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Want to find the perfect winch for you?

We've listed some things that might help you choose.

Vehicle

When selecting a winch, it is most likely that you will have a vehicle in mind to attach it to. This will directly influence the rated line pull of the ideal winch for you. But that's not all, It's hugely important to plan ahead for worst case scenarios as these are likely to put the most stress on your winch.

1. Begin with the weight of your vehicle and multiply that figure by 1.5x. For example, a Land Rover Defender weighing 3000kg/6600lbs would require a base line pull figure of 4500kg/9920lbs.

2. Consider how many passengers the vehicle can carry and add this to the base vehicle weight. For example, a two man off-road team would add a combined 150kg/330lbs

3. Consider any incline that the vehicle may face. The steeper the incline, the higher the pulling rate your winch will require (on top of the base vehicle weight and additional passengers/equipment)

4. Consider any terrain you may encounter. For example, deep water, ice, mud, thick vegetation. The more extreme the terrain, the higher the pulling rate your winch will require (on top of the base vehicle weight, additional passengers/equipment and incline allowance)

Once you have considered all of the above, you will reach the ideal minimum pulling rate for your winch.

Power System

Winches can be powered in two very different ways. The most common are electric winches, which use the vehicle’s battery power to run the motor. Electrically powered winches typically have faster winding speeds and are easier to install. They also offer the advantage of using a remote control that allows you to stand safely away from the winch and vehicle during activation.

Because an electric winch draws lots of power from your vehicle, it’s important to make sure there’s enough power to operate it. Make sure your vehicle’s battery and alternator can deliver the necessary amperage to run the winch at full capacity, even with the headlights on. If not, you may need to upgrade to a dual-battery system or a higher-output alternator. Dragon Winches operate at either 12 or 24 volts.

Hydraulic winches generally use the vehicle’s power steering pump to power the winch. Many enthusiasts prefer hydraulic winches because they are extremely reliable and not affected by water or low battery power. For this reason they are commonly used in areas with lots of mud or water. As long as the vehicles engine is still running, a hydraulic winch will pull you out of any situation. However, due to the additional plumbing and hydraulic lines to accommodate, not all hydraulic winches fit on every vehicle and are not compatible with every mounting method.

Rope

Whilst Dragon Winches come, as standard, with an included wire rope, many enthusiasts believe that synthetic ropes offer a better winching experience than wire.

Wire ropes remain the most common, and for obvious reasons. It is exceptionally strong, has a long life and resists abrasions exceptionally well. Over time, however, wire ropes can corrode, fray and sometimes break. If this happens under tension, a steel cable can cause serious injury because of the amount of potential energy stored in the cable.

This is why many off-road-racing enthusiasts and off-road events require using only synthetic ropes. Synthetic lines are considerably lighter and hold far less less potential energy, so if they snap under tension, there’s less chance of injury or damage. While a synthetic line is much lighter than a wire rope, it is also much stronger. However, their drawback is that they don't resist abrasions well and will eventually snap if constantly rubbed against rocks or dirt.

Most experienced off-road enthusiasts recommend learning safety self-recovery techniques with a steel cable first. Once you’ve learned how to secure the line and care for it properly, you can move to a lighter synthetic line and avoid any unnecessary contact to minimize abrasions.