MrOlaf Posted May 29, 2014 I was driving on a dirt road and moved over too far to let a passing vehicle get by and my passenger rear and front tires got stuck in 6 inches of wet mud. Luckily my friend lived near by and he was able to pull me out by using my front tow hooks. This got me nervous as what if he wasn't home at the time. I was thinking of getting a winch but didn't know how big of a winch I would really need. According to most sites you take your vehicles weight and times it by 1.5 which would have me looking at a 15,000 winch which is very expensive. Here's the thing, I don't go mudding and if I ever do get stuck again it would probably be in snow or a little bit of mud. Is 15,000 really necessary if your not planning on purposely driving driving into a mud pit? I have the tow package so I can use a winch with a receiver mount so I could stow it when not needed. Also I was thinking of using snatch blocks to increase winch power if need be. Also the nv has ac power in the rear near the hitch so I could use one of those ac powered utility winches (although those I haven't seen above 3000 pound). Let me know what you guys think. Thanks Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tatunka Posted June 2, 2014 I think that 15,000 would be a little over kill for the type of vehicle extraction that you sound like you are going to encounter. The 15000 is for pulling trucks that are frame deep in mud and up and over rocks that you have hung up on. My type 6 engine (dually pickup) weighed a lot more than our vans do and it had a 15000 winch that we used a few times and it pulled us out fine, it worked but it pulled us out. Also remember that as you go out from the drum of the winch, the less power you will have. Meaning that the first row of cable will maybe only be able to pull 10500, even though it is rated at 15000. So keep that in mind when selecting a winch. I know self extraction is your goal, but a high quality recovery strap might just be the ticket. Winches are a lot of money for the use you will get out of them, especially with only 2wd. It's a cost benefit thing. Question for you: when you got stuck, did you disable the traction control? Nissan's Electronic Limited Slip has worked out great for me, but only if I disable the traction control. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MrOlaf Posted June 2, 2014 yeah I disabled it, I was far more stuck then I thought i was. When I got out to check, the passenger door was only a few inches off the ground and the rear wheel was half buried in very wet mud. I even cracked a mudflap when getting pulled out. Isn't a recovery strap for when I get stuck and there is someone around to pull me out? I'm worried about getting stuck somewhere in the middle of the night when there is no one around to help. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tatunka Posted June 2, 2014 Like I said, the winch vs. a strap is just a cost/benefit thing that you have to decide for yourself. Personally I would like to have a winch, it's just not in the budget currently. But I must have a strap. There are other recover tools that are way cheaper that you could carry in the van just in case also. Some things could be a Hi-lift jack, chain, recovery strap, traction pads, or a come along. I have used all of those things to get me unstuck. It is up to you to decide how much you want to spend and what you want to spend it on. Oh, and about power loss on the drum of a winch: "Here's something else you want to be aware of: the pull load rating drops about 10 percent for each layer of cable that is wrapped around the drum. What this means is that when one layer of cable is on the drum (it is nearly completely extended), it reaches its maximum pull load capacity. If you have a 95 foot cable and your winch is rated at 9000 pounds, for instance, it will be able to handle about 6200 to 7300 pounds when it is extended 40 to 50 feet." So if you are going to buy a smaller winch, just remember to take that into consideration. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jon Nelson Posted July 23, 2014 Take a recovery course - and watch some winch instruction videos online - trying to do too much with too little is not in your best interest. People get killed by winch related equipment failures every year. 1 Tatunka reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tatunka Posted August 9, 2014 ^this. I see way too many people using winches not knowing the dangers of them. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
