I do not disagree with you about setting up a mechanical advantage via snatch blocks if you need to pull that much but there are times when this is difficult or not possible..... at any rate my main point was having a bunch of line on the winch is both an advantage and a disadvantage depending on the circumstances. For example, on the fifth layer of cable a 8,000 lb rated winch is only capable of pulling approx. 4,600 lbs. so the more cable you have on the drum (and subsequently the more layers) the less pull you have unless you unspool down to which ever layer affords you the pulling power you need for your current situation. Granted, setting up a mechanical advantage by using a snatch block and creating a 2:1 will double the available pull on the particular layer (and also halves your cable speed, which is not always a bad thing either). I am not saying you are wrong or that your advice is not valid, I am simply stating that there are compromises to be considered.
Oh, one other thing to think about, creating more than a 2:1 mechanical advantage can be pretty dangerous, there are few components on a Jeep that can withstand the forces a winch can generate at a 2:1 let alone anything above that.....
I didn't disagree with you either, I was just adding that I think greater line capacity is more of a pro than a con with different rigging. I have been winching vehicles out of nasty situations for over 20 years, and in that time:
I have never said to myself: "I wish I didn't have all that cable on the drum!"
But I have said (more than once): "I don't have enough cable to reach that tree over there, that
really sucks!!!".
And: "I just repaired my cable last week and lost 30 feet, I hope I have enough!".
The additional 2:1 or 3:1 rigging is more about reducing the load on the winch, simply changing directions, or pulling indirectly in most situations, it's usually not about utilizing max theoretical capacity. You are realistically not going to be stuck enough in a TJ to need anywhere remotely near 24,000 pounds of pull in a triple line rig. Hell you probably don't even see 6,000 pounds of stiction to recover in most situations...
Sometimes you (or your buddy) just get stuck in some really dumb places and you need that cable to play with. Or sometimes you need to move an object out of the way and it takes 2 or 3 snatch blocks to put it where you want it.
Comparing layer strength across winch platforms and applying it to this is kind of discussion is in a way futile effort.
A lot of these winches that come with a lot of extra cable on the drum are also much stronger layer by layer.
My 9.5 CTI with 125' of steel cable on the drum has a rated
7000 pound pulling capacity on the 5th layer, realistically I am going to be on the 4th layer in most situations putting me closer to 8000 pounds capacity on a single line pull (not that id use it in that manner, id double rig it back to the vehicle first).
So in my case I have the cushion of 125' of cable to work/rig with and plenty of pulling capacity even
without pulling a tremendous amount of cable out.
Sometimes the reduced speed is a good thing, it allows you to have more control over certain situations.
Also when using synthetic line you need to maintain twice the amount of minimum wraps around the drum than steel.
Something to consider when shopping winches.
Picture for attention (the wife) :lol::