Electric vs Manual winch

[HopLite]

In the battle between hydraulic and electric winches...I have decided to go electric (please, this is not the question for this thread...).

BUT, in the battle between electric and manual, I am torn. I was thinking:
9k+lb main electric with manual winch back-up for off-kilter situations
- or -
7k+lb main manual with smaller manual winch back-up for off-kilter situations

Electric requires a winch bumper, upgraded wiring, exposure to the elements, the potential for theft, increased front end weight, and cannot (should not) be used when soaked.

Manual winches (I'm thinking Black Rat) are comparably small and light, very reliable, stowable within the vehicle (protection from people and the elements), and can be used regardless of engine and battery condition.

Application:
I don't intend to get myself into winch situations so I will not be heavily relying upon a winch. My goal is simplicity and reliability.

As I lack the experience in the expedition arena, I would very much appreciate some external perspectives...

 

[Johnny_boy_1984]

I am thinking the same thing. Also the price of a manual winch is a lot cheaper.
But I also have no experience with winching.

 

[soenke]

as long as you avoid situations requiring a winch, a manual for emergency situations will do fine....
We have had a manual traveling with BJ45 and HZJ78 mostly in Afrika and I only used it twice in almost 20 years as a body dent puller

Rebuilding our car and traveling more northbound with plenty of fords and river crossings we decided for an elektrik winch with Dynema cable to save weight. Ours is mounted in front (once I decided I have to pass the obstacle there is just one way ahead ), but in the rear we have electical supply by a NATO plug and a VARIO Block System, so I could use a small winch here as well...
You could use a multi mount system to store the winch inside the car and use it either front or rear. This way the winches are mounted on most icelandic rigs.
(have a look at the picture of the HDJ80 Nobrks posted in Traveling in Iceland)

 

[JohnnyC]

a friend used to have an 8274 mounted on a manual frame...quick disconects on the electrical ends...the frame has a male end receiver tube attached as well as d-rings to chain it to the truck...his truck had receiver front and rear...if he has a pic i can send it to ya

 

[sandcruiser]

If you are getting the winch just for "in case", go with the mechanical unit. It will be sufficient for you needs and be better in terms of storage/cost/weight/reliability.

I had a superwinch mounted to the front of our truck on a year-long trip through Central America. I think I self-recovered just one time, and that one time I would have been happier to have a winch on the back (or side) of the truck.

If I were to get ready for the trip again- I'd take the biggest black rat winch and be happy with that.

to me, the big advantage is that you can pull yourself backward or sideways.

Also the electric winch really needs a bigger bumper, it reduces your approach angle, it requires extra springs up front. None of those are good things on an expedition-style vehicle.

On the other hand- I have done trails where we winched through about 10 different sections, using an entire length of rope each time. To have done that with a manual winch would have been horrible. Absolutely exhausting. We would have turned back and taken a different route....

and if you are traveling with more than 1 vehicle, again it is awfully nice if someone has an electric winch.

Final point for manual winch as an emergency tool is that a LOT has to go wrong to make the mechanical winch stop working. If the cable breaks... no worries, just re-thread and use the longer portion of the broken cable. if the sheer pin breaks, Black Rat provides you with spare pins in the handle. If the handle bends, you can use a pipe/tree branch, tie rod... all sorts of options.

For an electric winch, a lot can fail to make the winch not work. If the charging system is pooched, you won't winch long. If the motor is dead, you won't winch very far, if the power cables are corroded/worn, you might not winch at all. If the winch is full of water and crud, but you don't notice for a while-- no winching for you.

of course, having said all of that-- I've got an electric winch but I wish that on our trip I had carried a hand winch instead.

 

[Gold Boy]

it's better to have both.

1st a manual winch and 2nd electric.

to many things can happen to a electric winch to render it useless, but its convenience and pulling power make it a necessity.

a manual winch for times when the electric fails and for when a electric is not required, a simple and reliable backup.

a one year expedition or fifty miles back in a BC forest can equal the same in terms of disaster.

 

[sandcruiser]

fair enough, both is better than just one. No doubt. I'd start with a mechanical winch... then if funds permit, get an electric one later.

 

[rusty_tlc]

a friend used to have an 8274 mounted on a manual frame...quick disconects on the electrical ends...the frame has a male end receiver tube attached as well as d-rings to chain it to the truck...his truck had receiver front and rear...if he has a pic i can send it to ya

He must be one buff mutha. An 8274 is heavy, even with synthetic line.

 

[HopLite]

Thank you for the thoughts.

I'll stick with the largest Black Rat for now. I'll likely go OME heavy/heavy that will allow for future increased weight up front (funny how a winch question becomes suspension...).

 

[JohnnyC]

He must be one buff mutha. An 8274 is heavy, even with synthetic line.

He is a no-neck hawaiian who was a flanker (rugby) when we went to college together.

for the most part it stayed on the front of his Box Bronco ...
he would still just drop it down and drag it by the chains to the rear when he needed to.

only once did i see him lift it and put it on the rear...the other 2 times he used it while i was there....he chained it to the rig and winched it that way...maybe not the safeset...but...i think the chains he used weighed as much as me at the time