Does anyone carry a PullPal and to they work good? (1 Viewer)

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Does anyone carry a PullPal and to they work good, and do you like it?

I find myself sometimes in really soft sand .. and most time we're with other vehicles, and I'm concerned going alone as there is nothing to hook a winch to.

Has any one used them on the mountain side with that broken quartz rock?

I've been debating getting one, but they seem kind of big and heavy to lug around.

PULLPAL.jpg
 
Seems debatable that they would work well in deep sand. The dug-in spare tire seems like it should work better, but that also may not be enough in some cases. But I have not tried either personally so I stand to be corrected.
Then again, at least with the (normal beach sand, not talcum-like) sand I'm familiar with, it seems very hard to get stuck if you use basic precautions. I do not worry much about that, honestly.
 
I used one once, in a Bill Burke class. They work in the right conditions - ground soft enough for it to dig into, but not so soft of sand that it pulls out. Once it digs in, it's not easy to get out either - had to dig it out with a shovel as I recall. It's a pretty specialized tool, not one you're likely to use every trip, but I guess it depends on where you wheel. Big and bulky enough that I would rather just carry a winch line extension, at least for the places I wheel.
 
Never seen or used a Pull-Pal.

But, I carry a 2 foot long piece of 4X8 and a short piece of 2" diameter pipe for an anchor.

To use, you must dig a little to place the 4X8 down about 18". Then wrap cable around 4X8 and pipe, bury and start recovery. I have never had it pull out. The pipe spreads the load over the 4X8 and is easier on cable.

Just and idea, and cost is low.
 
Never seen or used a Pull-Pal.

But, I carry a 2 foot long piece of 4X8 and a short piece of 2" diameter pipe for an anchor.

To use, you must dig a little to place the 4X8 down about 18". Then wrap cable around 4X8 and pipe, bury and start recovery. I have never had it pull out. The pipe spreads the load over the 4X8 and is easier on cable.

Just and idea, and cost is low.


Thanks I like that Idea!
 
I've seen that dead man in action and it sure looked like a lot of digging.

This is why I was thinking of the pull pal as it's no digging going in .. not sure how easy it can be pulled back out?

The sand I get in is call sugar sand, as it's white and really soft.
 
I have used pullpals and similar "non-branded" units. They do not dig well in rocky soil. In my experience they kinda suck in hard rocky soil. But I can't imagine getting my rig stuck in hard rocky soil conditions? Even in soft soil, I do not like setting one by myself. They are big. they are heavy. When they work, they *can* work great. But like any anchor for winch recovery, they do not work in every environment. I have not used them in soft sand. Soft sand would seem to be an easy ground type to set it in and not usually a stuck that calls for a lot of anchoring force.

Mark...
 
Up to now I have been using the tracks. (similar to max tracks just knock off's).
 
I would be surprised if you could put a pull pal in sand and it would not pull out or just move forward with a semi-serious winch tug... That thing does not have much cross sectional area. Somebody did that successfully?
 
I have used pullpals and similar "non-branded" units. They do not dig well in rocky soil. In my experience they kinda suck in hard rocky soil. But I can't imagine getting my rig stuck in hard rocky soil conditions? Even in soft soil, I do not like setting one by myself. They are big. they are heavy. When they work, they *can* work great. But like any anchor for winch recovery, they do not work in every environment. I have not used them in soft sand. Soft sand would seem to be an easy ground type to set it in and not usually a stuck that calls for a lot of anchoring force.

Mark...
Mark - Have you ever used a PullPal in the Alaska mud and mixed rock/muck? I've also considered getting one but more for cost
than weight. I tend to wander in the Yukon and N BC solo and keep wondering if one would be a good investment on top of
the extra wire rope I carry?
 
Mark - Have you ever used a PullPal in the Alaska mud and mixed rock/muck? I've also considered getting one but more for cost
than weight. I tend to wander in the Yukon and N BC solo and keep wondering if one would be a good investment on top of
the extra wire rope I carry?

All sorts of different mud. ;) If it is the thick peat/silt/clay mix that can really mire you, then the pull pall seems to work well. Especially if you can plant it in a spot with a heavier thicker mix then where you are stuck. Of course it might not get a bit until is is down DEEP, grabbing whatever layer is holding the water in to keep it muddy. If it is the thinner and more watery "beef stew bog", then you have to try to get it to bite into the vegetative mat. Sometimes that just can not provide the anchoring strength. They can bite surprisingly well when you can get them to actually set and dig in even in rockier soil. Getting one to set in rockier soil can be problematic. If they were not so big and heavy and potentially such a PITA to set, I would be more of a fan.

Mark...
 
What would be the way you would change the design? I've thought maybe separate 'wings' just to widen one
but not sure how to do that or weld on a bit to make it wider still. Sort of three points down instead of one.
I have seen one in action and having a leash chain from the top to grab on to and pull backwards for removal
worked well.
 
I considered fabbing one up with two blades spaced apart so that it was happier to stand up straight while you were setting it. I still think it is a viable approach, but it would be even heavier and more awkward to haul around than the pull pal is.

Instead I prototyped a completely different design. We were testing it, discovered an easily correctable weak link in our prototype and never put it back on the front burner. Basically it is a blade/shovelhead/whatever you want to call it, that you drive into the ground with a detachable shaft and driver. It turns like a duckbill anchor when the line load is applied. It can be removed with a second line that is pre-rigged and straightens it out when it is pulled, or it can be left in place. There are some places where we know that we will need to winch, so having an anchor permanently in place would be advantageous. We were working on a narrower one for rocky soil and a wider one for muddier conditions. Either one can be set as deep as you need. Our prototype was capable of being driven a full 6 foot deep if you were willing to do so.

One of these days I will make the time to finish that project up. The results were encouraging. The plan was to have multiple heads/anchors so that, along with leaving an anchor in place if so desired, you could also sink more than one in the event of an over the top stuckage. ;) The driver setup and a couple/few heads were still more compact and easier to carry than one of the pull pals. Ideally, *if* you can get the pull pall to set, it would be easier than driving the anchors in. But that has always been a bit of an "if" for me.

Mark...
 
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Mark, perhaps you could make a bull bar mount for the thing that would serve a dual purpose. I have always wanted a tooth of a Narwhal Whale mounted up front for targeting purposes but they are hard to come by down here. This winch anchor, mounted on the Bull Bar could serve as a deterrent to foolish and discourteous drivers and a point of impact with large hoofed mammals. For extra reach it could be mounted in a pneumatic tube so it is launchable. That way you could send it out 40 yards on synthetic line and not get your boots muddy trying to set it. Dual purpose as extra reach for disciplining said discourteous drivers.
 
Launchable winch anchor... sort of like Batman's grappling hook! You should patent that!

Mark...
 
Up to now I have been using the tracks. (similar to max tracks just knock off's).

How did they work for you? They seem to work well in a lot of sandy conditions that I have seen...
 
The tracks work great in the flat or down grade, and they are fast and really easy to use. They also work well in snow and mud.

An upgrade of really soft stuff tracks will get you out, then your stuck again 6 feet later.
 
I would be surprised if you could put a pull pal in sand and it would not pull out or just move forward with a semi-serious winch tug... That thing does not have much cross sectional area. Somebody did that successfully?

I have one that I used in the desert around Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It works just fine in soft sand. Softer than anything I've ever seen in Florida. But it will travel 6-10 feet horizontally and dig really really deep (the whole thing can end up a foot or two below the surface) before it builds up enough resistance to grab. Its also a real pain to get back out if you don't leave another line on it to pull it out backwards when you're done. But is VERY heavy and awkward to store. We rarely carried it when there was another vehicle along, and we rarely went out as singles. The spare tire trick is also a lot easier in sand than most other types of digging.

For the weight and bulk, I think you would get a lot more use out of a set of max trax, but if you decide to go with a Pull Pal, it will definitely work in sand.
 

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