To Winch or not to Winch (1 Viewer)

[krich97]

OK so I don't rock crawl and Off road journeys are occasional not common :-\ . I only have the LC now and with two youngens, I guess I am in more family truckster mode for the time being. I like the idea of being self sufficient but it would be a while before I can get better suspension to deal with the extra weight.

Would I need dual batteries too?

ARB sells hand winches and I was wondering if those would be sufficient for the novice 4wheeler. Also you can use these front or rear.

The ARB winch mount bumper does not look as nice/clean as the non-winch mount, especially without the winch

Thanx for your thoughts

 

[Photoman]

No, you certainly don't need a winch. If you don't have one your less apt to do something stupid. Probably 95% of the time being stuck you can get out with a jack. Just takes a bit of time. Even with a winch, when you really bury it in mud or snow, you still have to get the wheels back up for the winch to work. No, you don't need dual batteries with a winch either. A winch takes a lot of amps to run; but for just a simple pull, one battery is fine. You can always just run the motor up for awhile a build the battery back up.
Since the drugs are working good today I'll tell you a story. My wife and I rented a "4" wheel drive in Central America which turned out to be a one wheel drive. So, I took a big run to cross a swamp and buried the thing bad. It took us 8 hours to get out with the jack that came with the thing but we did it. The crank handle looked like chrome when I was done from cranking it about a million times in my hands which were covered with sand.

Bill

 

[Junk]

Krich,
You don't need it dude. Photo is spot on as usual, but seriously, you do not need one. A lot of folks that wheel up to the mid level trails don't even have one. The key is if you are going offroad, to something you don't feel comfortable with, then don't go alone. You should get a recovery strap though, just in case.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

I carried mine around for a year before I deployed the cable. We were out in the snow and two of our guys got really burried in a place that no one was going to venture in and try to strap them out. In fact,stuck guy #2 was trying to strap out stuck guy #1. If I hadn't had that winch, those guys would be waiting for the spring thaw. So when you need it, it is very handy, but mostly it's a bumper ornament. Oh-I only have 1 battery. For the use you describe, spend the $ on something else. Just my two cents.

 

[bjowett]

With 2 yougins in the back, I say go for it. You never know... better to have it and never use it than to not have it and it need it once. If you don't want to spend the cash, go for one of these http://www.morepowerpuller.com. It is heavey, and can be clumsy, but is dead nuts reliable. My unit is well over 13 years old, and has proven waaaaaaaay to useful.... been pulling me out since I was a teen.

 

[97 FZJ80]

I'm a rookie at this and wonder why the need for higher rated winch? Aren't they all powered by the same 4.6HP motor with different gearings? If that is the case, the most cost effective method would be to purchase the smallest 4.6HP winch along with some extra pullies (blocks?). This would enable the winch to double, triple, and quad the line (assuming enough cable length) and effectively multiply the rated capacity of the winch.

 

[Bradass80]

Another option is to get a Hi-Lift they work really well for recovery also, with a couple of recovery straps you can pull yourself out of a good stuck, it takes awhile but alot cheaper than a winch, and don't let the youngens hold you back from wheeling, i have a 4 year old and she loves wheeling more than anything, Brad.

 

[Greddy0]

I'm also debating if I should use my old M8000. I don't have the funds for a new winch, so maybe its better than nothing. You guys think it can help? Or just useless bumper ornament because its under powered? Pretty heavy item to lug around just for looks Maybe I can carry a couple pullies like FZJ80 says and increase the capacity? How many of you guys pull without pullies? Thanks

 

[Photoman]

97-,

You can do what you said and you sort of answered your own question. When you double, triple, or whatever, the line you reduce the line speed and of course reduce the distance to whatever you have to hook to. Also, the smaller winches come with a thinner diameter cable which may not be appropriate to your vehicle size. If you put a larger diameter cable on the smaller winch it will not hold as much and coupled with the snatch blocks, you would have to be on top of your pull point. I have been stuck where I had to hook my spare winch cable, tow strap, and chain together to make it to a lone tree on the tundra. Also, My wife and I had to bury the spare tire vertically to get out of a river bed. So, as with most things, it can be done as long as you realize the limitations.

Greddy0,

If you got it use it. You may just be high centered or whatever and just need a little tug to get you going again. Sometimes the guys with the largest winches still can't budge their rigs - right Junk?

Bill

 

[Beast II]

I'd say that you absolutely need a winch - assuming that you plan on doing any medium or heavy duty wheeling. There is nothing like being in a precarious position out in the middle of nowhere and not being able to get out of it. Piece of mind for around $1,000 - (not including dual battery system, mount and spring upgrades). Unless of course you plan to always wheel with someone that does have one and you are lucky enough to be positioned correctly.

Example: I was out in Pinnacles about a year ago, when it started pouring rain - so, we camped overnight. In the morning it was still pouring and we both had to get home. The road was so muddy (not to mention the 2-300 foot cliff on the driver's side - with no berm. No matter how slow I went, lockers or not, I was sliding towards the cliff. I had to attach my winch to a tree on the passengers side and go 100 feet at a time to avoid sliding off the cliff. A good time to have a winch.

 

[Hltoppr]

[quote author=Greddy0 link=board=2;threadid=12828;start=msg118532#msg118532 date=1078938786]
I'm also debating if I should use my old M8000. I don't have the funds for a new winch, so maybe its better than nothing. You guys think it can help? Or just useless bumper ornament because its under powered? Pretty heavy item to lug around just for looks Maybe I can carry a couple pullies like FZJ80 says and increase the capacity? How many of you guys pull without pullies? Thanks
[/quote]

My Ramsey Rep 8K has been on my last 4 rigs...3 of them cruisers and has done just fine. One snatch block should cover you in most situations for general self-recovery.

-H-

 

[cruiserdan]

8k Warn here. It's on it's second rig.

 

[Underdog]

I've been asking myself the same question for a while now and I finally got myself stuck a few months ago. I kept trying more difficult stuff trying to test the limits of the cruiser and I finally sunk myself 5/6th of the way up the tiresin the slipperyest slimiest grease-like muck I'd ever seen. So , its midnight, I'm alone in a creekbottom a mile from the nearest road hoping that my Hi-Lift is all its advertised to be. Long story short, with a little digging to help the wheels ramp up and fortunately a tree 20 feet in front of me I used the Hi-Lift like a winch and was out with little effort. I think it was only a 1 beer job. Still would like the winch though just to have it but have a hard time spending the $$$.

 

[Darwood]

So what would be considered the minimum rated winch one should put on an 80? I noticed that CDan and Hltoppr (who I am jealous of since he lives in Flag) both run 8k's. I also noticed alot of guys are running 12k winches. Now I think I remember that you should run a which rated at 3 times your vehicles gross weight which would mean a 12k winch is recommended. I'm trying to figure out how much I should spend on something that would rarely get used.

Now everyone fight about your rating!

 

[97 FZJ80]

I have a question relating to getting unstuck. Wouldn't it be better to lift the truck and break the suction of the mud/snow/whatever instead of pulling on a double line 12k winch. 24k lbs of pulling force can possibly damage the frame and if something breaks, becomes a deadly projectile.

I have a airbag jack that is designed to lift the vehicle on soft ground. Anyone used one of these?

 

[Cruiserdrew]

What's the difference between 8k and 12k? The answer is about $300. That isn't much when you consider the costs of everything else, or one back country tow. The 12k fits great on the ARB, and it will likely pull you or your friends out of anything. The 8k? Maybe, but you have to think about it. Back to the original question, though, he doesn't need a winch. But if you buy a winch, buy a big one. If the 15k had been available when I got mine, I'd have gotten that. Once you are buying a winch, upgrading the size doesn't cost much. Currently, my 40 needs a winch-anyone have an 8274 they arn't using?

 

[Rich]

What's another difference between 8k and 12k? - about 62 lbs. Seriously, the extra weight is located in the worst place a person could choose, hanging out in front of the bumper. Big winch, big winch bumper, maybe an extra battery, now you're talking a lot of extra weight all hanging out front.

Now how big a winch you need depends on how bad you get stuck. I'm just pointing out there is an advantage to a smaller winch other than the price. Now if that extra 60 lbs ends up being the difference to being stuck or not, you'll be glad you have it, otherwise...

Rich

 

[sandcruiser]

Old thread, but I thought I'd add my 2 colones:
We've used our winch a dozen or two times. All but two or three were to pull other people out.
I've used a hilift to pull my 40 the length of my driveway when it ran out of gas (I wanted it out of gas-- was fixing tank). It was a lot of work, but it did work.
We used to have a Black Rat hand winch- about $400. It worked great- much easier than the hilift.
My conclusion: if you have a fairly extreme rig- an electric winch is a really nice mod. But for less then half the cost, you can get a hand-winch that can be moved from one rig to another and/or used backward/forward/sideways. Also it is lighter, doesn't require battery upgrades nor bumper modifications, and you can use as long a cable (or as short, which can be nice) as you like.

 

[Landpimp]

I think the ARBs look fine without a winch installed and you KNOW someday you will want one. Also and trust me on this, if you get the non winch bar you will find a SCREAMING deal on a winch and have no place to put it

 

[e9999]

are there decent handwinches that can readily move a stuck cruiser?
Would not mind one of those. Seen plenty of comealongs but the inexpensive ones are usually very flimsy looking and may be good for 1000 lbs or so?
E