Where to put the winch on an SUV
May 06, 2021
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The winch is undoubtedly the most useful accessory of all that we can use to guarantee the mobility of our off-road vehicle in extreme conditions, but in which position is it most effective?To do this, you must calculate a pulling power of at least one and a half times the maximum permissible technical mass (MTMA) that appears on the datasheet of your vehicle.
Do not forget that the rated pulling capacity of a winch refers to the first turn of the drum, that is, with the cable practically unwound.
As the cable forms several layers on the drum (up to four), the pulling capacity decreases considerably. A type 9000 winch (4,082 kg in the first turn of the drum), is reduced to 3,180 kg, with four layers of cable wound on the drum.
Once you have chosen the ideal model, the question is where to install it. Some will say in front, others, behind and a good number of users will favor the mobile installation.
At the moment of truth, its installation will depend fundamentally on the use to which you put your vehicle; Whether in competition, small routes, or large crossings, you will find yourself facing different extreme situations that you must address with adequate and specific solutions for each of them.
Analyzing the possibilities and choosing the most appropriate is the best guarantee to be able to successfully overcome all eventualities. Now, we have no choice but to recognize that three is better than one.
Portable installation
There will always be someone who thinks that why to give up having a winch in front and another behind. Simply perform a portable installation. They are not lacking in reason, but it must be recognized that it is a valid option in specific situations for operational reasons and we will not necessarily save the bureaucratic part of the installation, since it is likely that we will have to legalize the supports for the winch.
Stuck in the middle of a quagmire, having to manipulate the thirty-odd kilos of a winch is not an easy task. It is also a good option for most travelers, who use the winch services on rare occasions, and yet the weight placed in front of the vehicle conditions the work of the front suspension.
A portable winch installation requires a bracket or cradle with a shank and pin.
The installation for the portable winch requires female type supports, where to insert the stem of the support or winch cradle.
In competition
In the world of extreme competition, all winches are few and the advantages of a double installation - front and rear - add a third one that allows to hold the vehicle in case of extreme lateral inclination or to recover an overturned vehicle. This situation can be solved by correct positioning of the rear winch and guide points on the roll bar.
n It is also common in extreme tests to find vehicles with two winches, one front, one rear, and a third of a mobile type to support the momentary action of the previous ones, or use their possibilities as a side pull.
Rear with forwarding rollers
There are always those who go further and opt for a single, high-powered winch, preferably hydraulic, located at the rear and which, through a system of rollers and guides for the towing cable, allows it to be used in different pulling positions, including the contrary to the one corresponding to its installation. Another variable of the same system is the one used by the Foers Ibex -see All Terrain No. 80-, with a winch located in the center of the vehicle and a roller system that allows the cable to be thrown backward or forwards.
Power supply
In heavy use, the problem can be traced to the power supply. Under these working conditions, we have no choice but to increase the energy storage capacity, replacing the battery with another with more amp/hour and even doubling it, in which case both must be the same and install in parallel.
A good solution for intense use, but outside of competition, is to install two batteries with different consumption circuits and alternate charging, where we will always give preference to the battery, which provides service to the management of the vehicle, over the one that feeds auxiliary services.
Ahead or behind?
To go through difficult terrain, with mud, snow, or waterways, the most logical option is the front of the vehicle.
To be used as a support vehicle, to other off-road vehicles, to carry out security tasks in events, or to travel alone, where the possibility of returning through the known section must always prevail, the subsequent installation is the most appropriate. To Know more about winch or winch toyota tacoma see this link.
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