i know this is gonna be a stupid question becuase bigger is better, but.......

what size winch is really needed for the f150 screw. i ask this because i have a 6000 lb winch laying around and was wondering if it would work on the truck. right now it is set up to go into the reciever hitch for utility work.

but was thinking of making a mount for the front and using it there.

 

You need more then that you don't want a wench that is rated at what your truck about weights. Also that may be a 6k wench but the working load rating is normally less then that. Do you know what the load rating is?

 

You could use it with a ****** block but its still pretty dicey depending on how stuck you are...

 

A rule of thumb is multiply your vehicle weight x1.5 to determine the minimum winch size.

 

Here at Warn, we say:

Gross Vehicle Weight Rating x 1.5 = minimum pulling capacity.

- Andy

 

You need a 10,000 lbs winch at least.

 

I know this is an oldish thread, but this needs a good answer for folks looking this up. Most Winch mounts for 97 and newer F150s, excluding the heavy duty replacement bumpers, are limited to 9500lb winches. The rule of thumb is to have 1.5x the weight of the rig in winch capacity. So a 9K winch would be a minimum acceptable size, I am guessing that is why the winch mounts are rated the way they are...

My capacity sticker on my 2004 F150 Scab 4x4 shows a 5200lb weight. That means a minimum winch rating of 7750.

I have on order a brush guard / winch mount that is rated for a maximum of a 9500lb winch. The winch I have to install however is rated at 9K lbs. I am also including recovery equipment such as a Hi Lift Jack, ****** blocks, etc... that will help make the job of the winch a LOT easier.

A 6K LB winch would be a great little tugger for a purpose built rock buggy. But for a fully dressed full size pickup truck, it is lacking at best...

 

It's usually pretty unlikely you'll be pulling full capacity. However, it's always a good idea to carry a ****** block, which will double the pulling power. It will also, however, lower your line speed and use more line.

This is our new ****** block.
http://www.warn.com/truck/accessorie...ch_block.shtml

Andy

 

Andy, that's a pretty awesome ****** block there. Love the grease fitting too... Too many cheapies don't have any means to lubricate the bearing, and the blocks fail, quickly...

Since I posted my prior reply, I have the mount / winch etc... mounted, and the recovery bag filled. Sadly I had to use it 2 weeks after installation. A friend of mine likes getting his super duty stuck in stupid places...

 

pictures?

 

Andy from Warn:
Does Warn offer a Double-pulley ****** block so we can make a 4:1 for those really bad days?