Wyeth-Scott Power Puller review

A few months ago, I got a Wyeth-Scott More Power Puller, model

$395 3-35-A-SLT 3 Ton Ratchet Puller With 35' Of 5/16" Amsteel Blue

3-35-A-SLT. It is the model with 35 foot amsteel blue synthetic cable. 3 Ton dead lift capacity (double line), 6 ton horizontal pull capacity (double line).

I wanted a heavy duty, relatively inexpensive alternative to a winch and bumper until my budget allows it. The whole package cost about $400 after shipping, and that included an extension handle and two extra regular handles.

Well I finally got to use it last weekend. The first use was to move a fallen tree. I hooked the puller up to a tree saver, and pulled the tree off to the side of the trail. Not very exciting, but it was easy to use and set up.

The second time was much more challenging. My buddy got his Rubicon stuck in a deep, narrow mudhole. His driver side was in some deep, low country swamp mud. It was up to almost the top of his 35"s at one point. On the passenger side, he was high sided on the berm of the trail on his front axle and the frame (He was on the berm diagonally).



There was no way to get another vehicle close to him to pull him out without causing significant damage to the surrounding area, so we used the power puller. Due to the proximity of the best suitable tree, we started off with a single line pull just to get the jeep a bit further out of the hole. Well, we ended up being able to do the job single line the whole way. It took a while, but after re-setting the winch once, we pulled him a total of about 30 feet. Once he was that far along, we were able to recover him from dry ground with a town strap, not doing any damage to the area. It took a while to get him that far (30-45 minutes), but we took periodic breaks because it was still pretty hot out.

Pros:

Easy to use: Insert handle, hook up to both ends, and start cranking. You can use the latches to "un-load" the line when you are done, and spool it out easily.

Relatively inexpensive: $400 bucks for a 6 ton winch. Good option for those that want a little more than a hi-lift, but can't afford a winch.

Relatively safe: The handle slipped out once while and whacked me in the leg. The handle naturally points down due to the weight of the winch, so the likelihood of it hitting you in the face is pretty low. The ratchet points are also spaced fairly well, so it's pretty easy to walk away from if you need a break without the handle popping back towards you. Also the handle is short, so if it does pop out of your hands, it has a small radius to get away from. The handle is also rated to bend before the max weight of the winch. This happened to us at one point. The Jeep stopped moving, and the handle bent about 30 degrees. Swapped out a new handle, changed our set up a bit, and we were good. Lastly, the Amsteel cable supposedly has properties that dampen any snapback if the cable breaks under load.

Flexibility: You can hook it up to anything, not just automotive. You can pull stuff up a ramp into your truck bed, lift things, pull objects towards other objects, all sorts of applications. You can really do a lot of work with one of these and a basic winch kit. As seen in my story, this can also be helpful if you are in a confined trail and do not want to do any damage to the area. Sometimes it is hard to get another rig in an area to hook up for recovery without causing damage.

Cons:

Heavy: 26 lbs. Not terrible by most people's standards, but exactly light.

Anchor point: The anchor point on the rear of the winch is literally right against the winch. This would make it a little tough to hook straight to a recovery hook, and if something happened, it could then damage your truck. You need some type of chain or strap to hook it to to use it most effectively.

Not fun: It's pretty tough to winch anything large. Much easier than when I have done the same with a Hi-lift, but still a pretty good workout. Oh well, better incentive to not get stuck.

All in all, this was a great purchase. A lot of bang for your buck. I encourage anyone who is serious about off roading or doing farm/ranch/jobsite work to look into it. Even if you already have a winch, it's a great supplement for certain situations.

 

Nice review, beats the crappy come along I carry in case of emergency.

 

Thanks looking seriously at the investment

 

With a little care, there is good reason to believe you can hand down this Power Puller to your Grandkids. It is that well made.

 

I know this is an older thread but my cousin gave me 1 of these (a 2 ton with steel cable) 6 months to 1 year ago. It has been laying in the shed ever since. After watching a video on YouTube, I decided to look at mine to find out it is a Wyeth-Scott More Power Puller and not just some old time come along. I'm going to order a handle because it doesn't have that and anything else that it needs after giving it a once over inspection.