Why a winch?

My smittybilt X20 comp winch is waterproof, and I prefer my bed and cab free (ain't got no room for a winch there ). I use the winch for utility purposes the majority of time. Just last week I winched a wood splitter up a steep hillside as the wood cutters walked it up. Unlike the grab-n-go option, my winch is always there when I need it. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big Winder towing fan, and keep an ARB snatch strap in the cab. Matt keeps threatening to install a hard mounted winch in the front Also, I use the winch a lot more than I do river crossings.

 

We just need a ATV winch

 

No kidding. This thread gives me deja vu.....

 

And a $300 rope, and a bunch of pulleys. To save money and weight, right?

 

Yup, with another 1000 dollars worth of gear you can safely recover yourself in about a week

 

Never had to rebuild my winch, been under water too. Works everytime I need it and I use it. Moab Kanes Creek on Hamburger Hill.

 

I think back to my younger days and all the reduced trouble I'd have found myself in had I owned a winch. Learned my lesson the hard way. There's no better recovery tool when shit hits the fan.

IMO, the best way to prepare a truck capability wise for any offroad adventure are lockers for conquering the trail and a winch to make sure you get home.

Matt does a lot of simple recoveries with kinetic rope which is great and he normally isn't having to deal with self recoveries except when shtf. But when things do get serious, out comes one or more winches.

 

I want people to think I offroad when I go to the grocery store

 

I pretty much just use mine as a tool. I drag trees out from the wooded space on my property so I can cut them up in the yard, and stuff like that. Been handy.

 

You should never keep a wench in the trunk. That tends to earn you a lifetime ban from the renaissance festival.

 

What do you all suggest for a kinetic rope? Will the smallest work? These are not cheap but highly rated.

http://www.masterpull.com/kinetic-recovery-super-yanker/

 

All this and plus people forget a winch isn’t just for off road I use mine on my property for other stuff too

 

Mine is in my arb bumper. I've used it plenty of times and I dont care about weight.

 

Thier dime thier truck who gives a f....

 

Calling Winder towing professional? Yes he gets paid to recover but watching his operation/You Tube videos there is a lot room for improvement to get to the point of being viewed as a professional operation. Just my opinion. Some it may just be for video effect.

 

For trucks of our weight class, you want the smallest diameter. Thicker ropes are stiffer, so you lose out on the "kinetic" characteristic. I got a KingCord 7/8" x 20 ft rope at my local auto parts store on clearance, but it's stiffer than I'd like. If I were paying full price, I'd go for the 3/4" dia. one.

 

A recovery rope or snatch strap is always quicker and prefered when viable.

A winch gives you greater control to slowly recover a vehicle it get it past a obstacle. The last time I took my 4runner out on the trails I used my winch 4 or 5 times. I had to park along side a jeep that was stuck in a mud hole, using my snatch strap with a tree that was ahead of us. He was to stuck to be able to pull out with a strap, a winch was needed for that recovery.

If someone rolls over, you will want a winch to get them back on their wheels.

On easy/moderate trails you might not ever need a winch, even on hard trails you can go years without needing one.


I also would not learn how to do offroad recovery by watching matts offroad recovery... Go watch 4wd 24-7 or Ronny Dohl on youtube to learn proper offroad recovery. Matt is fairly reckless as he wants to be in and out as quick as possible. I think he only gets away with it, as he is mainly working in sand.

 

The downside to the hitch mount is “they say” they aren’t well suited for side pulls. If you are pulling yourself out you might not have a choice. If you are pulling someone else out, you will more likely be able to winch straight. For the people that poo poo winches as they carry them around and will probably never use them, do you scoff at a full size spare? Or a spare at all?