Selection of winch

It depends on the situation .. when you are bogged badly with vehicle and van then 9k is not enough to pull you out with both ... but even 12k might not be enough and you have to get the vehicle out first and then the van ...
another consideration for winch size is available battery power and mount points..
inside a bar you mostly fit only a 9k anyway .. also consider .. the maximum pull of a winch is on the first layer, once you get to the second layer it is less so you need a bit more to play ... my personal opinion is and decision on that matter was to fit the largest winch I can get mounted with max strength and that was only on a special
mount ... battery power was no consideration because it's hydraulic ( not a friend
of electric winches) .. so in your case I'd say 9K is not too much but also probably
a good compromise ..

have fun winching :))
gmd

Well winches are rated in pounds (lbs) so 9000 is 9000lbs not 9000kg's, I would go with the 12000lb or 15000lb. Even then the full rating is only applicable to the first layer of winch cable once youre past that the rating drops off, I dont know how much, Google may answer that.

I would hazard a guess that most people would winch out forwards (with a front mount winch) so I cant see why you wouldnt disconect the van and pull the Cruiser thru then reposition and pull the van thru.

Of course you could buy a Patrol and then never get bogged..........

The winch rating is what it will lift vertically (in a perfect world).
Rolling weight if far less ie on flat ground you can probably push your car a short distance by hand, but would be unable to lift it
The problem lies when you're bogged and can only guess at the added drag of obstrctions, mud suction etc.
For this reason, bigger is better when it comes to winches.

ed

Hi macka2,
Getting into the position of recovering a 9 tonne articulated rig, presumably on your own, is fairly serious stuff.
The question before tackling any seriously questionable section of track / water crossing, that will necessitate your winch recovery is 'do i really need to go there?'. I guess with the van you have an earlier question of 'do I really need to take my van there without knowing about track conditons or doing a vehicle only recce'.
As the answer to the first question is almost always no, I expect the second (earlier) question will have similar answer.
Just remember that a which has the capability to drag you further into trouble and is no replacement for risk assesment and skill, this is compounded by your rigs inability to do a 10 point(+) U turn when you change your mind about wanting to be there.
Paul.
Apologies if you have more experienced then I have assumed and the above is telling what you already know.

Macka. Although the winch rating is a bit of a guide to the pulling power it does not relate in any way to the weight of the vehicle it can pull. In fact the claimed pulling capacity between different brands & types of winches can vary by 100%. For example an 8000lb PTO winch will pull twice as much as an 8000lb low mount electric, in fact if you replaced the shear pin with a bolt you could probably tear the electric one clean out of the bull bar :-) Some manufacturers rate on what the winch will lift while others rate theirs on pulling a load up an incline making direct comparisons difficult if not impossible. Pulling capacity is also limited by the available power supply, in one article I read the maximum pulling power of an 8,000lb winch they tested was only 5500lb on the bottom layer as the batteries could supply enough.
So what winch would I recomend? A 9500lb high speed low mount gives good pulling power, a fast recovery, minimal over run & won't weigh the front of the car down too much. The winch would struggle to pull both the car & trailer if seriously stuck (Only a PTO would do that) so the simple option is to unhook the trailer & recover that separately. IMHO fitting huge winches (15000lb / PTO) on a recreation 4x4 for emergency only recoveries is a waste & leads to poor handling, increased fuel consumption, uneven tyre wear & normally needs a spring upgrade to carry them.
Cheers Craig.............

Thanks again to all. Macka2