Larry, your truck, with driver, passengers and cargo has a Gross Vehicle Weight of 3800 pounds. With a fully loaded trailer you have a Combined GVW of 7300 pounds.
Why are you looking at a winch with an 8000# capacity? Why not a 4000-to-5000# capacity instead?
My GVWR is listed as 4,400 lbs.
The places I looked, recommend 1.5 times the rating (minimum), which would be 6,600 lbs.
But, depending on the pull (sand, snow, incline) most places recommend 2 times, which would be 8,800 lbs.
So, I figure the 8,000 should be pretty good.
I'd rather over, than under.
Also, the rating of a winch will lesson as more of the line is would on the spool.
If I have ONE layer of line on the spool, my rating is 8,000.
If I have TWO layers of line on the spool, my rating is 7,280.
If I have THREE layers of line on the spool, my rating is 6,670.
If I have FOUR layers of line on the spool, my rating is 6,2300.
So you can see I lost 1/4 of the rating if the spool is full.
Couple that with a little snow or mud, maybe a small incline.....
I'd rather overrate.
I would have no concern with Larry using the winch to pull his own vehicle out of a ditch.
But if he was trying to pull another vehicle out of a ditch then my concern would be that he will pull his own vehicle into the ditch because it is 1) lightweight, and 2) the other vehicle, even if light, is stuck below his and gravity is a cruel master.
If pulling someone else out, he will have to secure his vehicle to a tree, post, etc with a strap on one end of his vehicle, while using the winch on the other end; that is the common way to anchor a vehicle for winching.
Now my question is, can an 8000# winch literally pull apart a lightweight uni-body vehicle if you strap it to an immovable object on one side and a stuck object on the other side?
And that is a concern of mine.
But I'm not looking on saving big trucks like CTC's, stuck in mud, at the bottom of a hill.
Chances are, CTC has a better winch.
I don't think the outcome would be good for his vehicle. In a situation that you described, something would have to give, depending how stuck the other vehicle was. If it were me, I'd give it a shot with a decent recover sling and let the chips fall where they may. Other than that, it's what a wrecker is for.
Yes.
I can also leverage, using a pulley. One pulley will half my pull speed, but it will halve the power required. The winch and vehicle will do half the work. It will just take me twice as long.
Once again, that would be to keep me on the safe side.
Chances are, I'm yanking a small car from the side of the road.
Dunno?
I have the same thoughts you do. Call a wrecker.
But what I described is pretty much the normal technique. Strap your vehicle to an immovable object (tree) and then use the winch to pull the other guy out.
Of course, if he wants the winch to pull HIMSELF out, then that is a whole different story and the stress on his vehicle is much less.
!