under normal
recreational winching, the average alternator and battery will do the job. I do recommend
having at least an 800 or higher rated Cold Cranking amp rating on the battery. Batteries
like the Optima can sustain larger draw than some higher rated batteries. The stock
alternator on my old Jeep worked fine at 85 amps cold rating. Of course, I went over to
the Premier Power Welder alternator that has
160 cold rating.
Alternators are rated when they are "fresh" (that
is, cold). When they get hot, they lose capacity fast, so some of the stock units will
only put out 30 or so amps when you need it the most. The PPW alternator
does not lose its capacity so readily. If you anticipate doing some serious winching,
which comes with serious ‘wheeling, then change over to heavier componentry. Like I
said, though, for the average recreational 4-wheeler, the stock battery and alternator
will do fine. Understand, though, that the engine should be running at least 2000 RPM
above idle to help the alternator charge the battery.
A short aside about dual
batteries--I have them. Anyone who will be winching a lot should have them as well. I
winch at night, pull 2 or 3 vehicles back to back out of holes, etc., so I need dual
batteries. Optima recommends NOT using an isolator with their batteries. I don’t like
using an isolator because I like all the juice to come evenly out of the batteries, and to
charge the batteries equally. What will sometimes happen with isolators is that the
current flow will slowly drain off the "isolated" battery even while you are
using the other. Remember that the current flow for your vehicle (neg earth systems) flows
from ground (earth) to positive, just like lightning! So even with an isolator, you can
conceivably drain the other battery. Some will refute this statement, and that’s OK,
I will stick with what I know and obviously what the Optima Company knows!
You’ve selected your winch, decided on the alternator
and battery set up, and now you are ready to mount it. Here, I will get more flak! I do
NOT like the receiver hitch mount winches! There I’ve said it! They are potentially
dangerous! Think about it. First off you have to pick the thing up from the back of the
rig or out of the trunk, etc., about 80 pounds. Then you carry it slip-sliding away to the
receiver that you want to use, front or rear, find the receiver full of mud or rocks
because it is mounted lower than your bumper, clean it out, then insert the winch in the
hitch. And here comes the fun part.
All class three (class III) hitches are DOT (you know them)
rated at 5000 pounds. You just put a 9000 or 8000 pound rated winch in a 5000 pound hitch.
Now you’re going to try to pull a 6300 pound vehicle out of the mud that has a
resistance force equal to or exceeding the weight of the vehicle. And you’re going to
do all this from a dinky 2 ½ inch tube bolted to your frame probably with grade 5
hardware. AS IF! Never mind if you have to pull off angle cause you don’t own a
Pull-Pal. I suggest that if you want to use the
receiver type winch, which is actually a good idea for total function, you mount two
channels front and rear and make the winch mount frame the same, thereby doubling the
strength of both the hitch and the winch, and leave the single receiver for the boat or
the sleds!
Mount your winch securely,
either using a brush guard mount assembly from the winch manufacturer or a bumper made to
accept a winch. Install the roller fair lead. Use of the "Hawse" fair lead will
eventually abrase the wire rope, so spend the extra money and get the roller. Use the
proper hardware, like grade 8 bolts and "nylock" nuts. I don’t like the
split style lock washers as they will vibrate loose over time. Some people prefer the
grade 5 hardware because it tends to stretch but the rating of the grade 8 stuff is worth
the extra pennies to install.
The shiny new winch is on the front of the vehicle and
you’re ready to go. Not so fast pal! What about the accessory kit? Yes, you will need
to have a wide tree protector strap, at least 3" wide by 8 feet long. I like to use a
6" wide by 20' long strap, as that really helps protect the trees. I have become more
and more dependent on the Pull-Pal lately. That way I just replace my
divot and go to the next tee--er, tree! You’ll need a pulley block rated at twice the
capacity of the winch, some "D" shackles, heavy gloves, short length of 3/8
chain. Usually when you buy the winch, the store will have an accessory kit. Maybe they
will give you a good deal for buying the whole package. And, of course, you’ll need
to purchase a copy of the "Unstuck" video
(970-858-3468 to order), which will show you the ins and outs of getting unstuck.
Well, you have the winch,
the accessory kit and basic skills to use it in the back country! First, go out to the
alley or back lot and pull the cable out almost all the way, connect it to the phone pole
and pull your rig to it. Wind the cable up under light load, keeping it nice and tight,
laying the cable right next to it self, no gaps, no overlaps. Wind it up tight to just
before the hook goes in the roller fair lead. Then hook it to the tow hook or some place
on the bumper and just snug it up, not super tight, just snug. Do Not leave the clutch
lever open!
You can now cover the winch from the elements and sleep
soundly knowing that when the big muddy comes around the corner, you’ll be your
friend’s hero. Yes, I think the winch is a better first investment than lockers,
although my ARB Air Lockers do make me use my winch less! But make sure you have the other
basic items along, like the Hi-Lift jack,
tools, common sense, respect for property and the rights of others.