Choosing your winch

In order to ensure the correct winch selection and correct method of use please take time to read the following information.

Failure to select the correct winch and incorrect operation can potentially reduce the life cycle of your winch and result in premature failure.

Winches used under certain conditions i.e. Salvage, recovery and off road applications will require a much higher rated winch than that of a less frequently used winch used for a rolling load such as a small boat, caravan or car onto a trailer.

Winches mounted on a four wheel drive, or trailer can save a lot off effort. Selection of winch capacity for loading needs to be carefully considered. Winches need to be powerful enough to pull your vehicle whilst overcoming the added resistance caused by obstacles such as moving water, gradients, mud, snow or sand.

Maximum Line Pull or Rating

This is the maximum effort that the winch can exert on a single line on the first layer of the winch drum.

As the layers of cable build up on the winch drum, the overall cable speed increases, however the rated line pull decreases at the same rate. By using a snatch block to obtain a "double line pull" you can in effect almost double the pulling capacity of your winch, whilst approximately halving the overall recovery speed.

It is good practice to use a snatch block when performing a "heavy" self recovery as it will decrease the current running through your electric winch motor and helps to prevent overheating and damage to the unit.

How to work out the capacity of winch you need:

Ideally the rating of your winch should be in excess of 1.5 times the gross weight of your vehicle. Put simply, a 2 tonne Land Rover should be equipped with a winch with a capacity of 3.5 Tonnes or greater.