Winches

Looking for input. What's a fair price for a Warn M12000 S and is it too much winch for a 2nd gen crewmax?

 

I can get the one I mentioned for less than the one you linked. Brand new with synthetic line. Looking for opinions on the M12000. So I'm guessing 12k winch isn't overkill?

 

Thanks for the input. Local shop had one that had a minor crack in the control box. I snapped it up quick. Smoking deal from prices I could find online.

 

Yeah, gonna swap out for an Optima battery over what's in there now.

 

Yeah, I am thinking I'll be close to a constant 9000lbs maybe a bit over. Thanks for the input.

 

I know.. old thread..

Just wanted to point out that there is no such thing as overkill. There is only margin of durability. The stronger you make things, the less they are stressed under the loads you apply, and the less likely they are to fail.

I've got a 12.5k winch on my unibody ZJ (1st gen grand cherokee) which only weighs 3900 pounds in stock form. I've kicked that up to around 4500-4800 with tools, equipment, tires, suspension, and armor, but it is still very light. But I don't have to worry about my winch failing.

Besides that, the Tundra is a heavy truck. A 12k winch is the absolute smallest I would consider running. Sure, you CAN run a 9k winch and probably be ok, but you'll be running that winch at close to max capacity every time you use it, which will cause it to burn up or fail in some way earlier than otherwise.

Keep in mind how winches are rated. It is with only one wrap on the drum. As the line winds up, the added leverage reduces the pulling strength of the winch. By the time you get to the 4th layer of wrap, your winch is only pulling with half it's rated strength. Not great if your 6000 pound tundra is up to the frame in mud.

You should get a winch rated to 2-2.5x the loaded weight of your vehicle. If your Tundra has steel bumpers, 35s, sliders, skid plates, a bed rack, and a roof top tent, you are probably closer to 7000 or 7400 pounds. That means you would need at the minimum a 14k pound winch as preferably a 16k or 18k. But of course, for that you would need to have a custom winch mount made (or make yourself) as I wouldn't trust the typical 1/4 plate mounts with a winch that strong. Hell, I made a 5/8in mounting plate for the 12.5k winch on my Jeep.