Winches

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.