I have one of those bolt in trays that connects where the stock push bars do so you don't have to get a winch bumper. I think its only rated for 9k lbs due to the bolts but I dont be doing any serious recovery or deap mud **** so I wont even be buying a winch that will be more then 7-8k rated anyway...

i was thinking though, how do winchs stand up to water crossings? I was considering a harbour freight brand cause they are cheap and locally sourced but then i started to wonder, will this thing blow out the first time i go through a 2 foot flooded road this hurrican season being that its only that high off the ground to begin with sitting in the tray?

 

a sealed winch is, obviously a better/ more convenient choice for dealing with water. I recently, made a small investment into the hf winch to replace a warn that had been soaking up water for years, it died and looked like a rusted cruddy turd inside.....I thought it was a sealed unit....my bad. I know now that i need to do the occasional maintenance to prevent such problems. But so far I like the new winch, especially for the $. It is a little loud and a little slow, but I can live with that because it is doing what it is supposed to do. just need to keep corrosion and rust, in check, if you do play in the water.

 

Justin at Lucky8 sales an Iron Man Winch that is sealed.

 

$800.... youuuch lol. good to know though.

 

It is no Harbor Freight price but not has expensive as a Waren either.

 

Buy a good used one and spend a little refurbishing it.
If your winch tray really is only rated for 9000lb I wouldn't get more than a 4000lb winch. An 8000 could easily exceed 9000 if you double line and anchor it on the tray.

 

Yea I was considering just getting a $2-300 (4-6k lbs) dollar one and relying on z-drag's if **** got bad lol. I've been using a simple cable puller as it is and I've never had to use it other then pulling a friends pickup out of 2 feet of mud, and it worked find between pulling and him givin it gas and twerking the steering.

 

Don't waste your money on a cheap winch cause that is what you will get and a 4 to 6,000 pounder won't drag you up a hill or out of the mud.
I bought a Warn 9500 HSI 11 years ago and it has been under water so many times I have lost count. That being said, a few years ago I did have to open it up for a bad connection issue.
If you want a good winch, save up some money and buy a 6 to 8 year old Warn go thru it, which is easy and add some synthetic rope and you'll be set.

 

If you know how to rig a winch line you can use a 4,000lb capacity winch to easily exert 8, 12 or 16,000lb of pull. Or even more.
As I implied in my post, using an 8000lb winch on a mount that's only rated at 9000 is asking for a disaster.
Since most people won't rig more than a double line pull, limiting the winch to 4-6,000 is a lot less likely to exceed the mount's capacity. If he wants to upgrade the mount, that fine. But as it is I strongly recommend against a higher capacity winch.

Here an example of Range Rovers equipped with winches with a bit under 3,000lb capacity.

 

The problem is, most people who have winches, don't have a clue as to how to properly use them safely, much less have the necessary recovery items to set up for that sort of a pull.