Im wondering if this winch will be big enough for my truck
8,500 lb 12V DC Off-Road Winch | Princess Auto

I have a 1978 ford f150 4x4 400v8 4spd reg cab long bed stock suspension on 31x10.05 r15

 

Should be, I have a 8000 Ramsey and it pulls anything I need to. If in doubt get a ****** block to double the pulling power.

 

Your winch capacity should be double the weight of the truck. A 10,000 or 12,000 would be more appropriate.

 

My regi says I'm at just under 4000lbs and I'm running the same truck as you so the 8500 would be fine. 10k would be reasonable overkill but you would be wasting money on a 12k.

 

it all depends on how stuck you plan on getting. but as was said, a 10k or 12k would be more appropriate. the old "double your weight" rule, is not the best rule to go by. don't forget duty cycle either...if you are getting really stuck, with long pull outs, go bigger. i've frequently seen 8k lb winches stall even trying to pull jeeps.

a ****** block is really only good if you always have a winch point 50' or less away...

 

Sorry, but I beg to differ! A 12k on a full size pick up is not a waste of money. Depending on usage, to get your truck out of an ugly situation during a long pull, the 12k will recover your vehicle easier, and stay much cooler. Will an 8500 suffice? Sure, most of the time. Running a ****** block is ok, but with increased pulling capacity, comes half the speed of the pull, and cuts your usable cable in half.

Just my opinion.

 

It will be plenty big for most applications. For a full size truck I prefer something bigger though.

 

rule of thumb in everything I've ever read was 1.5 times the weight of your vehicle. But in most cases if you aren't hard stuck like buried to the frame, you could get by with less. I'm debating between the harbor freight 12k or the warn VR8000. would like to have a 10k or higher but would really want a warn, and can't really afford anything larger. For now, my wyeth scott more power puller really kicks ***, and its portable.

 

Apparently I use a different thumb... for me it's 2x the curb weight of the truck.... that accounts for any gear ya might have on board the rig.

... and a dual battery system.

But alas let's have some humor!

 

Are you sure your under 4000k? Across the scales with a 460 swap and the roll bar on stock axles was 5600 pounds. That would only be an additional 400 pounds give or take.

What the registration says and what it is really, is not the same thing. Alot of people strip the hell out of their trucks upon registration to save weight fees, at least in comifornia.

 

If you can catch it on sale, the Harbor Freight 12,000 pound winch can be had for three hundred. It's really a good winch. We've got one on a tilt-bed trailer that we move sea containers with. It will drag a 20 foot box weighing about 5,000 lbs. onto the trailer and not break a sweat. I've never used the ****** block with it.

If you do get the Harbor Freight, make sure to relocate the box on it. If you mount it on the winch where it's supposed to go you will probably damage it with the cable when you rewind it. Mount it off to the side, not over the spool.

 

The Title for my 150 says 3580. That's what DMV goes by in NY for regi cost. My last scrap receipt says 4067lbs with my fat *** and the dog in it. That's with 35's and aluminum wheels. I couldn't believe it was that lite either when I first registered it.

I would look for a used warn and refurb it myself before I bought one of the harbor freight units.

 

my f350 with 460 on 33s weighed like 4500 pretty much on the dot with a full tank. i remember it being much lighter than i expected. figure 4x4 adds another 700lbs, f150 frame probably drops at least 150 lbs over an f350 frame. i have a hard time believing under 4k though.

 

My 77 F150 4x4 ShortBed, 351M/NP435/NP205 2 fuel tanks, and a Weatherguard tool box/chest weighs in @ 5060# my CA reg. says 4000 and change I think,,, I will probably be going with an Engo 12k.
The 12k is 1 lb. heavier than the 10k according to the website.
Engo USA - Electric Winch :: Electric Winches :: Engo Winches

And this was a good read when it was in the mag.
Massive Multi-Winch Shootout - Four Wheeler Magazine

 

As stated, an 8,500 lb winch will most likely work for most situations.

I went with the largest winch I could afford when I was shopping. I searched a long time and saved up money while I was doing my research. I found what I thought to be a good deal on a Smitty 15K and pulled the trigger. My thought was that if the winch did not have to work as hard, hopefully it will last longer.

Unfortunately, the truck is not road (or trail ready yet), so I have no reports on its performance.

I have read that a lot of a winch's performance relies on a good install with quality cable and connectors and that makes pretty darn good sense to me.

I really wanted to get the Engo winch, but was unable to source one and have the company not want to gouge me for shipping to Alaska. The Engo looks like a pretty nice unit and has a decent price point.