Hello all,
I'm looking at budget winches and have 2 in mind for mounting onto the front of a Lada Niva (approx 1600kg in weight). The question is 'which is the better winch?':

a) winch power = 2.5 bhp / rated line pull = 1134kg

b) winch power = 1.1hp / rated line pull = 1588kg

Both winches are in the ±£100.00 range.

Alternatively, does anyone have any recommendations in the same price bracket.

Thanks all.

Hi Chris,
Basically at this end of the price scale, quality is similar for most of the winches available (majority Chinese made) Winch b has a higher rated pull despite the lower motor power because it will have significantly lower gearing, each reduction in shaft speed increases the available torque as you move through the gears from motor to cable drum. Hence if linespeed is not an issue (ie if you're not in a winch challenge event, or stuck in a bog in Ninja held Congo - in which case you're better off running for it, or offering them a toke on ya spliff man!!) winch b will get you out of deeper bogs than winch a. If, on the other hand you're not expecting to get really stuck (ha!) winch a will do the job faster, and wind in the cable afterwards as well. In overlanding terms I'd go for power over speed, even on a nice light car like a Niva.
Safe ttravells,
Simon.

Hi Simon,
thanks for the reply, much appreciated. Having done more research and I've plumbed for this baby!: http://http://www.electricwinchshop....000cta12v.html We don't 'plan' on doing anything too demanding but I'd sooner be prepared than not and have something I have faith in. Its still at the lower end of the price range but it'll do the job for what we need. Thanks again.

(P.S. I'd highly recommend the guys at the Electric Winch Shop too. They rate service over sales.)

Try and get a second battery fitted as well , as lecky winches kill batteries , also the longer you can winch for before it starts to slow right down as alternators cant keep up , also it is best not to drain the battery really low before stopping to give it time to be topped up by the alt .HTSH

Thanks for those words of wisdom. I'm just looking into second battery options for that very reason. Now that I've moved the spare wheel onto the roof there's loads of room under the bonnet/hood for one (as well as a tool box).

Hi again,
In my experience of winch challenge events in a Land Rover with a Warn 8274 winch, I managed perfectly well with one battery - an Exide Maxxima 900DC spiral wound gel battery. As long as the engine's running and your alternator is working, this battery on it's own will happily haul a Niva. They're very fast recharging and thrive on "heavy" current draw, oh, and I'm still using one that I bought 9 years ago! If you're not using a fridge, I really wouldn't bother with 2 batteries. If you are, then it's safest to have 2, on a simple split charging relay, purely so that an accidental total discharge (say sitting in a camp for 2 days without starting the engine) doesn't leave you relying on a camel tow, ahem;-) 2 of these batteries, the 2nd charged via a 30A relay switched by the alternator charge light wiring, did me fine for a month in Morocco last November, and the one before that!
Good luck,
Simon.

Hi Chris, sorry this might seem like a late response but my comments are from experience & as a former BORDA & LANTRA qualified off road instructor.

Both those winches are undersized for recovery of a Niva, the rated line pull will be dependant on the amount of cable spooled out and will almost certainly be the best figure it can achive, the weight of the Niva at 1600KGs will be much greater if you are axle deep in mud.
A 1500KG winch would be ok pulling a 1600Kg vehicle up a grassy slope when friction or the lack of it is the only problem, the other issue is duty cycle eg how long it will work for before it overheats and the thermal cutout stops play (assuming one is fitted).

how do you intend to mount it, I've not seen winch mounts for the Niva & understand the new model uses crush tubes in the tubular mounts for the bumper, the old models used tubular mounts without crush cans but only 1 M14 bolt each side to hold the bumper on.

If it is going to be used for moving caravans or timber etc then no problem but if it will be used for vehicle recovery then a better quality 2nd hand winch may be a better bet.

I run a Tmax 12500 on my LR90 cost me £150 + small change to service it before fitting, I'm running steel cable and only used it once in anger.. to drag a dead horse out of a stable.!

hope i'm not being -ve after the fact, love the Niva's btw i've had 3.. excellent of road.!

regards
Gren

Hi,
Another massive Niva fan here!
Have you concidered a decent second hand Trifor hand winch?
More effort but infinitely more flexible IMHO.

Happy travels
Sam