What if your Wheels could become your Winches? New Product from Australia (1 Viewer)

[Charlie Aubin]

Some time ago, our family businesss decided to add 4wd hire to our adventure boat hire and fishing lodge business in Cairns, Australia.

We knew our customers wanted to experience real off road tracks and not be restricted like other 4wd hire companies - they do not permit you to actually go ‘off-road’. On the same token, we didn’t want to allow tracks that were too dangerous, and our proximity to a mountain range with many old disused mining and logging tracks dictated some common sense. After all, Cairns is not called the ‘wet tropics’ for nothing. So we decided to have a close look at as many tracks as we could find and create a map.

The Telegraph Track, Cape York is, by far the most iconic, so we packed up a Troopy and off we went. The track had been closed for some months due to a heavy wet season and we were lucky enough to be one of the first couple of vehicles allowed through. This meant we pretty well had it to ourselves and pulled more than a few fallen trees off parts of the tracks, and tested new formed creek crossings, of which there were hundreds.

It was on the way back from the tip of Cape York in the Old Telegraph section that we got so heavily stuck in mud that we couldn’t get out using the front mounted winch because we had to reverse out, and our hand winch kept breaking. Jacking and packing was not working and our traction boards were useless since we were completely bottomed out in very sloppy mud. With no other vehicles expected for assistance, things were getting desperate – the nearest farm was around for 40 or 50kms. And of course it had started to rain.

The creek waters were starting to run and were rising where we were bogged, add to that the fact we were in croc country. Watching the wheels spin in the mud every recovery attempt, it dawned after 6 long hours that if we could harness the wheels power we could get the vehicle to safety. That’s when the BOG OUT technique was born.

It’s an unbelievably simple solution that is extremely reliable and effective in pretty well every recovery situation. “You’ve got 4 wheels and an engine, why not use them?” BOG OUT works forwards or reverse and is so compact, can even fit in a glove box. They’re so strong, we’ve never had one returned broken!

The product is high quality hand- made, manufactured around Cairns where we have grown the family business. We love camping and fishing and generally hanging out at the beach and we’re dedicated to discovering practical solutions to help our lifestyle to be adventurous and most importantly, safe. This all comes from half a century of bushcraft experience, our motto is ‘quick, smart, safe’.

HOW BOG OUT WORKS

1. Attach one end to the bogged wheel
2. Secure the other end to an anchor point
3. Slowly drive out

Works in forwards or reverse
Effective in mud, sand, snow
Compact and easy to store (eg Twin Pack fits under a seat and weighs 4.8 lbs)
Versatile - can be used as a tow rope too.

Each BOG OUT is 14.7 foot long (4.5m), and has a break strain of 3.8Tons. The angle of recovery is highly efficient - your vehicle is recovered from the lowest point of your car. So load is considerably reduced and your vehicle is recovered upwards and out of any bogged situation.

Made in Australia, BOG OUT is safe, reliable and strong. The product has been tested and popular in Australia for over 5 years and we have just launched in the US via Amazon. Link to Amazon

This is not just a new product but a new technique, so we thank IH8MUD and members for your interest and let us know your questions. Note, we are currently running a 20% discount - this is a limited offer, each coupon is unique and if you are interested then you will need to message us.

Kind regards
Charlie and Paul

 

[RiverRatMatt]

Really good idea! Going to have to look into these.

I was curious about how they go on and off once used, the video on your web site helped a lot. Do they just come off the sides after use?

 

[Charlie Aubin]

Hi @RiverRatMatt

Thank you for your questions. There are two different ways you can attach to your wheel.
1) Method 1 - through the rim using 1 x red tie
2) Method 2 - form a snare (either use red ties or small soft shackles)

To remove BOG OUT after recovery, first untie your anchor point and then you can slowly keep moving in the same direction until safe to reverse OR pull to the side, drive over, loop off and repeat. Did you see this video? Link to Removing BOG OUT on Youtube

For Black Friday / Cyber Monday, Amazon.com has Twin Packs reduced to USD $199 plus save another $20 at check out. Link to Amazon Store.

Thanks for your interest and your question.

 

[Mark W]

It never hurts to have an extra tool in the box. If your usage of a rig was almost all on road with a very rare venture off the pavement, a pair of these would be a lot better to have than nothing at all if you found yourself in the classic "damn I almost made it" situation. Well, a pair of these and enough additional line to reach an anchor point. But I really can not see any advantage over a real winch and I can see a lot of drawbacks.

But sometimes a particular tool is just the right one for a particular situation.

You could easily rigs something like this up yourself from some winch line, either at home or in the field. But for the price of these, I doubt that you could justify the materials or your time rather than just purchasing a set if you wanted to add this to your kit.

Mark...

 

[Charlie Aubin]

Hi Mark

Thank you for your comments. Yes, it's very important to have the right tools to suit you and your vehicle. We are testing the marketplace via Amazon with our Twin pack though we sell 15m Super Rope extension and soft shackles from our online store.

We recommend against trying to make these yourself - BOG OUT is designed as a harness to correctly capture the wheel. This system is very strong and you do not want it to slip and catch. The product is well designed and made in Australia from high quality materials. It can be used over and over again. It can be easily washed and dried out if required.

Best regards
Charlie

 

[MountaineerLC]

I've got to admit I was skeptical, but after a little research, Bog Out seems to be a very eloquent solution for a lot of recovery situations. Certainly a lot faster and less labor intensive than a come along for those of us without traditional winches.

 

[Charlie Aubin]

I've got to admit I was skeptical, but after a little research, Bog Out seems to be a very eloquent solution for a lot of recovery situations. Certainly a lot faster and less labor intensive than a come along for those of us without traditional winches.

Thanks for your kind words, @MountaineerLC - the product was in R&D for about 10 years before we launched in Australia in September 2014. The inventor, had spent a lot of time on yachts and fishing before he started a 4WD and Fishing Lodge and when he was desparate and heavily bogged at gunshot, the light bulb went off. We have many customers who are not able to fit winches and other customers who carry winches on the front of their vehicle but like to keep BOG OUT for when they want to reverse.

 

[Charlie Aubin]

I've got to admit I was skeptical, but after a little research, Bog Out seems to be a very eloquent solution for a lot of recovery situations. Certainly a lot faster and less labor intensive than a come along for those of us without traditional winches.

Thanks for your kind words, @MountaineerLC - the product was in R&D for about 10 years before we launched in Australia in September 2014. The inventor, had spent a lot of time on yachts and fishing before he started a 4WD and Fishing Lodge and when he was desparate and heavily bogged at gunshot, the light bulb went off. We have many customers who are not able to fit winches and other customers who carry winches on the front of their vehicle but like to keep BOG OUT for when they want to reverse.

 

[Charlie Aubin]

I've got to admit I was skeptical, but after a little research, Bog Out seems to be a very eloquent solution for a lot of recovery situations. Certainly a lot faster and less labor intensive than a come along for those of us without traditional winches.

Thanks for your kind words, @MountaineerLC - the product was in R&D for about 10 years before we launched in Australia in September 2014. The inventor, had spent a lot of time on yachts and fishing before he started a 4WD and Fishing Lodge and when he was desparate and heavily bogged at gunshot, the light bulb went off. We have many customers who are not able to fit winches and other customers who carry winches on the front of their vehicle but like to keep BOG OUT for when they want to reverse.

 

[Charlie Aubin]

I've got to admit I was skeptical, but after a little research, Bog Out seems to be a very eloquent solution for a lot of recovery situations. Certainly a lot faster and less labor intensive than a come along for those of us without traditional winches.

Thanks for your kind words, @MountaineerLC - the product was in R&D for about 10 years before we launched in Australia in September 2014. The inventor, had spent a lot of time on yachts and fishing before he started a 4WD and Fishing Lodge and when he was desparate and heavily bogged at gunshot, the light bulb went off. We have many customers who are not able to fit winches and other customers who carry winches on the front of their vehicle but like to keep BOG OUT for when they want to reverse.

 

[e9999]

This is a very clever idea indeed. No experience with it in practice, and the devil is in the details, of course, but interesting. At a good price point and if effective, I would be tempted even with a big winch already up front. What I find most intriguing is the reversing capability. I am wondering, though, about whether -when attached to a one point anchor- the ladder will stay spread wide enough to not bunch up on the tire tread as you come closer to the end?

 

[ChaseTruck]

I've noticed that the videos for this product show vehicles with really small tires - is that simply a reflection of the legal limitations on tire sizes in Australia? I can see that on a small tire, the harness would sort-of center itself on the tire.
So what about vehicles with tires such as 35s or 37s, 12.5 to 14.5" wide? What's the largest tire that the system can handle?

 

[Charlie Aubin]

I've noticed that the videos for this product show vehicles with really small tires - is that simply a reflection of the legal limitations on tire sizes in Australia? I can see that on a small tire, the harness would sort-of center itself on the tire.
So what about vehicles with tires such as 35s or 37s, 12.5 to 14.5" wide? What's the largest tire that the system can handle?

I've noticed that the videos for this product show vehicles with really small tires - is that simply a reflection of the legal limitations on tire sizes in Australia? I can see that on a small tire, the harness would sort-of center itself on the tire.
So what about vehicles with tires such as 35s or 37s, 12.5 to 14.5" wide? What's the largest tire that the system can handle?

Hi @ChaseTruck - BOG OUT works on all vehicles with tread widths of 165mm (6 ½”) to 345mm (13 ½”). This is our standard size, the system could be custom made to fit any wider tyre but this has proved most popular for us in Australia. So interested to hear if most folks have wider wheels in the States.

 

[mudgudgeon]

This is not just a new product but a new technique,

Not really a new technique. Perhaps a variation of a theme.
There's other products that use driven wheels as part of a winching system

I've personally improvised similar with a couple of long straps to self recover from a muddy gully by wrapping the strap around both front tires and tying off to a tree.

This either needs a locked axle, or a strap to each wheel on an axle other wise wheel spin will prevent it working.

It could be a useful option to have in a vehicle that doesn't often go off-road as a light weight, compact piece of recovery kit.

My scenario, a winch would have had me out in a snap. Or a set of snow chains.

 

[Charlie Aubin]

Not really a new technique. Perhaps a variation of a theme.
There's other products that use driven wheels as part of a winching system

I've personally improvised similar with a couple of long straps to self recover from a muddy gully by wrapping the strap around both front tires and tying off to a tree.

This either needs a locked axle, or a strap to each wheel on an axle other wise wheel spin will prevent it working.

It could be a useful option to have in a vehicle that doesn't often go off-road as a light weight, compact piece of recovery kit.

My scenario, a winch would have had me out in a snap. Or a set of snow chains.

Yes, the Twin is the preferred product due to the diff deciding which wheel to spin, though a single will work in lightly bogged situations. I'm glad a strap worked for you, though we don't really recommend this technique since it can slip. Our product is designed as a harness to capture your wheel. Thank you for your input and you might like this youtube: Bogged in Mud