So you're looking to buy a WARN winch. How do you know which one to get, or what size winch you need? Below are our guidelines for choosing the right winch for your truck, SUV, ATV, or UTV.

How to Select a Truck or SUV Winch

For trucks, it's simple. Take the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) and multiply it by 1.5. For example, if you've got a new Jeep Wrangler Rubicon two door. A quick visit to Jeep's website shows the vehicle's GVWR is right about 5,000 lbs. (2,268 kg). Multiply this by 1.5 and you'll get your minimum capacity. In this case, it's 7,500 lbs. (3,402 kg). An 8,000 lb. (3,629 kg) capacity WARN ZEON 8-S is a good place to start, but for some extra grunt, you can move up to a 10,000 lb. (4,536 kg) winch. Remember, you can always go up in capacity. Warn offers truck/SUV winches ranging from 8,000 lbs. (3,402 kg) to 16,500 lbs. (7,484 kg). See which one is right for you.

How to Select a Powersports Winch

On the powersports side of things, it's a bit different.

• ATV: 2,500 lb. to 3,500 lb. capacity (1,134 kg to 1,588 kg)
• Two-Seat UTV: 3,500 lb. to 4,500 lb. capacity (1,588 kg to 2,041 kg)
• Four-Seat UTV: 4,500 lb. to 5,500 lb. capacity (2,041 kg to 2,495 kg)

We offer a host of options in both our standard-duty VRX lineup (2,500 lb. to 4,500 lb. / 1,134 kg to 2,041 kg capacities) as well as our premium AXON products (3,500 lb. to 5,500 lb. / 1,588 kg to 2,495 kg capacities). Whether you're looking for a truck or powersports winch, you'll have your choice between steel rope or synthetic. If you're not sure which to choose, check out this post we made about steel vs. synthetic rope.

How to Select an Industrial Winch

If you're looking for industrial winch applications, it's best to contact WARN Customer Service to be sure you're getting the right winch for your application. They're available at 800-543-9276.