winch

[Wild Thing]

Thinking of getting an elec winch for my surf, what min pulling power can I get away with

[Bunkle]

don't want to come over all sensible but having been involved with alot of winch recovery work for Rover Rescue and winch competitions in land rover clubs i think your best bet is to go for what is the maximum you can afford and then borrow some more !, the surf is a heavy old lump so your gonna safely need at least an 8000 pound single line pull, this may seem excessive but once your up to your axles in thick gooey mud the resistance is amazing, just as important however is what you use to stick it on the front in the first place, a bad fixing can be extremly dangerous, looks to me like the ARB or Warn bumpers are about the only off the shelf bumpers up for the job and there not cheap, the hardcore guys go for Warn as they are proven in harsh conditions but i always found the 8500 Huskey just as good if not better.

[Woodzie]

Last time this came up i think a 9000kg+ was recommended

[Gamedawn]

Coming over all sensible is a good plan when talking about winches 8000lbs is definitely the minimum to go for (a good rule of thumb is winch pull should be twice vehicle weight). The Goodwinch X9 is reckoned to be about the best general purpose unit of its size ( www.davidbowyer.com ) - I've had one fitted for a while and it hasn't let me down yet despite loads of abuse. Whatever you buy try to get it supplied fitted with plasma rope. It costs a little more but it's way safer and easier to use than wire.

[Bunkle]

deffo go for the plasma if you can afford it - it's amazing stuff - then of course you need all the accessories, snatch blocks for example are a must - as Gamedawn says David Bower offers great advise on winches including some useful techniques - some people howver still swear by a decent tirfor type hand winch for recovery - biggest bonus is being able to winch backwards ie not having to go deeper in !!!