Looking for fairly light duty winch for a 2006 Ram 4x4 2500. Basically need it just for dragging firewood up/down hill. Looking at/under the front bumper, doesn't look like a front attachment could be done without some substantial mount or a replacement bumper. So would be open to something that might plug into hitch receiver, if such a thing exists. Capable of doing a bit of crude fabrication for mounting, if I have to. Any experience steel vs. plastic/nylon cable? Hoping for the ever present beeb wisdom as I don't feel like falling down the off-road accessory rabbit hole.
I know someone makes a receiver mount for a winch, just don't know who. The mount will likely be specific to the winch, there really isn't a standard that I know of. Of course, you'll need to run appropriate wiring to the back of the truck. Synthetic rope is definitely the way to go, wire frays, making handling a potential pain, even with gloves. Harbor Freight Badlands winches are highly rated and they pare a great price. If you don't expect to try to move your truck, a 5500# will probably get the job done.
Something like this. No wiring required. http://www.winchesplus.com/selfcontainedwinch.htm I am sure there are lighter duty versions of gas winches that you could do this with
I've installed Curt front 2" receiver hitches on the front of both my Excursion, and new F350. I use them to haul either generators or bikes on. Many 2" receiver winch mounts available; you decide how much capacity you want to put on one.
Yowser! For that money just buy your firewood, they'll even stack it for you in your shed if you ask nicely (in spanish).
Easy to find a receiver winch mount. I'd go for a Badland from Harbor Freight, pricing is right for sure and coupons show up all the time. Depending on the hillside and how likely the wood is to get caught on things you could go for a cheap ATV winch but you might want stronger.
I used to have a receiver hitch mount one and didn't like it much. It was nice that the winch wasn't on there all the time but when you wanted it, the winch/mount combo is extremely heavy to lug around and awkward to pick up and slide into the hitch receiver. How long of a distance would you need to use it from? Some smaller ones only have 50ft or so of cable. I have a Warn 1500# that only has 25 feet but it's been handy to pull a broke down lawnmower up on a trailer or that sort of thing. If you need something that could pull the whole truck out of the sand if you ever needed to you'd be looking at about 9,000 #'s and up rating
Not knowing your winching experience, don't take any of this as condescending... My winching experiences include ripping a winch bumper apart on its respective vehicle with a mere 8000lb winch, dynamic tensioning winches in the 60,000-150,000lb static range and tow winches capable of pulling ~400,000lbs working load, wire and synthetic. Aside from that, I've been winching the shit out of deadfall, storm damage and stumps on my property for over ten years. Synthetic line is the way to go, particularly, with the amount of line handling you'll be doing. Wire cables coil up, kink, "birdcage" on the winch drum if there's no load, fray - creating "fish-hooks" and, most dangerously, store kinetic energy under load. If it snaps, there's potential for collateral damage. Receiver mount winch plates/carriers are pretty standard for automotive-sized winches. What isn't standard is the length of a winch's power cables to the battery. If you get a winch for a hitch mount you'll be mounting on the rear, you'll need 20'-ish long cables to reach the vehicle's battery. As for a SxS winch, a good $$$ idea, you may need to make your own carrier but that's simple-stupid. Weld or bolt a plate to an extended drawbar and drill some holes to match the winch's mounting bolt pattern. There could very well already be SxS-sized winch mount carriers to fit 2" receivers. Check Rocky Mountain ATV, et al. Consider a snatch block, too - doubles your pulling power. They are weight-rated and line specific - wire or synthetic. (A 3500lb winch may not have the juice to uproot saplings of 2"-4" diameter - depending on the root system - without struggling or relocating your pull direction should you have any plans to rip things out of the ground). Use a "tree saver" to grab your wood resource in a noose and attach to the winch line's hook. PSA: Do not wrap the winch line around your wood and cinch it with the hook! If you need extra length, get a long tow strap (or two) instead of the tree saver. (Chain is a "weight" nuisance but it generally pulls out from under logs easier than strap). For connecting two straps, use a shackle - hard or soft, your choice. So, all told... - winch carrier - winch - suitable length power cables - tree saver/tow strap(s) - soft/hard shackle(?) - snatch block(?) You have to give the winch cool down time while you're pulling. Heavier loads, shorter load cycles, longer cooling periods. Also, don't let the winch line wrap at one end of the drum (spool) or the other. Cheap winches will have their spools damaged which pushes the end plate into the winch's frame, effectively locking it tight. Quality winches may suffer bearing failure...or you might just snap the line. This kind of info is likely found in the owner's manual. <In the what? > Final PSA: Don't stand in-line with a loaded line. That's a danger zone. Don't forget the beer cooler.
