The Easy Way To Figure It Out…

Find your vehicle’s GVWR (often on a sticker on the driver side door frame).
Plug it into the field on the “GVWR” tab.

We provide a vehicle type selection (“ATV’, “Side by Side”, etc.) to help you see some options, but the “GVWR” tab is the best and easiest way to do this.

What’s a Weight Rating?

A winch should have a weight rating that is at least 1.5-2 times your vehicle’s GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating).

GVWRs are assigned to vehicles by manufacturers.

A GVWR basically represents the weight of the vehicle with fluids, plus cargo weight, plus driver and passenger weight.

More on Weight Ratings…

For example, a vehicle with a GVWR of 5000 lbs needs a winch that is rated for at least 7,500-10,000 lbs.

Click the GVWR tab and enter your GVWR, and we’ll find winches that have the right weight rating for your vehicle. If you already know what weight rating you need, pick one or more weight classes instead.

Typically, you can find your vehicle’s GVWR on a sticker on the driver side door frame.

It’s okay to get a winch that has a too-big rating, but you shouldn’t get a winch with a too-small rating.

For an ATV or Side by Side that will do some hard winching, consider bumping up a winch size if you’re buying a winch with a permanent magnet motor (versus a series wound).