I have an 05 Ex, 6.0 PS, 4 wd. I use it for towing, hauling, and hunting trips. At just over 8000 lbs empty, it isn't like my other 4wd vehicle (a 99 Dodge Durango), but it sure hauls kids, guns, dogs, camping gear, etc.

Sooner or later I'm going to stick the thing in sand or mud. With that in mind, I need to set up a versatile winch installation. Need to be able to pull from the front or back because getting stuck doesn't always happen according to plan

I have never owned a winch. I'd like to get one that goes in the receiver and then just add a receiver up front - if that is possible. I realize I'm probably going to be getting a 12,000 lb or so winch, so maybe that isn't practical. Or maybe I can get by with a smaller one and a ****** block?

Educate me. I'm not into looks, just function. Would be great if I could use it on my Durango too.

 

Just went through that entire search and hunt. Weeks online and talking to people. Learning.

The off road community goes by the 1 1/2 rule of thumb. Your winch should be rated for 1 1/2 your GVWR.

The concept is this. If you are stuck up to the rims, or going up a low incline, then you need tho pull the weight of your vehicle. 1 1/2 times covers this.



Lifted from somewhere on the web:

1, "WHEEL DEPTH". Meaning sunk in the mud/terrain up to the hub, but not over the center. (Bellied out) Mire resistance for this stage would be "EQUAL TO THE WEIGHT OF THE VEHICLE, PLUS CARGO".

2, "FENDER DEPTH". Meaning sunk in the mud/terrain over the top of the hub, but not over the wheel wells. (That would be the AATV body directly above the highest point of the tires.) Mire resistance at this stage would be "EQUAL TO TWICE THE TOTAL WEIGHT OF THE VEHICLE, PLUS CARGO".

3."CAB DEPTH". Meaning you basically climbed out of the oporators seat and walked across the surface of what you got stuck in! Sunk so deep , but not taking in any mud/terrain/water from the highest point of the AATV. Mire resistance at this stage would be "EQUAL TO THREE TIMES THE TOTAL WEIGHT OF THE VEHICLE, PLUS CARGO".


Any pull needed higher than your winch can take has to be done with a pulley to lighten the load on the winch and increase the total pull.

Anyway, that leaves us looking for a winch capable of pulling 9000 X 1.5 = 13,500 lbs. There is no such animal at that rating. we have to go up or down. Ok, search around and there is nothing in that range.


Here is what I found from all that searching ranked by quality, features, and price.

Warn 16.5ti - 16500lbs max Top quality top features. can be had with RF remote. Overheat LED light on remote handle. hence the term Ti Thermometric. Best price found: $1550 delivered at 16.5ti Thermometric Self Recovery Warn Winch, Warn 68801
Click on cart to see best price. There is a $100 manufacturers rebate on this winch bought by Dec 31.

Warn M15000 15000 max pull. Top quality. Lower duty cycle than the 16.5Ti. No overheat LED. Best price: $1450 Delivered Warn M15000 Winch Click on cart to see best price. There is a $150 manufacturers rebate on this winch bought by Dec 31.

Superwinch Ep16.5. 16,500 max pull. Excellent qquality. Lower current draw than Warn, but slower speed and heats up faster. Best price at Amazon $1020. Delivered Amazon.com: Superwinch 1516200 EP16.5 Series Master Winch: Automotive


The next step down is the 12000lb winches. The makers are Warn, Superwinch, Mile Marker, Mile Marker Hydraulic. In that order listed again for Quality, and price. The prices are quite a bit less.

Others such as Bulldog, Troy, and many labeled Chinese makes are Iffy at best. Things like Harbor Freight Winches, etc. The cheaper insulation on the windings break down from the heat of winching and the winch permanently loses power after only a few heavy pulls. Stay away from them if you expect to use it more than 4 or 5 times heavy.



Search on google for "choosing a winch"

This link will start you out:

How to Choose a Winch - A Guide to Choosing Winches and Winch Accessories

 

Boy, I wrote all that and I see you don't want a built in winch. Oops. My bad.

The front hitch is rated usually at 9000lb.. If you get a 9000, and use a pully all the time, you would be able to get yourself out of most concievable situations you would get into while hunting. 18000 lb pull is 2 times your weight. It should work for what you need. Again, go with Warn or Superwinch.

 

Housedad, thanks for the info. The fact that I don't want a permanent mount doesn't mean that ultimately I won't get one.

A winch rated for my service is so danged big and heavy that I'm not sure my portability spec is sensible. I looked at that Warne 16.5 and it draws 500 odd amps at full load. To pull that you need a dedicated set of cables as big around as your thumb, I'd imagine.

Nearly always I don't have another vehicle with me. Odds are when I get stuck it'll be deep soft sand or some form of clay/slick goo mud. At that point the route out will be the reverse of the route in. I'm not sure how a winch on the front will bail me out of my problem when I need a pull from the rear.

At any rate, thanks, and please keep the advice coming.

I'm kinda thinking a 9 or 10K winch with a ****** block is going to be the answer.

Still have to address the mounting problem too.

 

I can tell you a winch can be pose a danger especially on a heavy truck like an Excursion. Most people have very limited experiance with a 7500 truck and a winch. Cables can come loose and cause harm.
Just make sure you have the right set up and do be careful as a lot of things will give under 7500 pounds of pressure.
Just keep in mind its like pulling 3 Jeeps or 2 Drango's. Hey after all that's why they call the Excursion King Of The SUV's.
Just don't want anyone to get hurt.
Take care and all the best.

 

Here is another link of really good info. You won't find it easily in a search.


Pirate4x4.Com - Extreme Four Wheel Drive

 

I have the Warn M1200 on the front of my F250 and it's a nice setup. Shipping weight on the winch and fairlead was about 120lbs, give up 5lbs for the box and another 5-10lbs for the wiring and instructions leaves you with a 100lb winch. Add a 30-40 pound cradle and it adds up to two people being need to swap it around easily. The 9.5 was a little lighter, but I think it still ended up around 100lbs with the cradle.

For the wiring, Warn has power kit to run something like 2ga to the rear. With any setup, I'd recommend the solenoid. The solenoid is a nice add-on, power only flows in the wires when you have the switch on, so if you're in an accident that huge wire doesn't short out and cause a fire.

 

Been poking around and one potential solution is Warn's 9.5ti portable, which is the 9.5ti prepackaged on a receiver mount. Total weight 104 lb. Easy enough for two guys to stab into the receiver. Warn sells a relay based power kit, with a plug for the winch that you can just place alongside the trailer hookups. Looks slick.

Downside - it'll be competing for space in back with the dog, guns, ice chest, clothing, etc, etc. Tempting to just leave it at home and then you don't have it when you need it.

OTOH, a permanent mount up front on the EX seems to be a new bumper exercise. Really prefer not to go there.

Keep it coming. Great info so far.

 

I don't see what year you have, but warn makes semi hidden kits for 99-04 and 05-08 Superduties which should fit the Excursion. I should have some pictures in my galleries of it on my truck, but it pushed the stock bumper forward about 6" and tucks the winch up nicely behind it.

 

Naaah. No competition. Put all your stuff in when going on a trip, and just put the winch in the rear reciever with a cover on it. Use a locking hitchpin and you'r good. Take it off when you get home and put it in the garage.

There when you need it, gone when you don't. Add a front hitch and you're set.

Just remember one thing. The wire rope rating that they state for winch rope is the BREAKING strength of the cable. There is no extra safety margin. I strongly suggest that you change out your steel cable right away for a synthetic that has a much, much higher breaking strength, and is a heck of a lot lighter, to boot.

Remember, if you use a pully to double the pull, the rope is taking double the load, too.

Favorites of the 4X4 crowd:

Netfirms Commerce Pro


.

 

BTW,

Don't do something dumb like this. Even your dogs will think you are an idiot.

YouTube - how (not) to use the winch

 

Tee Hee thats exactly what I'm talking about in my previous post.
The moral to this story is:
The weakest point gives.............

 

Dog is already pretty sure I'm an idiot. Gives me "the look" every time I miss a bird.

I'm trying to imagine getting junk out of the back with the winch in the receiver. Seems it would be an awkward deal or a shin buster.

That Pirate 4x4 site is really well done. I work in a business that involves a lot of rigging and lifting so I am already sensitive to many of the issues covered on the site. Excellent resource.

Housedad, you have been especially helpful. Thanks a million. But you did have a minor error above. If you use a pulley to double the pull the force in the cable is still no more than the winch can generate. All you have done is increase the force on the vehicle by creating two points where you have full winch force pull. In the simple case of running the cable out and around a ****** block and back again with a 9K winch, you get 18K pull by having two attachment points each carrying 9k. Only element in the system that sees 18K is the ****** block itself. and whatever attachment method that you use to anchor the ****** block.

And you still have the issue of derating the cable due to the diameter ratio on the pulley.

But the points are well made. People really need to think through the forces and rating issues associated with winching.

Minor nit but thought it was worth discussing.

 

Thanks for pointing that out. Dumb error.

I hope you find a solution that fits you. It takes a lot of thought. As you can see, I'm still learning, and I hope I never stop.

 

Realistically it comes down to common sense. you can get your rig unstuck with most any of the winches listed. you need to have a ****** block for sure, then its about patience.

1. Don't overheat the motor and give it time to cool... big advantage of the hydraulic winches...
2. Make sure the cable spools evenly onto the drum. back off and rewind the cable if it is not. esp if pulling at an angle.. Narrow drum winches rock when it comes to reducing this problem
3. take winch ratings with a grain of salt. an 8K commercial medium or heavy duty winch will outlast and out pull the recreational winches day in and day out..
4. consider looking for a used winch.. very often u will find them and be able to see they have never or almost never been used... you get the first layer of cable off and you can often see the remaining layers have never been off the drum.

One of my favorite winches is the Warn 8274. mainly cuz it is soooo fast to free spool and its a narrow drum. They have been making that winch for like 30+ years... today it costs as much as a 16.5k warn... kinda tells ya something...
I also have an 8K narrow drum ramsey winch that is medium duty and the 8K from harbor freight that I made into a receiver hich mount winch. All of them do a fine job and my harbor freight one has probably done more pulling than the others combined...
my 8274 is now mounted on my triple axle trailer so its seeing a lot more use now. I never even have to disengage the clutch as I set it up on wireless control and it free spools at a about 73ft/min..