hand winch

Everyone wonders why China pwns us. This is made in America, of cast iron and can be repaired. Will last a lifetime, not one use, throw away and buy another from PRC.

 

i have an 8000 pound come along i got from harbor freight for like idk cheap

its got me out of quite a few sticky situations

 

Wow, lots of things going on here, and we're getting dangerously close to some safety hazards. I'd like to add a few comments:

Excellent point. cheapest, most versatile option. It can be used as a come-along with the ORK kit, or can be used to lift a tire (with the right accessory) so you can stick stuff underneath for better traction. Keep in mind that it is very important to know how this device works; otherwise it can be the most dangerous tool you have.

This is a possible option, but overall not that great. Here's why:

-You will have to use the the pulley EVERY time to ensure a safe pull. That's added work.
-your small electric winch is $200. Add a pulley for $55, That's now $255. It comes with 55' of 1/4" thick wire rope. Since you have to use that pulley each time, which cuts distance in half, you better make sure your anchor point is only 25' away, otherwise you need to add about $150 - $200 for a winch line extension. I say extension because I'm not sure you could add an additional 100' of rope to that winch's drum. Keep in mind now, you will also need an additional d-ring shackle to connect that extension, so you add on a negligible $15. You are now at $420-$450.

Why didn't you just start with a

$595 Superwinch 1585202 LP8500 Winch Gen II 12 VDC 8500lbs/3856kg, steel hawse, handheld remote

Superwinch LP8500 or a

Smittybilt 97281 XRC-8 8000 lbs Winch

Smittybuilt XRC8?


Second, you said something about wrapping around the tow ball. THE TOW BALL IS NOT A SAFE RECOVERY POINT.
The tow ball can break off and become a missle.
You should ONLY use fully-enclosed loops mounted to the frame of the vehicle when you need a recovery point.

^^^ listen to this guy. A recovery strap should be your first option. Fastest setup, least amount of danger when executed properly, least overhead cost.

Important note here! Zombie Runner mentioned a recovery strap. jbrandt mentions a tow strap. The lingo can be confusing, but there can be differences! What I'm getting at is the difference between a dynamic strap and a static strap.
A dynamic strap has elasticity. It is good for use between two vehicles. I'm not being very eloquent right now, but basically it gives somewhere for the force in the pull to go (one vehicle goes out, strap stretches, strap tries to get back to normal shape, stuck truck gets pulled)
A static strap has no or very little elasticity. It is good for use with a winch, which is a static pull. In this case you don't want elasticity because you want a solid constant pull. Elasticity would cause a sudden jump forward, plus can bind up the winch line

In general,
Tow strap as a constant pull
Recovery strap as a get-unstuck pull

you are mixing static and dynamic lines. Don't. They are for different types of pulling.
Chains are especially dangerous in dynamic pulls, they can't handle sudden increases in pressure. They could be used in winching, but you have to be very well trained to ensure they are properly rated, inspected, etc.

That hand winch has synthetic line and looks to be cast steel, not that cheap tin thing you and I have from harbor freight.

EDIT: I should add, a hand winch can be an effective tool, I used it once to move a boulder when there was no other option. Note that I don't recommend this pull (especially since I just got done talking about dynamic and static lines, lol), but you can see how it can work for an emergency. The hand winch is mounted between a tree and the recovery strap.

 

I agree with Zombie Runner, get a Recover Strap (those are the elastic, dynamic ones that stretch somewhat under tension). Get a long one.

Attach from stuck vehicle frame to recovery vehicle frame. Floor it! That jolt/pop is your vehicle being forcibly "snapped" out of whatever situation it is in.

Hopefully this does not cause you to damage the stuck vehicle or the recovery vehicle, or drivers or occupants?

One guy (a good buddy of mine) did this on an outing and ripped his rear bumper off and crashed into a tree messing up his front bumper, hood, windshield, radiator, etc..

Guess he missed that part about "attaching strap to the vehicle frame".

Your mileage may vary... but likely you won't die or totally ruin your ride, probably.

Or, you could get a real winch (electric or hydraulic) A good Warn or Milemarker winch is only about 2k bucks and that'll safely and reliably extract you from most situations, even allowing for self recovery.

BTW- a hand crank setup is ridiculous. Seriously?

Have you ever pulled/tightened chain link fence with one of those? The spindle doesn't hold much line (maybe 15 feet max) and they slip and are prone to jamming.

 

I would have to agree. A hand winch or come along. Wouldnot be a very smart or safe way to extract your stuck vehicle. You have to ratchet that device by hand puting you right in the line of fire. If that thing breaks its coming right @ ya, in a blink of an eye. Better off wheelin with a another vehicle. Or if ya go it alone alot save your money & buy a good reliable electric winch. Its worth it in the long run. & if properly taken care of, will last you a lifetime. You really dont want take a chance of getting injured out in the middle of know where. Not to mention most of the come alongs ive seen are rated only @ or around 2k or 3k lbs. Do the math my reg cab 4x4 weighs around 4k lbs. & that is not factoring in the weight of resistance of what your stuck in.

 

This is why I recommend the "expensive" Wyeth Scott puller. Pull/drag rating quadruples with use of included snatch block. Plus, unlike an electric winch it requires no power source, can pull in any direction, and is portable. Handle supplied with winch is engineered to bend before you can apply enough pull to break anything. Not to mention you need to have either a custom bumper or winch mount on your rig to install an electric winch. These guys have been in business since the thirties...if it were crap, they wouldn't still be around. Many of us don't have the means to spend a couple Gs on an electric winch/bumper setup...this puller is a viable alternative.

 

good info, thanks.

 

If you want a reliable, good quality hand winch, THIS^^^^^^ is definately the way to go. I have one and it is sturdy beyond belief!!

 

So I'm on my phone and this response is going to be kind of crap looking, but here goes

NO. The correct method is to drive the recovery vehicle slowly forward to take up slack. Next, move people well away from the vehicles and straps. The recovery vehicle should now drive forward, increasing throttle as necessary. The rule in all things offloading is "as slow as possible, as fast as necessary".*

if there's a situation where the gear or the method makes you question your life, walk away from the situation or throw that gear away. You should be confident that your gear is rated for the recovery, is the proper gear, and is in good operation. My life > my Tacoma. Also remember the quote, "the only one watching out for yourself is you"

More like $1500 for the top end
If you don't use one much and won't be too far gone from civilization, you can safely go for something as inexpensive as harbor freight.*

yes, it's great when used in the proper situation. For instance, An offroad electric winch is great for getting unstuck, but it is unreliable and dangerous when used for vertical rigging.

 

Kinda what I was getting at, good post. Also, the d-rings/pulleys are just other links in the chain so to speak that can fail/break if not used correctly, and based on the setup, you would almost always be half assing something together.

 

lol kinda like the saying "buy once, cry once". Ive never regretted buying the more expensive options on things but I often wish I had the better version when I cheap out.

 

Thanks!

Lord help me if I know what that thing is Is it the same as a WARN multi-mount? If so, yeah that is fine, even for very tough winching.

I just did some research for fun, I didn't know this stuff before:

(surface resistance * vehicle weight) + (depth * vehicle weight) + (inclination * vehicle weight) = amount of force needed to get unstuck

sand is 25% of vehicle weight when calculating surface resistance

Assuming our Taco weighs 4200 and we are stuck axle-deep in sand on flat ground,

(25% * 4200) + (100% * 4200) + (0 * 4200) = 5250 lbs

If that changes to mud, change the surface resistance to 50%.


Source

 

A handwinch is better then no winch.

A Warn 9.5Ti would work too.