One of the many modifications hardcore off-roaders make to their vehicles is a bumper-mounted winch. It's a spool of rope or metal wire with a motor that, when tied to something solid like a tree ...

Unless you have two big batteries and two high-output alternators ... Line speed is simply how fast (measured in feet per minute) that a winch can spool in cable. There are two measurements ...

A 15,000-pound winch bulks up the big trucks. Straighten a sagging barn ... align the winch for a straight-line pull and stand clear. Re-spool wire rope evenly across the winch drum.