Capstan winch 12000Lb Good winch for 4x4 Offroad recovery

1. How to choose a winch? Winch Capacity.

When buying a winch, the first important factor you need to consider is the winch line pull rating. It is a combination of the mechanical capacity of the winch and the tensile strength of the line on the drum. Usually rated capacity is based on the first layer of winch cable (the one closest to the drum). Typically, there are three or four layers and that first one has the “lowest” gear ratio and the most pull.

The rule to choose a winch is to take your car's GW (that’s Gross Vehicle Weight, not curb weight) and multiply it by 1.5.

Usually like 12000Lb can be used for most jeeps, jeep wrangler, etc.  We have  5000Lb-13000LB winch for your choice. 

2. About line Strength

More line on the drum allows you to reach out farther but that’s often a mixed blessing. To start, as mentioned earlier, your winch’s maximum rated pull is on the first layer of line, so to get maximum pull, you have to spool out lots of cable. The other consideration is that more line on a drum is easier to get snarled up, jammed and kinked. For those reasons, many winchers prefer less line on the winch but carry an extra 50-foot length, with eyes splice in, to use as an extension. This is an especially viable solution if you have synthetic rope instead of wire rope on your winch. Having around 100 feet on the drum and a 50 foot extension is an ideal compromise for most people.

3. Line  spped & Motor Power & Gear Ratio

If line speed is a patience–testing issue for people, that’s mostly when spooling-in after a recovery. Many winches are extremely fast unloaded but all will slow down dramatically under a load. Most are in the 2-5 feet-per-minute range under load, regardless of unloaded speed. Decide your own level of patience when respooling but bear in mind that a winch that’s extremely fast under a load is likely to require lots of electrical power to deliver that performance.

Winch motors come in a variety of horsepower ratings and winch drivetrains with a variety of ratios. Just as with the vehicle drivetrain, low gears (high numerically) bring high torque multiplication and low speed and high gears (low numerically) bring high line speeds and low torque multiplication. To have a fast winch with lots of pull, you need a powerful motor combined with tall gears. Simple physics tells us this winch would have higher amperage draw for its load rating than a winch with lower gears. Bottom line, compare loaded and unloaded line speeds with amp draw to find a winch that matches up to your Jeep’s current or projected ability to deliver electricity, then consider line speed.

4. Steel Cable VS. Synthetic rope

  Steel cable is a traditional choice. It's made up of strands of steel wire. It's more resistant to abrasion than synthetic. It’s very heat resistant and relatively inexpensive. On the downside, it vulnerable to crushing when not properly respooled. It’s relatively heavy. For a 12000Lb rope winch, it's usually about 38KG.  Wire rope can be spliced but not easily or by novices. Individual wire strands routinely break and create small hooks that rend flesh, so gloves are vital. Wire rope can store large amounts of kinetic energy and can whip with deadly effect if something breaks loose.

Synthetic is relatively new. It's light. For a 12000Lb rope winch, it's usually about 28KG.  Synthetic generally drops dead with minimal “snap” when something breaks. It’s often stronger than an equivalent diameter wire rope and has appendage-friendly surfaces. It floats and in an emergency you can tie a knot into it. Knots do weaken it but if you perform a long splice at a break, it’s as good as new. Splicing 12 strand rope is lots easier than wire rope.

Synthetic rope also has a few disadvantages. It’s more susceptible to chafing than wire rope. It has a high initial cost, though it’s superior performance makes it a good value overall. The most significant potential operational problem has to do with synthetic’s ability to withstand heat. The common planetary winch has a one-way brake built into the center of the winch drum. When spooling out under power, i.e. lowering the vehicle under a load, that brake will generate some serious heat. Winch manufacturers caution against this lowering practice and advise doing it only in short 20 foot increments with long cooling periods. Rope damage from heat can go unseen on that first layer and damage may start occurring at temperatures as low as 150 degrees.

There are several ways around the temperature dilemma. Some winch rope has a higher temperature resistance but comes with lower tensile strength, so you would have to use a larger diameter rope to maintain the same tensile strength. An interesting cure is to have enough of the high temp rope spliced onto a stronger rope to cover the first later of the drum. Larger diameter rope can be splices to smaller to compensate for the strength difference. An even easier solution is to place an insulating sheath of nylon over that first layer. The easiest solution is to follow the winch manufacturer’s recommendation and not power out in long stretches. 

Our rope is with thermoplastic tubes on 2 ends of rope, like in picture.

5. Winch accessories

When doing recovery, you would also need some accessories like shackle, snatch block, tree protector strap, wireless remote control, mounting plate, mounting cradle, etc. Please send enquiry directly by email.