How to choose the right winch
There’s a lot of choice in the winching world - how do you know what winch is perfect for your unique job or vehicle? We’ve got a 4 part way to answer this question. Check it out below:
Method 1: Find your application
How will you use your winch? What vehicle are you mounting to? All these can help point you in the right direction.
Typical applications include Jeeps, ATVs, Trailers but also get into professional applications like Military, Fire & Rescue, Forestry and more.
Most winch manufacturers are skilled at taking a proven product and scaling it or adjusting for different uses.
Method 2: What do you want to pull?
Maybe you’ve got a stubborn elephant or maybe you’re looking just at vehicle recovery. If you know how much that thing weighs (plus some simple math) we can guide you to the right capacity winch.
For vehicle recovery, we recommend multiplying GVW (gross vehicle weight) times 1.5. Be sure to add in a full tank of gas, modifications you’ve made, bigger tires, and such into your calculation.
For trailers, you have to consider your load, plus the angle it’s being pulled up on. See the chart below.
| PERFORMANCE | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rated Line Pull (RLP) | Slope Percent | |||||
| 10 percent | 20 percent | 40 percent | 60 percent | 80 percent | 100 percent | |
| 1,000 lbs | 5,025 lbs | 3,401 lbs | 2,155 lbs | 1,664 lbs | 1,422 lbs | 1,285 lbs |
| 1,500 lbs | 7,538 lbs | 5,102 lbs | 3,233 lbs | 2,496 lbs | 2,134 lbs | 1,928 lbs |
| 2,000 lbs | 10,050 lbs | 6,803 lbs | 4,308 lbs | 3,331 lbs | 2,845 lbs | 2,175 lbs |
| 2,500 lbs | 12,563 lbs. | 8,503 lbs. | 5,388 lbs. | 4,160 lbs. | 3,556 lbs. | 3,213 lbs. |
| 3,000 lbs | 15,075 lbs | 10,251 lbs | 6,428 lbs | 4,991 lbs | 4,268 lbs | 3,854 lbs |
| 3,500 lbs | 17,588 lbs | 11,905 lbs | 7,543 lbs | 5,824 lbs | 4,979 lbs | 4,499 lbs |
| 4,000 lbs | 20,100 lbs | 13,597 lbs | 8,643 lbs | 6,655 lbs | 5,690 lbs | 5,138 lbs |
| 4,500 lbs | 22,613 lbs | 15,306 lbs | 9,698 lbs | 7,488 lbs | 6,401 lbs | 5,784 lbs |
| 5,000 lbs | 25,126 lbs | 17,009 lbs | 10,776 lbs | 8,320 lbs | 7,112 lbs | 6,427 lbs |
| 6,000 lbs | 30,151 lbs | 20,408 lbs | 12,931 lbs | 9,983 lbs | 8,535 lbs | 7,712 lbs |
| 9,000 lbs | 45,226 lbs | 30,612 lbs | 19,397 lbs | 14,975 lbs | 12,802 lbs | 11,568 lbs |
| 12,500 lbs | 62,812 lbs | 42,492 lbs | 26,926 lbs | 20,825 lbs | 17,786 lbs | 16,071 lbs |
| 16,500 lbs | 82,911 lbs | 56,089 lbs | 35,542 lbs | 27,489 lbs | 23,478 lbs | 21,213 lbs |
Method 3: Know your series name?
If you seek a Pro Series winch or you’ve heard amazing things about our new FENIX ATV Series. Simple pick from the dropdown and you’ll be in the thick of things. Easy. You’ll find Method 1, 2 & 3 easily as columns in our drop down menu at Novawinch.com.
Method 4: Ask us.
Our team has decades of winch experience and have heard of most applications for winches. From recovery applications to fish farms to extra-planet operations, we’ve found an appropriate winch to get the job done every time. Tell us about your challenge and we’ll find a solution.