Removable Winch (1 Viewer)

[stevebradford]

Just finished my latest project. I had a dilemma, I have two cruisers and one winch. I was tired of my winch sitting on my bumper Rusting/rotting as I drive to the grocery store and back all winter.

My plan was to have the winch mounted to a hitch insert so I could move it from the front bumper to the rear bumper on both trucks and also possibly my trailer.

Well you say... what about approach angles? What about getting stuck and having to slog threw the mud to slide it into the other bumper? Centre mounted winch blah blah..

I can’t remember the last time I was stuck off road and needed my winch.. actually that’s a lie it wasn’t all that long ago My cruisers are more farm trucks than wheelers. I do more 5000k highway road trips in them than muding.

Here is what happened. I’m thinking I probably won’t even paint it.. I will just let it accumulate paint in the the grocery store parking lot.

 

[seapotato]

Handsome Honda basher.

I considered doing something like that, it'd be nice not to use several gallons of diesel per year to transport the heavy lumps back and forth.

Just too damn heavy for my old man spine to lump around tho. Hurts just thinking about it.

Maybe that little 6k I got from @cruisedeisel on a mount for the ass ends tho... it's a fair bit lighter than the Ramsey and bigger warns.

 

[GTSSportCoupe]

Nice work @stevebradford . I've thought of doing something similar many times. It makes the most sense. I use my cruiser for practical road purposes 99% of the time too. And I like the option of using it in front or back.

Although currently my winch/bumper are keeping the front my truck from lifting off the ground while towing my camper....haha. Well, not quite, but it does give things a much more solid feeling. Similar concept to this I guess:

 

[cruiserpilot]

Cut that lower cross tube off.
Drop the box you made into the area behind the bumper where it would normally go.
The winch pulls forward, lose a whole bunch of weight from the box you made using
the front bumper plate as normal. Couple of smaller bolts just to hold it from bouncing.
Same for the 40, more than enough room behind the bumper. Just leave the fairleads on
each bumper, pull cable and use a shackle instead of a hook. I threw hooks away five yrs ago

 

[stevebradford]

Anyone have a good place to go for synthetic rope my cable is getting staby. I could put new steel rope on I get it for free (Hemp core) and i still might put a free 8mm or 10mm on and snatch block it but I want to check out the synthetic.

also still mildly looking around for a fairlead

 

[cruiserpilot]

I see
Ranger 3/8" X 100' UHMWPE Synthetic winch rope on Amazon.
$129
I bought
X-BULL 3/8" X 100' SK75 DYNEEMA Synthetic towing winch cable
$129
My buddy showed it to me in April, and I guess with pandemic the price was only $99,
now it's $129. I bought two, I'm going to splice one back into itself. I'll keep the other
as a winch spare ( in case I break the wire rope - ROFL! like that will happen ) but it weighs nothing
and sits there until needed.

 

[PeeZed]

I replaced my cable with synthetic from Freedom Recovery Gear. Out of Kamloops area. Excellent products.

Home - Freedom Recovery Gear

Recovery Products For Recreational Off-Road Vehicle Drivers Freedom Recovery Gear was founded in 2019 with the vision of producing honestly rated recovery products for recreational...

freedomrecoverygear.com

 

[seapotato]

Those soft shackles are a cool idea. Cut down on shackles becoming missiles.
I have a full set of splicing tools for amsteel rope and a fair bit of line. I should make a few. Good job for a night shift.

Mind you... A guy should be still be able to tie a bowline with one hand while mostly naked , upside down and under water. (Long story )

 

[bikersmurf]

Those soft shackles are a cool idea. Cut down on shackles becoming missiles.
I have a full set of splicing tools for amsteel rope and a fair bit of line. I should make a few. Good job for a night shift.

Mind you... A guy should be still be able to tie a bowline with one hand while mostly naked , upside down and under water. (Long story )

One handed yes... upside down and naked.,, can’t say I know... or want to see that.

 

[cruiserpilot]

Mind you... A guy should be still be able to tie a bowline with one hand while mostly naked , upside down and under water. (Long story )

Maybe your wife should have used a golf club, like Tigers ex, instead of trying to drown you
in the pond.

 

[seapotato]

Y'all just had to go there, not seeing the perfectly PRACTICAL reasons for being naked.

Fiiine I'll tell you.

A long time ago, somewhere in the middle of the pacific ocean...

The sea was angry that day my friends.

So I was on watch, boats beating upwind and it's about 2am, hot out and windy enough that the bow is burying every minute or two, tons of water blasting over the deck and generally a soaking wet ride.

We'd bought a spool of cheap 3/8 line for lashing things down on deck, turned out it was coreless junk that chaffed through pretty quickly. So the dinghy starts bouncing around, I clip on and go forward and sure enough as I'm tying it back down, a wave goes completely over the bow and I'm soaked. Finish tying loose s*** off, and go back and get changed.

Half hour later, it starts again. Cept now it's the lashing down on the leeward side that's come loose.

Well **** he says. I know I'm just going to get soaked again so I strip off and throw a rain jacket on. So now I'm up on the bow trying to tie off the lower side of the dinghy hanging practically upside down over top of it, bare arse aimed at the breeze, dangly bits fluttering nervously in anticipation.

As I'm tying this famous bowline, one of those green waves that always shows up at the wrong time arrives. Hits my bare ass like a freight train and turns my rain coat into a giant funnel. Water is blasting out of the collar around my head like a freaking fire hose. Like using old faithful as a bidet.

Once I can see again and get back in a position where I can hang on and get back to figuring out which way is right side up , I finish lashing off the dinghy because the bowline I'd tied was perfect despite the conditions under which it came to exist.

Short while later, reclothed and sitting back in cockpit behind dodger my dad comes on deck.

"anything happen? heard some swearing"

"nah. all good. Here's the rest of that s***ty spool of line we bought".

"ah".

Next morning I come on deck and see there's another set of clothes clipped to the rail, and a lot less of that s***ty ****ing spool of line.

"anything happen?"

"nah"

See? Practical.

 

[PG45er]

Y'all just had to go there, not seeing the perfectly PRACTICAL reasons for being naked.

Fiiine I'll tell you.

A long time ago, somewhere in the middle of the pacific ocean...

The sea was angry that day my friends.

So I was on watch, boats beating upwind and it's about 2am, hot out and windy enough that the bow is burying every minute or two, tons of water blasting over the deck and generally a soaking wet ride.

We'd bought a spool of cheap 3/8 line for lashing things down on deck, turned out it was coreless junk that chaffed through pretty quickly. So the dinghy starts bouncing around, I clip on and go forward and sure enough as I'm tying it back down, a wave goes completely over the bow and I'm soaked. Finish tying loose s*** off, and go back and get changed.

Half hour later, it starts again. Cept now it's the lashing down on the leeward side that's come loose.

Well f*** he says. I know I'm just going to get soaked again so I strip off and throw a rain jacket on. So now I'm up on the bow trying to tie off the lower side of the dinghy hanging practically upside down over top of it, bare arse aimed at the breeze, dangly bits fluttering nervously in anticipation.

As I'm tying this famous bowline, one of those green waves that always shows up at the wrong time arrives. Hits my bare ass like a freight train and turns my rain coat into a giant funnel. Water is blasting out of the collar around my head like a freaking fire hose. Like using old faithful as a bidet.

Once I can see again and get back in a position where I can hang on and get back to figuring out which way is right side up , I finish lashing off the dinghy because the bowline I'd tied was perfect despite the conditions under which it came to exist.

Short while later, reclothed and sitting back in cockpit behind dodger my dad comes on deck.

"anything happen? heard some swearing"

"nah. all good. Here's the rest of that s***ty spool of line we bought".

"ah".

Next morning I come on deck and see there's another set of clothes clipped to the rail, and a lot less of that s***ty f***ing spool of line.

"anything happen?"

"nah"

See? Practical.

Good story..... a couple of visuals I could have done without though. Oh well, I don't really need breakfast anyway