How Strong "come along" do I need

Yes, those are nice. They have been a favorite in the farming community for 80 years for extracting farming equipment bogged in mud. There is also a cheaper knockoff made in China that looks exactly the same marketed by American Power Pull but from what I have read the metal castings are suspect and prone to breakage. The Wyeth Scott More Power Pullers seem to be handed down generations on the farm. You can find a few well used ones on Ebay. (wow, I sound like a commercial).

 

Please keep in mind that when stuff breaks with 4,700+ lbs of tension, there is a lot of chance of injury and death.

 

This is true of a come-along and true of a remotely controlled winch. A hook that is not secured properly, a poor connection to the vehicle or anchor point, a cable that is not inspected periodically, failure to operate properly, etc. There are some unique considerations for using a manually operated device, but you need to operate ANY winch safely. People have been decapitated operating a winch sitting in the cab. Don't buy safety equipment, throw it in/on the truck and wait to use it when you need it. Learn the proper techniques and PRACTICE them ahead of time when you are not in hurried conditions.

The one thing that I don't want to allow into the equation is equipment that is not constructed properly.

 

Yeah it weighs 26 pounds so this is the one I would buy. (If I could afford one) I don't get off the hard roads so I guess I don't need one.

 

When it comes to hoisting or pulling gear, please don't buy cheap Chinese made crap. It's for your own safety.

Love,
Your friendly neighborhood lifting & handling guy

 

Here are a couple of examples of industrial grade hoists. Note that when they are rated for 1-2 ton operation that is 2 tons lifted overhead meeting ANSI standards of a 4x safety margin. Not sure how this would compare to the "pulling" capacity of a cheap Chinese come along but it likely is at least a 4x factor and maybe more for some. More importantly it is going to operate more smoothly, be less likely to fail, and have safety features that limit the ability to over-load it.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lug-All-300...197870?hash=item3abb57d1ae:g:7mUAAOSwKtlWmCmS

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-TON-20-LU...284159?hash=item3ad36dafbf:g:7ssAAOSwMmBV0Hof

http://www.ebay.com/itm/LITTLE-MULE...828882?hash=item3f5d27cc12:g:NcEAAOSwll1WzycA

 

I've used a come-along many times. Mostly just to wiggle free from something or pick up something heavy. I have not used one to pull the truck around exclusively. That's what friends trucks are for.

Pro-tip, use a pulley at an angle so if anything snaps it doesn't immediately go for your face.

+1 on not buying cheap crap too.