[RJ Rogers]

At the moment I’ve been looking around for a cheap winch that’s not to bulky to put up front of my Sierra. Yesterday I came across a 4,500lb one and was wondering if it would have enough power for my zook.

Here’s the link to it: http://www.scintex.com.au/products/4x4-4500lb-atv-rope-winch

Input would be appreciated.

[ZUZUKI]

6,000lb is a better capacity, but 4,500lb might just do, depending on how heavy your car is & where / how /what you need to winch out of / up.
+ = cheap enough, synthetic rope nicer to use than cable, light weight.
- = mounting pattern is smaller than traditional full frame sized winch = custom install, what is the brake exactly, 12m of rope is not much, that style of free-spool clutch is even more of a pain than traditional levers, it's slow.

If it is a just in case / infrequent use, then go for it. If likely using often, then go for a 6,000lb.
Bring along lots of additional rigging - snatch blocks, shackles, which extension ropes (not straps - so you can run them through the snatch blocks), tree trunk protectors, even decent rope. This will allow you to better overcome limitations on rope length & load capacity.
I know someone with just this sort of winch on a stock Sierra, who says it has saved his bacon a number of times.
Rgs, Michael

[Gwagensteve]

If you’re sensible with what you ask of it, there is nothing wrong with a 4500lb winch in a Sierra. I’ve seen them do the job even in heavy sierras that were pretty heavily stuck.

The speed and short rope are the major limitations. As Michael pointed out, there is a nagging doubt about the ability of the brake to hold the weight of the car, which is important if you’re winching up a hill you can’t drive up, for instance.

So long as you understand the limitations, they’re just fine. There’s a big step up in cost and weight to go to a 6k winch, and because most people drive heavier cars, most of the cheaper winches are now 9500lb or more which makes them unnecessarily slow for our application.

A fast winch is good for “assist” winching where the car isn’t bogged but can’t generate enough traction to climb a hill.

Steve.

[vet 180]

Gwagensteve wrote:

If you’re sensible with what you ask of it, there is nothing wrong with a 4500lb winch in a Sierra. I’ve seen them do the job even in heavy sierras that were pretty heavily stuck.

The speed and short rope are the major limitations. As Michael pointed out, there is a nagging doubt about the ability of the brake to hold the weight of the car, which is important if you’re winching up a hill you can’t drive up, for instance.

So long as you understand the limitations, they’re just fine. There’s a big step up in cost and weight to go to a 6k winch, and because most people drive heavier cars, most of the cheaper winches are now 9500lb or more which makes them unnecessarily slow for our application.

A fast winch is good for “assist” winching where the car isn’t bogged but can’t generate enough traction to climb a hill.

Steve.

This

Most 9500LBS winches weight the same and are cheaper than a 6000LBS.

once you start looking into 4500LBS winches on synthetic rope the weight really goes down.

[epitam]

Maybe pricey.. but couldnt find somthing better for a sierra, in terms of pakage and weight:

https://international.warn.com/warn-industries-101150

Sent from my SM-A530F using Tapatalk

[Gwagensteve]

I can.

That warn is sloooooooooooow

https://www.red-winches.com/products/atom/128/

[Gwagensteve]

Yes, it’s only 3300lb on 12v (but I’d trust redwinch pounds over warns) but with 30m of 8mm dyneema on the drum and the speed, using a snatch block is no chore. But for assist winching that would be the bomb.

[pete_79]

AU$2,500.00 excluding delivery for a winch to go on a Sierra?????

[Gwagensteve]

$2250 locally.

I think the price is completely reasonable for the performance. Buy a new 9k warn, hot rod the gearing, put a big motor on it and add an air freespool and see what it owes you.
Alternatively it’s 1/2 the size and weight of an 8274 and faster.

Whether you can justify it or not is a different issue. Lots of people can’t justify the stuff we spend money on.

[Gwagensteve]

I guess my point too is that spending a lot of money for a warn branded UTV winch when it’s still achingly slow and designed for occasional use isn’t smart either.

The 4500lb carbon winch is a winner for the money, but I just have a nagging feeling these light duty winches are a little flimsy for vehicle recovery, which there weren’t really designed for.

[ZUZUKI]

I don't know how to do the link thing, but the winch I'm going to go for is the Premier DV6000 - maybe even with the square hitch receiver mount so I can swap ends with it & maybe take it along on the back of the Grand Vitara.
With an 'extension' cable of 4m & 175Amp Anderson plugs at the front & rear of the car, this should allow for winching from any angle around the car (with a short strap around the chassis, back to the pin of the hitch) - one of the big limitations with a winch fixed to the front.
Like Vet 180 says, the 6,000lb capacity is in no-mans-land. Not big enough for most 4WDs, too big for most ATVs, so the sales volume is low compared to 4,500lb & 9,000+lb capacity.
The Premier is high quality & made in Taiwan. cost is a bit over a grand (from memory).
Runva also do a 6,000lb (Chinese, but reasonable quality for the money), but carry only small stocks in Aust. - not listed on their website even, it's in the region of $700.
Rgs, Michael

[Gwagensteve]

Each to their own, but that'a a nope from me. I dislike those small frame winches with small motors - to me it's a slightly regeared 4.5K winch. I reckon a 6K winch should be full frame.

[tanked]

i have a 3500lbs on my sierra, so far so good have gotten me up a few hills already, dont know long term and cant remember who makes it off the top of my head was in the $500 range though

[ZUZUKI]

Neither the Premier or Runva are smaller, ATV 3,500-4,500lb winches geared or motored up to 6,000lb capacity.
They are both built as 6,000lb, scaled down from full frame winch designs (eg, proper free spool clutch levers).
Not all tech specs are available or comparable, but from what I can see:

Premier DV6000S 2.386kW motor / 216:1 gearing / 17.7kg + cable/rope + wiring & controls / Approx. $1000
0 load = 8.0m/min 60amp
1814kg (4000lb) = 3.1m/min 240amp
2722kg (6000lb) = 2.0m/min 300amp

Runva EWX6000S / U 2.8kW motor / 280:1 gearing / 30kg net(?) / Approx. $700
0 load = 3.9m/min 45amp
1814kg (4000lb) = 2.2m/min 150amp
2722kg (6000lb) = 1.8m/min 230amp

Warn Axon 5500 motor kW? / Gearing? / weight?, approx $???
0 load = 4.8m/min 28amp
2041kg (4500lb) 1.8m/min 216amp
2495kg (5500lb) 1.5m/min 254amp

Scintex 4500lb 1.4kW / 200:1 / 9kG? (is it made out of cheese?), $300
0 load = 5m/min 25amp
2014kg (4500lb) 1.4m/min 185amp

RedWinch Atom motor kW? Lynx- (how) "powerful" (how) "Fast" / gearing? / 20kg + rope + wiring & controls / Approx. $2250
0 load = 30m/min ?amps
1500kg (3300lb) ?speed ?amps

The OP wanted a "cheap" not "bulky' winch & wondered if 4500lb was enough with a $300 option, speed was either not considered, or less important.
Basically, yes it should be, with care & snatch block use if needed (but that will slow it more).
But, 6000lb is a better fit, capacity wise. A 'rule of thumb' used to be winch capacity should be 2 x vehicle weight - too allow a margin for well steep, or well stuck.
GVM on a Sierra is around 1340kg (depending on model), but most are over that when out driving - but even if we say 1350kg x 2 = 2700kg x 2.2lb per kg = 5940lb, so 6000lb is 'just right'.
Warn option is not far off capacity, but is decently slower at full 5500lb load than either of the 6000lb options & likely to cost more??
RedWinch Atom is super exxy - like x 7.5 more $$ than the OPs option, is tall & bulky, is fast at no load, but what does it look like at the 1500kg (3300lb) mentioned, let alone 2014kg 4500lb)??

Rgs, Michael

[Gwagensteve]

Specs for the Redwinch Lynx motor:

Voltage: 12v
Power: 6 hp
Torque: 14Nm
No Load Speed: 11,800rpm
Max Amp Draw: 438A

I'm sure some calcs could be done to work out gearing, but we're not really comparing apples with apples - the way Redwinch set these winches up is more like an 8274 warn, with relatively tall gearing to achieve high light-load speeds, and a bigger spread in line speed between no load and full load.

I'm more than aware that these winches are suitable for almost nobody and are a very expensive niche competition style piece, but the atom is a useful counterpoint to the generic, very lightly constructed, very slow, low power winches.

As to whether it's bulky, it's 363mm wide including the solenoid, 296 tall and 194 deep including the fairlead. (169mm without the fairlead) Sure, that's going to make it a pain to mount in a bar designed for a full frame low mount winch. It's annoyingly deeper than a low mount.

Adding an air free spool, 6HP motor, cutting down drum, upping the gearing, and adding an albright solenoid to a low mount isn't free, and there's still brake drag to contend with with a warn style brake.

[ZUZUKI]

6hp on a winch rated to 3300lb would indeed let you have some high gearing, probably in the region 100-125:1.
Great that Redwinch have managed to make enough of a business case to go out & design / build such a thing.
For what it is, the price sounds quite reasonable, but like pete_79 alludes to, for your average (cheap arse - no offense RJ Rogers) Sierra owner, very hard to justify.
Bound to be a different equation though, on a $40k comp side-by-side.
Thanks for bringing it to our attention Steve - I had never heard of it before.
Rgs, Michael