Portable Hand Winch / Cable Puller

I am in the market for a portable hand winch. I have basically narrowed things down to the following options:

Wyeth-Scott - 6 ton pulling Capacity - 35' Synthetic Rope
https://www.westechrigging.com/wyet...ductid=wyeth-scott-3-35-a-slt&channelid=FROOG

Magna (Tirfor) - 3.5 ton pulling capacity - 65'+ cable
https://www.westechrigging.com/magna-wrp-300.html

ARB Magnum (Tirfor) - 2.5 ton pulling capacity - 65'+ cable
https://www.quadratec.com/products/91109_4310_07.htm

I am inclined to get a Tirfor type winch as pulling the slack out of the cable is quicker, pull lengths are greater (handy when using a pulley), and the winch is more versatile for other duties than recovery, such as tree falling, vertical hoist, etc. I haven't made up my mind yet, though, and would be interested in any other options. Keep in mind that I want a winch I can use separate from my vehicle for other duties other than recovery.

I realize a hi-lift can be used as a winch also, but the process for using it as a winch is preposterous.

Lastly, what would one consider to be the minimum pulling capacity one would want to use for pulling a Tacoma out of a difficult situation?

 

I used to use a 4-ton Griphoist Tirfor while working for the Forest Service to move boulders and trees to close spur trails, and to recover stuck fire trucks, they are awesome. I looked for some used ones on EBay, but went with a Warn mounted on a reciever hitch mount instead (I have front and rear trailer hitches and so I can easily directly pull from either end with the winch). Hand winches are great, but you also need a driver to do many types of recoveries with winches, so for me, hand winches were not going to work.

 

Thanks for the reply. Looked at the dimensions and weight of the 4ton griphoists (TU-34). Holy cow those things are beasts! The Magna model above is pretty big and heavy as well. The ARB unit would likely be more feasible to lug around and use for my needs. I'll just have to use a snatch block if I need more pulling capacity.

 

Yup- they do weigh a lot but I forgot about that part... I was a lot younger and in better shape back then working on fire crews. Also get extra shear pins for it if the ARB uses them like on the griphoist.

 

For less than the cost of your second choice, you can get a Warn Gen II 8000lb winch.

$551 Warn VR8 GEN II 8000lb Winch - 96800

https://www.4wheelparts.com/p/warn-vr8-gen-ii-8000lb-winch-96800/_/R-BCSQ-96800

As for pulling capacity I would think the same rules apply as to the powered winches, which is, iirc, 1.5-2x the weight of your rig.

 

I bought the More Power Puller 3t with 35' blue amsteel line, and I'm confident this thing will outlast me. I'll hand it down to one of my boys.
It is so well made, pulled me a couple times so far, and I'm more than willing to push my luck knowing I can depend on it.