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Winch Size vs. Bumper Rating

Glad-inator

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So.... my wife decided to surprise me and get the FabFours Lifestyle winch for our Gladiator. I’m super pumped... but.... I also decided to surprise myself the other day and pulled the trigger on the Badlands Apex 12000lb winch.

I just looked at the information on the bumper and it says it’s only rated for 10000lb winches. Does this mean the winch won’t fit or is this a “recommended” winch size by FabFours? I called and they’re not open yet- but wanted to get y’all’s feedback as well.
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whiteglad

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You will get the rated pull only on the first wrap of cable on the drum. Pull is less as more layers of cable are wrapped on the drum. Other important factors are amp draw vs. pull, winch weight and dimensions vs. space to fit it. For example, I looked at Harbor Freight a couple years ago and found the 12k winch draws less amperage vs. load than the 9K winch, and weighs a similar amount. Of course, synthetic rope weighs a lot less than steel cable, but for rocky desert pulls, the steel is less likely to be in a dangerously abrading environment. Also, UV from sunlight won't hurt the steel cable like it will synthetics.
 
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You will get the rated pull only on the first wrap of cable on the drum. Pull is less as more layers of cable are wrapped on the drum. Other important factors are amp draw vs. pull, winch weight and dimensions vs. space to fit it. For example, I looked at Harbor Freight a couple years ago and found the 12k winch draws less amperage vs. load than the 9K winch, and weighs a similar amount. Of course, synthetic rope weighs a lot less than steel cable, but for rocky desert pulls, the steel is less likely to be in a dangerously abrading environment. Also, UV from sunlight won't hurt the steel cable like it will synthetics.
Thanks for the insight. You definitely have a better understanding of winches than I do. I think I’m just going to run it on there anyway and hope for the best. Can’t think of many times in which I’m going to need the FULL capability of the winch... hopefully my assumptions are correct. Just don’t want to mess up a $1700 bumper (especially when I was more than fine buying the $500 stubby version).
 

ACAD_Cowboy

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Likely the bumper rating is driven by the mounting hardware. 10k is the rated load for the factory hooks and I can see them just rolling that forward. This way when you bolt a 16k on and lash up 4 sheaves and pull like hell on the first turn and rip that bumper clean off, they can say sorry charlie, no warranty for you.

Now to help you out, the safety factor (SF or FOS typically) for a pulling or hauling winch is 3:1 and for a hoisting winch (overhead or vertical loads) is 5:1 with additional design factors for moving people. So this 10k rated bumper should in theory be able to withstand forces of 30k without catastrophic failure. In short since accurately assessing forces in the field can be spooky at best, the idea is that if everything is rated within the SF3:1, 10k or less, you shouldn't be capable of exceeding it. In theory.

Further, as stated, the 12k rating of the winch is only on a limited section of the drum loading so as pull length increases, pull force decreases but length of pull per rotation increases so force goes down but speed goes up... ish. This assumes that as the truck is getting pulled, the recovery should be getting easier. But it is a good design habit to build in an engineered weak point, a fuse, to keep you away from catastrophic failures or situations that inherently exceed capabilities.
 

whiteglad

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Industrial safety equipment is rated with a 3:1 or more safety factor, but winch cables are not. Recreational winches are rated almost at the breaking strength of cable; otherwise the cable would be much larger, heavier, and stiffer than practical. Often, recreational accessories such as straps and hardware are also marketed at breaking strength. So, your 10k pound rated ratchet strap sold by 4x4 places may be the same as the 3300 lb. industrial strap.
 

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ACAD_Cowboy

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Always look at the Working Load Limit (WLL) aka Safe Working Load (SWL) or Normal Working Load (NWL) rating which is a factor of breaking strength. This is typically described as MBL/SF but may be stronger and will be defined by the manufacturer or offerer for quality gear,

Citing the LGH (www.LGH-usa.com) catalog for a 3/4" screw in shackle, G-4161, Grade A/Class 2 Anchor Shackle per RR-C-271G
https://www.rentlgh.com/wp-content/specs/specsheet236.pdf
https://www.nacm.info/specifications/rr-c-271-g/

The WLL is 3.25 ton or 6500lb. Minimum Breaking Load is WLL x 6 or 39,000lb. Shackles below 200T are proof tested to 2 x WLL or 13,000lb.

The standard calls for 6500WLL, 14,300 proof load and a 32,500 breaking load. Proof loading is defined as a load that does not result in material deformation, "... without developing surface rupture or defects that would interfere with serviceability or prevent disassembly of the pin...".

In other aspects of my life the topic of recovery gear suitable for trucks of a given size, 10-16,000lb typically, means the selection of recovery gear by WLL etc results in some honking big gear when you start accounting for sheaves and the force multiplication increase. This whole process can also be compounded by gravity in the event your truck slips or falls, even a little. You may see equipment listed in daN or dekanewton aka 10 newtons. Each newton is ~100g based on gravity (1 kilogram exerts 9.8 newton) Metric can make the math easier on the fly once you wrap your head around the new reference data. 1kg is ~10 apples etc. But enough of that, TLDR is daN are real and the math can be easier.

So I suppose what we are trying to say is, understand the ratings on the packaging as it applies to what you are doing. Industrial gear will talk in SF3/SF5 and WLL where as the harbor freight shackles will talk in MBL because the numbers are more sensational. Chose you gear based on what you expect to encounter and how bad it might get. When in doubt, contact manufacturers to verify loads etc and spend your money wisely, that gnarly bumper, honking big winch & synthetic rope and spiffy factor 55 gear won't mean much when the grade 2 hardware used to mount it to the chassis take a dump and let go.
 
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Thank you guys. Went ahead and put the 12k winch on the 10k Lb rated bumper. If it’s an issue- I’ll replace the bumper. I don’t think it’s gonna be an issue though.

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