Winches: pull rating is not the same as vehicle weight
The rule of thumb is a winch rated at roughly one and a half times the loaded weight of the truck — loaded, not the figure in the brochure, because a stuck vehicle full of gear and mud weighs considerably more than it did in the showroom.
That rating is also a first-layer figure, achieved with a single wrap on the drum. Every additional wrap reduces pull. Synthetic rope is lighter, floats, and does not store energy the way steel cable does, so it drops rather than whipping when it fails; it needs a protective sleeve and dislikes sustained heat off the drum. Steel is cheaper and more abrasion-tolerant.
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Mounting, power and what else you need
A winch needs a mount rated for the load, a bumper or plate designed to take it, and cable capable of the current draw — the electrical side is where most home installations fall short.
It also does nothing on its own. A rated shackle, a tree strap, a snatch block to change the angle and a line damper are the difference between recovering a truck and damaging one. We stock 159 winch parts from 6 brands.