Winch Selection - Line Pull Capacity?

Hi everyone,

I'm having a tough time figuring out the right line pull capacity for my application.

I have a 9000 lbs forklift that I occasionally need to load onto my trailer.  Of course, forklifts have no power so there is no way that thing can drive itself up the ramps.  Enter the new winch...

Since this will be considered "rolling weight", I looked at this chart from "Superwinch":

http://www.superwinch.com/Trailer_Winch_Selection.html

According to this, for my 9000 lbs forklift going up a 40% grade (maximum, it really is more like 25%) I would need a winch with a rated line pull of 5000 lbs.  

I will also use a pulley.

So I called Smittybuilt and someone there told me that no, you need a 12000 lbs line pull, even with a pulley.

Can someone with a lot of experience using winches help me out??

Thank you!!  

You're essentially dead pulling 9,000lbs up a hill. "rolling" or not that is a heck of a pull. I agree with the SmittyBuilt people, you want a 12,000lb winch for that kind of task.

And if you need to do it more than once I would pop the extra coin and get a Warn.  
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Long Travel 4 Wheel Drive - The Best of Both Worlds!

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better yet and save more cash get a mile marker, i have the Si12000 wouldnt beleive how much i like it.  
78 k10, 06 jeep grand cherokee, 86 nissan

If you're using a pulley, then you are essentially doubling the power of the winch. 9000lbs rated winch doubled to 18K will get it up the trailer no problem.  

Absolutely, number of wraps on the drum during the pull is a factor as well.  The more wraps you have, the stronger the pull.  Combining that with the pulley, like I said earlier, you will have no problem.  The reason that the pulley doubles the strength of the winch is because you're decreasing the amount that the winch actually pulls in half without decreasing the strength.  Basically, for every foot that the winch pulls, the object moves 6 inches.  It is a dramatic increase.  

FourWheeler Web Editor:
You're essentially dead pulling 9,000lbs up a hill. "rolling" or not that is a heck of a pull. I agree with the SmittyBuilt people, you want a 12,000lb winch for that kind of task.

And if you need to do it more than once I would pop the extra coin and get a Warn.

Ok, let's talk winches.

I went to quote FT and hit delete by accident, not sure your going to believe me but whatever, all it was was another snide comment anyway.

No matter how you slice it this is a heavy pull. You were correct though, FT, that on flat level ground since the vehicle has wheels the pull is going to be easier than 9,000lbs. As soon as it hits the ramps though that number is going to climb, and I wouldn't be surprised if it got up over 9,000lbs. I know the formula and I can guess that you can google it, so if you care to do the work to prove me wrong on something I never said was wrong, then be my guest.

Anyway, back to winches. If you're the type of person that likes to get by with just the bare minimum then sure, a Chinese 9,000lbs winch will probably do the job, but for how long and how many times. Let's take a look at some numbers shall we.

Warn XD9000

This winch has a 4.2hp motor, 5/16" cable, and is rated at 9,000lbs single line. Pulling a 9,000lb load this winch will pull at 6.4ft/min and draw a whooping 460 amps off of your battery to do it.

Warn Endurance 12.0

This winch has a 4.6hp motor, 3/8" cable, and is rated at 12,000lbs single line. Pulling a 9,000lb load with this winch will pull at 5.5ft/min and will draw 320 amps to do it.

So while a 12,000lb winch will be a little slower look at the amp draw required to move the weight. That is a huge difference in the amount of work the winch is doing to do the job. In addition to that you get a larger diameter cable with the 12.0. I don't want to be around when the maxed out cable lets go, do you?  

When choosing a winch its not just about getting the one rated closest to the amount of weight you want to pull. If that were the case why can't we put ATV winches on our 4x4's? Or better yet just carry a Warn PulzAll. It's compact and can move 2,000lbs, which by your logic should be fine for a 5,000lb truck with wheels.

Playing with numbers is one thing, but practical application is something totally different. So go ahead, buy your 9,000lb chinese winch, but don't come crying to me when the motor burnt up and cable snapped letting your 9,000lb fork lift roll off the trailer and crush the car of the CEO of the company next to yours with his son and puppy in it.  
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Long Travel 4 Wheel Drive - The Best of Both Worlds!

Questions? Comments? Concerns? PM Me!

May as well look at the trailer winches too. Since that chart on Superlifts site suggests their 5,000lb trailer winch lets look at that one.

S5000

This winch has a 2.1hp motor, 1/4" cable, and is rated at 5,000lbs. Pulling a 5,000lb load will draw 350amps and will have a line speed of 4.5ft/min.

For an apples to apples comparison the Warn XD9000 at 5,000lbs will pull at 10ft/min and draw 275amps. And the Warn 12.0 will pull at 9ft/min and draw 240amps.  
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Long Travel 4 Wheel Drive - The Best of Both Worlds!

Questions? Comments? Concerns? PM Me!

Oh, and I just noticed that I 'agreed' with Smittybuilt that you will need a 12,000, I didn't catch that they said with a pully. That part is BS. A 9,000 with a pully would be perfect in this situation.  
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Long Travel 4 Wheel Drive - The Best of Both Worlds!

Questions? Comments? Concerns? PM Me!