How to choose a high-quality winch for your off-road truck or Jeep?

These days most off-road winches are coming with an electric motor. They are wired to a vehicle’s battery. There are also hand winches but we do not offer those devices here as they are outdated and require more effort from you.

The first important thing to think about when choosing an off-road winch is the correct capacity. To calculate it, you need to multiply your gross vehicle weight rating by 1.5. This is the minimum pulling capacity for the winch you are going to buy. While some people believe that installing a bigger winch is a good solution, that’s not a perfect idea. 

The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating can often be found on the car’s door jamb. It is to mention that this weight is the maximum weight the vehicle can operate.

Another important thing to focus on is the choice between synthetic or wire. Both have some benefits. Wire ropes may have a longer lifespan. However, wire ropes may have rust over time if you do not maintain them correctly.

When it comes to synthetic ropes, they have less weight as compared to wired ones. It is easier to handle synthetic ropes during car recovery. However, they need more care when not used. Moreover, you need to clean these types of ropes every time you use them in mud.

If you don’t clean it properly, this may rot from inside making it a weak point. It is not a good idea to use such a rope when you need the vehicle to be recovered.

When choosing an off-road winch it is also important to think about wireless or wired control. Currently, most winches are wired. However, wireless devices are getting more and more popular.

Wireless winches are convenient when you are stuck in the mud, for example. You can start the winch remotely. This is a good advantage but you need to keep in mind that if the remote will run out of battery, you will have to change it.

Take a look at our selection of winches here and let us know if you have any questions!