Of the various Jeep parts on the market, a winch needs to top the list of essential upgrades. A winch provides recovery support in getting a vehicle out of rocks or sand if it becomes stuck. It has a wire rope or synthetic line that is spooled out and latched on to a mounting location (e.g., a tree, boulder, etc.) to provide leverage in pulling a Jeep or truck out of a jam. A winch is also useful in successfully fording deep muddy waters.
Get Your Numbers Straight
The type of Jeep driven and the functions that the driver looks to get from it determine which winch should be purchased. Off road enthusiasts should know the weight of their vehicle. That way, they can better match their winch with the functions and expectations of their Jeep.
Winches are designed for different Jeep weights and sizes.
It is ill-advised to put a 10,000-pound winch on a 10,000-pound vehicle because if the Jeep is stuck in the mud, it basically weighs more. A winch should have a pull rating that exceeds the vehicle weight by 50 percent.
For example, a 10,000-pound rig should be paired with a 15,000-pound winch.
Safety: Bring a Jacket
Our own 4wheelparts (Jeep parts) in-house experts advise putting a heavy jacket, blanket, or tree limb in the middle of the winch line when pulling.
Here’s why: should the winch line snap, the sheer force behind an out-of-control cable can sever limbs. People have lost arms and other body parts from a winch line suddenly and violently breaking.
A weight hanging in the middle of the cable distributes that energy to the ground and makes it safer for everyone around it. In addition, our experts strongly recommend wearing heavy leather gloves when working with steel winch cables.
A winch apparatus can sometimes unravel and can cause serious hand injuries. Check out this tech guide for more helpful safety guidelines.
Winch Varieties Offered
An electric winch can be a great option for off-road enthusiasts who find themselves needing that occasional recovery component. This device incorporates sufficient strength and reliability to handle the toughest jams they manage to get into with their Jeep.
For Jeep enthusiasts needing more durability and constant hoisting strength, a hydraulic winch blends with the vehicle’s power steering pump to send enormous hoisting strength as long as the engine is on.
An industrial winch provides that power and dependable quality to handle extreme situations. That is why these winches are used in military and commercial industries.
Both hydraulic and electric industrial winches are sold at various automotive stores throughout the United States. These products deliver when the call of the wild gets a bit wilder than expected.
Manufacturers have introduced different types of manual transmission-equipped vehicles over the years, subjecting them to strenuous fuel economy and acceleration tests. Their findings were compared to similar automatic-equipped models that were rigorously tested. Results reveal that manual transmissions can deliver better acceleration rates and fuel economy compared to their automatic counterparts.
Another hidden advantage of manual automobiles is they’re generally less expensive than automatics and maintenance over their lifespans usually runs less. Because fewer people know how to drive them, the demand for and the price of a stick shift is lower. This low demand can provide consumers with negotiating leverage when they’re shopping for a used vehicle. If you’re in the market for a truck or SUV with a stick shift you’ll probably have better luck. Manuals tend to sit on the lot longer, giving buyers a distinct advantage. Try the tactic of telling the salesperson you’d be more than happy to take that stick shift off their hands if they’re willing lower the price. One caveat to this is since relatively few consumers opt for manuals, they could be harder to sell later.
Traveling with excess items can adversely affect a car’s gas mileage. An extra 100 lbs. in a vehicle reduces an automobile’s mpg by 1 to 2 percent. Driving with bulky luggage or extra items in the trunk or hatchback compartment on a regular basis increases the vehicle’s need to burn more fuel to keep it in motion. Traveling light should be the norm not only to eliminate vehicle wear and tear, but to increase gas mileage. Traveling with excess bulk is more detrimental to smaller automobiles than larger ones. Idling in a vehicle carrying a hundred pounds or more of excess weight wastes 10 cents (or more) per gallon.
And lastly, keeping the automobile’s tires well-aired is a significant factor in optimizing fuel efficiency. At various times over the last decade, it is estimated that a quarter of the automobiles on the road have been driven with underinflated tires. The average under inflation rate of 7.5 pounds results in a nearly 3 percent drop in fuel efficiency. Drivers can save upwards from 11 cents per gallon by having properly inflated tires.