I like to scout places alone sometimes, (Yeah I know stupid,) but ive always got a Hi-Lift and a tree saver in case I screw up to badly. But I was wondering what I should look for in a winch? Here my questions so far,

>What is the minimum tow rating in Lbs that I should get? I think it needs to be above at least the cars weight which I believe is around 4,000LBs right? So would a 8,000 LB winch work well?

>Is there a difference between a normal winch and a "Self recovery winch" it seems like a marketing gimmick to me?

>What is the absolutely cheapest winch I can buy for the money and still get myself out of a bad spot? And by cheap I mean around 200 - 400 bucks.

>I have heard some people say that winches drain the battery and I will need a second battery as well, is this true?

 

Double the vehicle weight should be what the winch is rated for. A cheap winch is just that, spend the money up front now, being cheap will always cost you more in the long run. You don't need another battery, it helps to have the engine running while winching if you can. Never hook directly to the battery on the hot side, use a solenoid and a switch mounted in the cab to turn power on to the winch.

 

A cherokee weighs just over 3,000lbs so 6k would work but id stick to 8k just to be safe. Amazon has good deals on winches with remotes and everything.

 

Don't skimp. Just get a 9,000# It is what I have and you can use every bit of it. That figure is only on the innermost winding of the drum. So if you have half a drum of cable on while pulling, the force is much less. You can see company websites for info. As far as cheap goes, Smittybuilt and Superwinch are good winches with good warranties which can be important because you can burn one up. As far as a second battery, it is nice but not necessary. Just make sure the engine is running. Upgrade to a ZJ alternator is a good thing, 136 amp and can be done cheap.

 

2xs on XRC8 winch .I have one and it works great.They are like $300. Well worth the money.Also ,you want to go 2xs weight of Jeep or more.

 

One more question for you guys, I have a bumper made by a company called "Rock Hard 4X4" and they sell the winch plate separately, and for 200.00$ that would throw me over my budget.

This is my bumper here, http://www.quadratec.com/products/72065_700.htm it had four threaded holes that the winch plate would bolt into on it already.

Here is what the winch plate looks like, http://www.quadratec.com/products/72065_750.htm

Would it be hard to fabricate my own? I have access to a welder but its oxy acetylene and I am unsure of what gauge steel to use for this? But on the other hand I am a cheap person and that would drive me to do this in the first place.

 

Gas welding is only good on thinner material. The amount of heat needed to weld thicker metal warps it. MIG welding is the way to go. For the price of the two you could have bought a regular winch bumper. But since you already have the basic bumper, you should get the bolt on plate since you have not fabricated before.

 

Smittybilt is a pretty good winch for the price.Ive gotten myself out of some bad situations with my XRC8 and it never hesitates to do it.