Truck Winch

chris_girard

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Gilmanton, N.H.
So I'm looking at getting a winch for our new Chevy 3500 chip truck and was wondering what you guys recommend?

Hey Burnham, what did you run on the US Forest truck that you had?
 
Are you thinking hydrolic or electric?
Hydraulic only makes sense if you already have a robust hydraulic system on the truck. Bucket trucks or large dump trucks come to mind. The dinky little electric over hydraulic systems on small dump trucks (similar to a dump trailer) wouldn't be adequate for a winch IMO. The only realistic option for a pickup truck is electric.
 
So I'm looking at getting a winch for our new Chevy 3500 chip truck and was wondering what you guys recommend?

Hey Burnham, what did you run on the US Forest truck that you had?

Over the 32 plus years I worked for the USFS, I had two on my assigned trucks. Both were Warn brand, and I cannot say enough about their long life and flawless performance.

First was a M8274, back when that was a 8000 lb. rated winch...current model is now a 10k. I switched that winch from the first rig I was assigned, to the next two replacements in turn. Average in-fleet time per rig was about 8 years. The only reason I didn't retire with that winch still on my last truck was because during a break-in at the ranger station yard, it was stolen, along with the full bumper mount. The thieves used a cutting torch to cut the bumper off...as I had welds on the mounting hardware.
Like this...
M8274 Winch | WARN Industries

For a replacement, I went with a 12k model. That winch was on my last 2 trucks. It looked like this model, but was not +16k :).
16.5ti Heavyweight Winch | WARN Industries
 
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Hydraulic only makes sense if you already have a robust hydraulic system on the truck. Bucket trucks or large dump trucks come to mind. The dinky little electric over hydraulic systems on small dump trucks (similar to a dump trailer) wouldn't be adequate for a winch IMO. The only realistic option for a pickup truck is electric.
I was thinking powersteering pump powered hydro like Milemarker brand.
 
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Hey guys, thanks for all the info!

The winch would be going on our brand new Chevy 3500 1-ton dump, mounted on the front to move material, both logs and brush.
 
If you are going to be doing production type work rather than a few times a year if you get stuck, i would go pto or hydraulic for the duty cycle.
 
There is a whole lot of middle ground there, Kyle. For all but near constant use day in and out, I'd still go with electric for that size vehicle. Heavy duty one, sure, but still...
 
Does 12K Warner winch have a grease box or grease zirts Burnham?

Mine's mighty noisy n dry soundin after 30 years.....

Jomo
 
But when you do use it, i assume it's going to do most of the material handling on that job, like winch, reset, winch, reset, etc for awhile? That's why i would go non electric, if i could afford/ justify it. The only advantages i can think of an electric winch are price point and ease of installation/controls. It's not ac, it's a dc powered thing that will pull hundreds of amps from your batteries over and over again. Especially if you already have hydraulics on the truck, you can simply use a diverter or whatever they call them and not even have a dedicated spool for it, but use one of the existing ones for the dump or something.
 
It doesn't pull hundreds of amps from your battery, does it?...if you always keep the engine running when using the winch as one should, the amps come from the alternator, I thought.
 
Yes it does. Some of the amps may come from the alternator but it still is pulling very hard. Dc is very very hard on the switches too, the wiring, etc. Here's the specs from a warn zeon 10 winch. It's better than nothing for sure, and may be just what he's needing, but if he's got pto hydraulic already or was looking for a reason, that would be it.

0003720_zeon-10-winch-88990.png
 
Dual batteries sure improved my winch performance, but required a lot of thick copper wiring.

Yu gonna make me crawl up under the rear end of my tooltruck where the spare tire used to be
In search of grease zirts Burnham?

Jomo
 
Me Mum passed away almost the same time as Butch in early 2000, and the homestead dispersal among ten kids was a bit acrimonious at best.

But I'm still alive n well n climbin n cuttin!

I've retired to the sticks of Jamul in SD County, a county coroners for dead tree trunks, being rendered into bundled grocery store firewood, lumber, or fine art, depending on species, knots n burls.

I've got three chain grinders, but still sharpen my own skip chisel chain by hand at the Druid Boot Hill.

I'm gonna miss Butch despite our differences, we had a lot in common....

Grateful to still be alive n participtatin in the miracle of life!

Jomo
 
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