Why a winch?

oh yeah I heard hi-lift jacks can also be used as a come-along to pull trucks

been thinking of getting a Milwaukee electric chainsaw...

 

Trolling or just clueless?

 

Yes, and it's incredibly slow, and sucks a lot, lots of re picking 3ft at a time, getting to that position there took about 4 hours of digging and stacking and jacking and moving etc etc etc.

A winch would have had me out in about 20 minutes tops easy as forward would have been the better way to go but I couldn't hi-winch myself forward, just didn't have enough leaver or anyway to hold the truck when repositioning.

 

I've not been impressed with the electric saws, I carry the saw on the left in my truck at all times.

 

Wat

 

Round 2, here we go.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/that-8-000-lb-winch-is-a-waste-of-money.682105/

 

Matt from Winder is also an old school minimalist type of dude who seems pretty tight fisted too

Dont think we are gonna catch him with a warn winch in a cbi bumper.

Id have a winch if i could afford a bumper. Right now all ive got is max trax, hitch shackle, and tow strap

 

I’ve got a lithium powered Echo that works great. It’s not light though, the battery is a brick. Not a tremendous convenience over gas, with the exception of being a lot quieter.

 

Glad I live in a safe area. Not that I recommend this, but generally every morning I stop at the gas station for coffee and leave my keys in ignition, truck running, iPhone on the passenger seat. Started locking my truck at work tho, and one time I was working in the city and some guy went thru my toolbox (that I still haven’t locked in months)

 

Gee sounds like we had a few dueling engineers.

Need to unstick a truck? All you need is a chain, a tractor and a redneck. If he can’t get it done, he’ll just call his cousin with a bigger tractor.

 

I was buried in fine powder a few years ago on White mountain in Big Bear. I had a winch in my garage but had not installed it yet.



This was before I got it frame deep in the stuff. No amount of digging or snatch straps would get me out. I just kept getting deeper.
It took another rig with a winch to pull me out. The traction pads in the picture were just sucked underground. It was much steeper than it looks.

Now I have a Relentless hidden bumper with a winch for the next time.





If you have a pavement princess I guess you wont ever need one.

 

I've been driving off road, and on poorly maintained roads for over 40 years with no winch. When I was younger I managed to get myself out of several jams using other techniques and the help of friends. But 2 years ago hunting in Colorado, 1500 miles from home and 20+ miles from pavement I almost got stuck twice that week.

Once due to deep snow. The 2nd time later in the week after the snow melted I slid into a ditch due to the mud. I managed to get myself out with no help. But decided a winch would be a good idea and would be a lot easier.

 

I don't think it's up for debate whether a winch is an important recovery tool. It's pretty much the ultimate in terms of getting yourself (or someone else) out of an impossible situation. That being said, what IS up for debate is whether YOUR typical use presents the need for such equipment. Realistically, only you can answer that question.

For me, the answer was clear....the majority of the miles my truck will see are on a paved road. Thus, not having a 60lb rock attached to the truck is a big win. Additionally, not having the winch (and synthetic rope) exposed to the elements all the time was also a huge plus.

But ultimately, my choice was based on a combination of the above AND the types of situations I found myself in during my years of offroading. Based on experience, I have never needed to get winched up/over something. That tends to be the case because if I can't do it on my own with 3 locked diffs and 4 LO, I probably shouldn't be going any further. But situations where you screw up and need to pull yourself (or someone else) out are somewhat likely. The biggest use case I found myself wanting to solve was situations where I've made a grave mistake and do NOT want to go further. (AKA: I need a way to un-fuck my current state.) With that in mind, a winch at the back was an absolute MUST.

So a removable winch gave me the ability to do all of that with ease. I created a system where I had power connections at the front and the rear of the truck that the winch simply plugs into. I have a "master switch" that can hold 400A continuous power that resides under the hood. I keep it off day to day but flip it on when needed. I also have the ability to specify power to the front, power to the back, or both. It also works great for jumping cars with dead batteries.

 

This gives me flashbacks. My worst extraction experience includes a stuck recovery tractor. Something I would not have had to deal with had I had a winch.

 

didn't know you could put 3 lockers into a 2nd gen TRD Sport!

This seems like a great setup...to have it available for use at the back which can be an important recovery point, especially trying to back out of a risky spot after driving/getting stuck into it.
Been eyeing that (Mobtown?) front bar. Although it may add some weight, it also adds good recovery hook points and is still somewhat aerodynamic...
And rear steel bumpers usually don't come with winch like fronts do...

been on some gnarly trails
all the pavement princesses are in California

 

Threads like this make me want to eat a tide pod.

 

You can add front or rear lockers to any 4×4 trim, if I'm not mistaken. I actually tried the rear locker recently and really appreciate having it!

 

His point was only 2 differentials even exist in that truck.