I just got a new winch for my truck for christmas. I've never had a winch before and the buyer was going by what the sales person recomemded at crappy tire. The question is; Will a 3000lb winch be enough strength for a 2000 xterra. I will be mounting it to my existing ARB bumper and will not be using it for anything super gnar, just getting unstuck and pulling some buddies out of the mud most likely.

2000 Nissan Xterra Specifications
Engine Location Front
Drive Type 4WD
Production Years for Series 2000 - 2004
Price $17,500
Weight 4500 lbs | 2041.166 kg

My guess would be no.

I have a samurai and i use a 8000# on the wifes X i will get at least a 9500# just my 2 cents

Most likely it would be pretty dangerous, there would be so much stress on the cable it would snap or you would get 1 use out of the winch because the motor is only fit for 3klbs when the X weights another 1.5klbs

Mount it anyway and you'll make a fortune pulling Civic's out of snowbanks. Then use that money to buy a bigger one.

I was thinking I could use it to pull cars out of the snow and make some money! Thanks for the 2 cents everyone. I will look for a new one at a good price

NO! Nothing less than 8000lbs will do. Take the weight of the vehicle and multiply it when its stuck. Take it back to the store and trade it in for a bigger one. Don't waste your time with it.

You'd be best with at least an 8000lb. unit. That being said, pulling power is all about mechanical advantage. You could use that 3000lb. winch with 2 snatch blocks and effectively achieve 12,000lbs. of pulling force. The trade off is that you sacrifice speed for power. Think of it the same way as when you put your truck in low range. More torque, less speed. You can buy a pretty decent winch for $300-$400 if you aren't planning to use it all the time.

Measure your trucks loaded "trail" weight, then calculate the resistance to be overcome.

There are 4 types of resistance: surface resistance, damage resistance, mire (stuck) resistance and grade (slope) resistance. Calculate them all as follows:

Surface resistance
A pull of 1/10 trail weight will cause a free wheeling truck to move on a hard, level surface.

A pull of 1/3 trail weight will cause a free wheeling truck to move on a softer surface, such as grass or gravel.

Damage resistance:
A pull of 2/3 trail weight will be required to move if the wheels cannot rotate

Stuck resistance:
A pull of 100% of trail weight will be required if the truck is stuck to a depth of the sidewall.

A pull of 200% of trail weight will be required if the truck is stuck to the hubs.

A pull of 300% of trail weight will be required if the truck is stuck to the frame.


Grade resistance:
Upgrade (vehicle has to be recovered up a slope or grade)

15 degrees - add 25% of trail weight

30 degrees - add 50% of trail weight

45 degrees - add 75% of trail weight

Vehicle recovery on level ground - no correction

Downgrade (vehicle has to be recovered down a slope or grade)

15 degrees - subtract 25% of trail weight

30 degrees - subtract 50% of trail weight

45 degrees - subtract 75% of trail weight

Final figure:
Add surface, damage, mire resistance and grade resistance. This is your final figure or rolling resistance. This is the amount of pull the winch must apply in order to recover the stuck vehicle.

Some calculations will put the resistance well above what any commercially available winch will handle. The answer is then multi line rigging.

Basic info from here:
http://pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/Recovery/index.html

I'll put it this way, i have a 3000lber on my 700lb atv and it sometimes barely gets me out.

1.5x your gross vehicle weight is the minimum recommendation

FYI, i worked for Warn for 2 years so my advice would be an 8k-9.5k.

I'll put it this way, i have a 3000lber on my 700lb atv and it sometimes barely gets me out.

1.5x your gross vehicle weight is the minimum recommendation

FYI, i worked for Warn for 2 years so my advice would be an 8k-9.5k.

Agree wholeheartedly! The 3,000lb winch is commonly marketed as an ATV winch - and they are for lightweight ATVs. The bigger, heavier ATVs are using 4,500lb winches or more.

Most people with winches on the Xs have 8,000 - 9,500 lb winches. There are a few with 12,000 lb winches, but it all depends on what your bumper can fit.

1.5 X the weight on the Truck

yes it is if you know how to use it it is like using a come along you just need to use a snatch block so it can be double lined when pulling. when pulling with a snatch block you can double or even triple the strength of a winch cause you lower the gear ratio of that winch cause of the pulley on the snatch block i myself want to add 3 3000lbs winches on mine 2 in front and 1 in the back so i get to use one on the front to pull me straight and the other one to pull me at an angle if needed good luck with that just be smart when using then and remember to use snatch block http://www.google.com/products/catalog?oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&q=snatch+block&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=18081433830327270524&sa=X&ei=wev_To2qFMOLsQKO1fngAQ&ved=0CJUBEPMCMAE

Thanks for all the help! I couldnt believe how hard it was to find information about winches on google.. maybe i'm challenged but i couldnt find a thing.

Heres a decent guide that should get you through the basics.

http://www.warn.com/truck/winches/images/1842/62885A6_Domestic-read.pdf

Just remember to use your judgement and keep people out of the way. I've seen winch lines snap first hand and its DEADLY.

Try princess auto boss....they had 6 and 8 thousand pounders for 299 and 329.. about three weeks ago..