What is the pulling capacity of a 2000 pound rated winch? Sounds like a dumb question... but what I mean can a 2000 # winch pull a car weighing more than that since it is a rolling load?
Hope that makes sense...

Yes.

Yes.

I think I you are supposed to go 1.5 times the vehicles weight if you are counting on pulling a stuck vehicle out of the muck. Most people can't lift a vehicle, but can get one rolling on level ground.

I always go double GVW just to be safe. Without shooting for the physics, the load or drag when stuck in mud or the suction of wet sand is far more than GVW.

OK - so you guys sound like you know what your talking about...

I have to get these cars into a warehouse that has a 2' high dock and our ramps are 8' long. The car is a little under 3500 pounds.

Is the 2000 pond winch enough to drag it up the ramps?

Calling physics clown.

Probably not with a single line pull. You may try doubling it with a snatch block...twice the pull, half the line speed. I'm guessing it is 12 volt winch. A strong battery (or two in parallel) will also help.

If you don't have a winch yet, and this is the only time you're going to use it, harbor freight 5k winch is $199. Find a 20-25% off coupon = profit.

Probably cheaper than hiring a roll back tow truck to get them up there.

Fellas,

Could a 4-ton come along winch be used to do OP's 8' pull, even if he had to add a chain to extend the reach?

I've been looking at those for this type of job, along with mud pull-outs, and could use an education.

It seems some of those 12 volt winches appear to really tax a battery.

So, dumb question.....why can't you drive them up the ramps? Or push them with another vehicle?

Another suggestion, a long rope, a pulley attached to the spot where the winch would be attached, and run the rope from the front of the car you want to move, through the pulley, back under the car to a second car parked behind it. Pull towed car up the ramp with car two.

And if you're trying to go across hard ground and up that ramp, I bet 2000# would more than do it.

http://www.pangaea-expeditions.com/resources/winchworksheet/index.html

According to that:

rolling resistance = 4% of vehicle = 140 pounds

incline, 10% of weight for every 5 degrees, 2 feet in 8 feet is 15 degrees, 30% of 3500 is 1050 pounds.

So looks like you need 1190 pounds of winch pull.

Or four big guys and a running start.

Remember winches lose pulling strength the longer the line is. That 2000lb winch is rated for 2000 lbs on the first or second spool of line. If you have 100' of line and only spool out 10', you may only have 50-60% of your rated pulling capacity.

https://warnindustries.wordpress.com/2015/03/20/warn-winch-performance-specifications-pulling-capacity-by-layer/

CanyonAg77 said:

---

So, dumb question.....why can't you drive them up the ramps? Or push them with another vehicle?

Another suggestion, a long rope, a pulley attached to the spot where the winch would be attached, and run the rope from the front of the car you want to move, through the pulley, back under the car to a second car parked behind it. Pull towed car up the ramp with car two.

And if you're trying to go across hard ground and up that ramp, I bet 2000# would more than do it.

---

Ive used this method to get a car up on a trailer, except I use cable instead of rope

What GeeBee said. Essentially, adding the snatch block turns the winch into a 3:1 block and tackle (the vehicle being the moving pulley), and giving you a huge mechanical advantage. The only thing limiting you would be the length of the winch cable.