Anyone regret a winch?

I know this is a somewhat loaded question, as clearly that one time you need a winch, it pays for itself, but that one time doesn’t come that often.

I am considering a winch but haven’t yet needed one. I pack recovery gear and a heavy duty hand-winch (Morepower Puller), and so far have needed neither, but wouldn’t be without them. I’m not advocating a lack of preparation. I am not planning on winching myself over the Darien Gap. I only want it for emergency recovery.

My questions regarding an electric winch install:

- has anyone installed a fixed front-mounted electric winch on their Third Gen Tacoma and wished later they hadn’t?

Winch positives (as I see it):

1- Gets you and your buddies unstuck (maybe)
2- Pulls stuff off the road or onto the road
3- Much faster than hand winch or tirfor/come-along.
4- Major bro points on Instagram

Winch negatives:

1- must cut up the front of truck and add heavy bumper assembly (typically)
2- heavy (mpg hit, nose dive, spring rate changes, worse handling, less safe when braking, swerving etc.).
3- vehicle now heavier and more likely to get stuck.
4- more wear and tear on suspension.
5- winch requires maintenance.
6- electrical system compromised/modified/less reliable.
7- only works to tug vehicle forward (mostly).
8- only works when vehicle running (generally).

So, if we are all being honest, did anyone mount a winch to their Tacoma and later wish they hadn’t bothered? Or will I be thanking my lucky stars when I use it all the time?

Any and all opinions welcome. I want to get this sorted out one way or another in my mind.

 

I think the answer solely depends on what you use your Taco for.

Is it a highway commuter that rarely sees the dirt? Then no.

Is it a weekend camping/road tripping Taco? Then maybe, depending on where you like to camp.

Or is it being used to get back to areas where most would deem untraversable? Then I would say yes.

Personally, I use my truck for hunting, fishing, and all that outdoor stuff, and a winch just gives me peace of mind when I am 30 miles from nowhere going through 18 inches of snow, where I would have normally turned around, or parked and walked. When those big mud tires, 4 Low, lockers, and tire chains all fail me, at least I (usually) have a way to self recover. I think it would be a fair to say that most of the winches you see mounted on trucks are rarely used, but as the saying goes," It's better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it."

To address some of your winch negatives,

Bumper/ Suspension - A heavier bumper would be recommended and there will be added weight on your suspension with your new bumper and a winch, but this brings me back to the first sentence. What are you using the truck for? A plate bumper has added benefits in itself. Did you see the forum of plate bumpers after impact? One dude smoked a cow and was able to drive home due to the plate bumper he had installed. That would not have been the case with the factory piece of plastic hanging on the front of the truck. Heavier coilovers would also be recommended to counter that nose dive the truck does after the added weight, but you may also notice a difference in ride quality. Yes the truck is heavier, (by like +-150ish pounds) but you now have new added capabilities.

Maintenance - Almost everything in life requires maintenance. Take care of your stuff and it will take care of you.

If you are on the fence about it, hold off. Go out and get stuck a few times by yourself and then rethink your decision. If you can get by with your current recovery gear, then there is no need. But if you get tired of cranking on a come-along for 40 minutes, then a winch just might be for you.

Just my opinion on the matter. I hope it helps with your decision.

 

Yeah, my ex.

Ahhh, winch. Not wench.

 

I've been driving 4X4's since the 1970's and didn't buy one until recently. It's on my F150 though, but I'll eventually add one for my Tacoma. You can get a winch that'll work on a Tacoma for $250-$300 from Harbor Freight which isn't bad insurance at all. I ended up paying $300 for a 9500 lb Smittybilt for my Ford. If I were using one a lot, then it might be worth the expense to pay for one of the $1000 ones.

I don't do any hard core off road driving, but do spend a fair amount of time on dirt farm roads and forest service roads which can get bad at times. Last fall I drove from GA to Colorado to elk hunt. I probably drove 200-300 miles up and down forest service roads. The 1st few days covered in about a foot of snow. At lower elevations that snow turned to mud after a few days and with heavy truck traffic got sloppy. I almost slid into a ditch getting turned around once in snow, and did slide into a ditch meeting another truck in a narrow spot. It took several tries, but I finally drove out of the ditch, but decided at that moment that I wasn't coming back without a winch.

I paid $200 for a hidden mounting bracket and mounted it behind the bumper. Total cost was $500 and it added 120 lbs to the front of the truck. I can't tell it is even there. It only took me a couple of hours to install everything. I could have gone with synthetic rope instead of steel cable and the weight would have been under 100 lbs, that includes the mounts. But that was $120 more. For my uses steel cable is probably better, cheaper, and since I didn't have to add a heavy bumper or mount the weight is acceptable. I like that mine doesn't stick out in front of my truck and it ended up being the 2nd most economical way to go, at least with Ford.

I'll probably buy something similar for the Tacoma in the future, but will pay extra for synthetic rope to reduce weight. I'll mount it in a receiver mount and store it in the bed and only use it with the rear receiver mount when needed. That is why weight reduction is important. That is the cheapest way to put a winch on a Tacoma. I could mount a 2nd receiver on the front, but on most trucks they are too low. I wouldn't leave the winch on it all the time mounted that way.

Going with the receiver mount eliminates most of the negatives, but it doesn't look as cool as the heavy duty aftermarket bumpers.

 

Agree on all of the positives. Regarding the negatives:
1 is true, you need to change your stock bumper or add some type of a mount
2 and 3, the choice of your new bumper will affect the handling and weight more than the winch. There are lighter weight bumpers available
4, a bit of extra weight shouldn't necessarily cause that much more wear.
5. Winch doesn't require any maintenance, especially with synthetic rope. If you mud it up, just extend the rope or cable and clean it, otherwise there is nothing else to maintain. Unless you use it very often and wear parts out.
6. Electrical system is modified, but if installed properly, that doesn't make it less reliable.
7. Agree that it might be challenging to reverse, but not necessarily impossible with blocking. Or just go through the obstacle, then turn around and winch across the other way.
8. Winch works when your battery works, vehicle doesn't have to be running.

 

If I did not have a winch, there would be many places I simply would not have been able to pull my truck out of. Where I live, if you wheel, you really need a winch. If you stay on fire roads, you don't need one. If you go where the wild things are, its cheap insurance to get home.

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Oxi7W7ez_9k

 

If you're doubting needing a winch you don't need a winch.

Stick to the curbs

 

Been driving 4x4 for almost 40 years now. Never owned a winch. Yes I can say several occasions it would of helped. Did I really need it? No. I used a come a long and a snatch rope to get out. So here we are this fall and I have a SSO slimline on order and a Smittybilt X20. Just felt I wanted it and I doubt I will regret it even if I don't use it

 

A winch only encourages bad behavior that you would probably avoid without one. You will find that it becomes a lot of work and you are everyone that doesn't have one first call which is exactly the reason I won't get another one.

 

Once I mounted my winch I was finding all kinds of uses for it. I've made back the money I spent on the winch and 2 mount set ups on two different trucks. From storm clean up to landscaping, logging, helping people out of the ditch in snow storms, even demoed a house.

 

I did a lot off-road wheeling in Colorado/Utah in my 2nd gen. Got a winch. Was rarely used. Was used more to help other people. It's a nice to have in my opinion. If you go synth rope and minimal bump/mount, it really isn't an issue of weight. If you go 4 wheeling alone a lot, I would say it's a necessity to prevent getting stuck in the middle of nowhere.

 

Yep, everyone expects you to stop and help them out for their sometimes stupidity. Saw this on many hunts in my friends jeeps and broncos. We had places to go and time was of essence. Paid good money to go hunting and these unprepared idiots got their 2WD and other rigs stuck. "Sorry buddy, but we need to be hiking and hunting soon!"

The best hunting often occurs during or after bad weather btw in case you are wondering.

 

Install a front hitch mount and get a hitch mounted winch. You can use it in the front and back; plus it doesn't have to live on the front of your truck.

 

If you've never used one yet you probably won't, you just need the discipline to keep yourself out of situations where they are needed. I drove around camping southwest/back country areas for years without a winch or sliders because I knew when to throw in the towel and turn around and go somewhere else or find another route. Don't let the overland Instagram clowns make you think you need all that crap they've got, don't let them fool you, they never use any of it either.

 

Here in TX we don't get a lot of rain but when we do dirt turns to mush. I was recently on a Scavenger Hunt with local Overland club... maybe 40 vehicles... different forms of communication as normal. One of the finds coordinates took us to a low point that had a steep up climb out. I was behind a friend I knew was just a mile or so ahead of me. He made it and I got stuck in his rut. I had Ham comm with him he came back I used him as winch point as no other hook ons and got out pretty easily. SORRY LONG STORY As day progressed spot got worse. We were all back at camp and determined we had a few missing trucks. NOBODY raised on HAM or CB... so a few of us went out to look. One guy had got stuck at same spot eventually another truck came... could not pass... and yet another.None had HAM or Cell to reach out. LUCKILY a rescuer came up behind with HAM. He was able to contact another that headed to the front of coordinates and winched first guy out. Second guy was also winched 3rd guy made it as well as the rescuer. Moral of story... if out and about have recovery gear and COMM. In mud straps are not always an answer. You don't need insurance until you need insurance

 

Hidden hitch and use a winch cradle. Leave in bed during wheeling trips and use in front or back as needed. Just use synthetic line so carrying it isn’t ridiculous.

Sounds like the best solution for your pros/cons

 

You don’t need a full aftermarket bumper, winch and US Off Road mount is about 100lbs. As to do I need a winch; it’s easy enough to get a buddy to give me a tow. However, due to circumstances (angles), sometime only a winch will do. Although, if I was running 35’s and had a locker I would probably not have bottomed out and could get enough traction on my own.

 

Thanks for your reply.

Help me out with this one. Wouldn’t even a normal amount of winching basically drain your starting battery (with engine off)? Or can you do some winching without the engine running? Or should you have a second battery with a winch?