Will a 6000lb winch be enough for my cherokee

 

Best to go 8k or higher. But you can do 6k for some stuff.

 

Getn a deal on either 6000 or a 12000

 

go 12

 

I have a 12000 and there has been situations where even it is not enough. Go 12000 or you will regret it when you need it most

 

The 6000 lb winch should work fine unless you have loaded your Cherokee down so it weighs over 4000 lbs. 1.5 times the vehicles weight is the minimum, 2 times the vehicles weight is the preferred, and for a vehicle without a separate frame I would say 3 times vehicle would be the max.

 

Are you serious?? 6000lbs? After you factor in how much the mud weighs that your jeep is buried in, or the pile of rocks its behind,etc- there is no way 6k would work for most the stuff you need it to. Ya the jeep weighs 4500-5500lbs,plus all your armor, bumpers, cargo, etc. Then you have to factor in the amount or drag your encountering from whatever your stuck in or on, plus obstacles in the way. DON'T go 6000 lbs, you will regret it.

 

I'd go 12k cause you never know you may havta winch someone else and they might weigh much more.

 

The Cherokee weighs about 3500 lbs, not 4500-5500 lbs. Like I said in my post 1.5 times your vehicle weight is the minimum so if he hasn't added to much weight it would work.
2 times the vehicle weight is preferred, so 8000 would be the best. 12000 lbs would be about the max for a 3500 - 4000 lb rig that doesn't have a frame. ( The reason I say there is a max without a frame is because I watched a Grand pulled apart with a 15000 lb winch, ripped the bumper off and tore the uni-frame. )
As for the 1.5 times being the minimum, and 2 times being the preferred, check out almost any 4by mag.
I've been wheeling for 35plus years so, I do have some experience with winches.
That is my opinion, yours maybe different and that is OK.

 

My zj weighs 4500 I can't imagine there is that big of a weight difference, but I don't know. I'm just saying from experience that I have been in situations where 12000lbs isn't enough- but I see your point and understand where your coming from, I'm just letting the OP know that if he is counting on a winch to get him out of a really bad situation then it would be worth it to know you have a winch capable of doing the job. But rocktoy I can totally see a winch ripping a unibody apart ha ha

 

It is strange that the XJ weighs so much less than the ZJ, but it does.
According to Jeep Horizons, The 2dr, 4x4, manual, no frills 84-96 weighs just 3057 lbs. The 4dr, 4x4, Auto, all power 84-01, weighs 3386 lbs. That means you can armor up, and load lots of spares and tools, in them before going over 4000 lbs.

I also understand what you are saying about making sure you have a winch that will get you out of a jam. It is just, I would rather have a high quality winch with enough capacity, than one that has more than enough capacity, but may not work, or burns out when it is needed.
I run Warn winches, I have a MX6085 on my CJ2A, and a HS9500I on my Cherokee, both winches have been around for a long time, and both will last a lot longer, and neither has ever let me down.

 

Well what ever you do don't get a milemarker. I mean it works great but it is SLOW

 

Go with a Titan 12000