10K or 12K winch with front receiver

My CM weighed in at ~6,700 pounds the last time I checked.

And my Draw Tite front receiver is rated at 10,000 pounds.

Should I get a 10K winch in hopes that it (the winch) fails before my front receiver rips off? Originally I thought I'd get a 12K for the extra "room" not to mention the old buy once, cry once mantra.

I don't expect to use this a whole bunch. Really it's just a backup in case I get my ass into a pickle when traveling alone.

Thanks in advance.

 

In your situation I'd go 10k since you're receiver is rated at 10k.

 

Do you have a picture of this, is this the one that kinda mounts under the bumper? Wanting to do the same thing, but worried a bunch about clearance issues. Actually been thinking of replacing the aluminum rebar and making a hitch there, so I can remove the front license plate, insert winch into receiver, pull away...

 

Here you go. With no lift and 275/70-18 tires, the lowest point on the receiver is about 9-3/8" from the ground. So not great ground clearance but it works for me...

 

I run a 12k Apex. Works great. Same hitch as above.

 

Warn recommends multiplying GVWR x 1.5. At 6700 pounds that puts you just over 10k. However, as others have stated I would not go over the recommendation of your receiver.

 

Mine goes front, rear and into a receiver on my car hauler. The Badlands Apex’s are up at the top. I know several run them on their crawlers and abuse them!

 

You would be fine with an 8k winch and a block. Use a remote to control the winch and drive the truck simultaneously to get out of a bad spot. If alone you really shouldn't be taking very big chances to begin with and an anchor might be hard to come by in many cases. Have a shovel and be ready to bury your spare as a last resort anchor. As for the hitch, it has an idiot factor in the rating, pretty sure you will be hard pressed to break it if you do things right.

 

Might be “fine” with an 8k winch, as long as all things line up. Need to have enough run for a 2:1 set up, simply need assistance out of a bad spot and is not winching against actual resistance, etc. I don’t disagree with you that it can work. For the cost difference a 10k is slightly under the recommended straight line pull strength for OPs reported vehicle weight and would be, IMO, a better suited piece of equipment for a truck as big as the Tundra.

 

My tundra has a fixed 10k warn. My previous Tacoma had a removable 8k but it sleeved into 2 recievers that I built alongside both frame members. I always have at least 2, sometimes 3 snatch blocks, which allows not just multiplying the pull but also less you pull from multiple directions at the same time. (uphill & forward, for instance)
Addressing another issue, I have always preferred to ‘go solo’. Be prepared, get stuck, spend the night ‘or2’, have extra food and a sleeping bag. You can learn a lot about your limitations and how to be self reliant. Old fashioned ideas, I know.

 

Thanks, all. My receiver is actually rated at 9,500, not 10,000. Regardless, I think I'm going with the Smittybuilt X2O 10K synthetic which has a wireless remote. IIRC it was $550 at 4WP for Black Friday so will probably aim to pick that up next time it goes on sale.

 

A few questions for you:

1) Did you install the front hitch specifically for a winch mount? For some reason when I saw this picture, I immediately wanted one, but I'm not sure I have a particular use for it lol.
2) Do your 275/70/18 tires rub on the front sway bar?
3) How do you like those Duratracs?

I realize this thread is about your winch options, so it is not my intention to derail it. PM is fine if you prefer.

 

That plus I wanted the flexibility to occasionally uses a bike rack in front, as in the pic below. This technically works with no extension in the receiver, however the rack does not rotate up 90° due to interference with the license plate. So I am going to trim this extension down a few inches to bring it in a little.

And I'm a fan of Duratracs. This is my second truck with them. I didn't want to swap wheels or tires for winter, and these seem to do well enough for me in the snow.

 

Awesome. No front license plates here in Florida

Thanks for the info! Any rubbing on that sway bar?

 

No rubbing.

 

With the use of snatch blocks and multiple connection points, you can spread the forces and reduce the amp draw.

 

Is it just barely missing from going up 90 degrees? If so, you could loose the plate mounting bracket and mount the plate straight to the bumper cover.