6.7L Cummins Forum

I've decided that I'm so happy with my truck that I'm going to keep it well past the 3 years and over 100,000 miles I drive so it's time to add a winch. With a 1 ton truck picking a winch (12,000 LBS or larger) is a lot easier then other vehicles but the following is still good general information for buying a winch.

The general rule of thumb is that you want a winch rated at twice the weight of your vehicle. But remember that if your buddy wheels a Suburban and you have the only winch and it’s a 6000 lb unit, it won’t serve your purpose and you run the risk of toasting it in short order. So for an average 3800 lb Jeep, an 8000 lb winch would be ideal. Keep in mind that winches are rated at the drum and for each wrap of cable you loose 10% of your pull capacity. This is the main reason why I usually only put 80 feet of cable or rope on my winches and carry an extra 40 feet with me. This way I get down to the drum faster for a higher pull rating and it is easier on the winch too.

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2007.5 Dodge Ram 3500 HD,QC, 6.7L Cummins, 6speed Auto, 4X4, Bighorn Edition.
Click for installs: Carr Steps PML Diff Cover Edge Juice with Attitude Volant Intake Hankook ATM RF10

These new horizontal winches don't seem to pull as hard as the old upright Warn 8000s. I had one of those on an '81 Ford and it pulled far more than its rated weight. You are right though, it's a good idea to go 2x the weight of the truck. Even more if you're running loaded. I run a 9000 lb winch on my Jeeps, which are XJs and ZJs.

I have a Warn 9500 on my 72 FJ Cruiser and it's adequate but wouldn't help with this pig. LOL

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2007.5 Dodge Ram 3500 HD,QC, 6.7L Cummins, 6speed Auto, 4X4, Bighorn Edition.
Click for installs: Carr Steps PML Diff Cover Edge Juice with Attitude Volant Intake Hankook ATM RF10