winch in rocks and stones (need a lithium ion rockdrill?)

[buschmaster86]

What are smart ways to winch yourself out in rocks and stones ?

For example when there is no big rock or 2e vehicle nearby to connect the cable to ?

(those battery stone drills are ******* expensive so)

Is there a pneumatic rock drill that you can connet to a 72 liter/per minute aircompressor ?(mobile compresor 12/24v for the tires and stuff)

 

[Southeast Overland]

Attach an appropriate strap or chain to a suitable rock for an anchor point. You don't want to damage the rock or your equipment.

Also make sure you relieve blocking pressure on your tires by choosing an appropriate line out, hopefully one of least resistance, i.e.: fewest blocking rocks.

 

[Mark W]

"damage the rock"?



I prefer a chain for rigging to rocks over a strap. rocks can be hard on straps.

But the OP specified no rocks to attach to... then use a tree... or a ground anchor just like anywhere else.

It is an odd question... Are you asking about special considerations getting the vehicle off of rocks as opposed to out of mud or ruts or whatever... or are you asking what to attach to (in which case the answer is 'whatever is there").

Maybe you are thinking of a situation like some places in Moab and similar environments where you may find yourself hung up in/on rock out on a slab with no place to get a chain around a boulder and no trees or ground to sink an anchor into either? In that case you probably need to be thinking of other ways to get a solo rig free. Jack hammers to sink anchors into stone are really not a realistic answer.


Mark...

 

[Southeast Overland]

"damage the rock"?

I was thinking about public wheeling grounds. If you take a hammer and chisel to a rock to make a better attachment point that would probably not sit well with the management agencies.

 

[buschmaster86]

management agencies ? the world is of everybody so..as long its not obama,s backyard and only hammer a rock when its the only option to get home (wich i would do cause its forcing heavy making holes in stones) i dont see anything bad to it.

(that rebel teenagers millions of years ago making stupid drawings of lions and stuff in our beutifull nature caves THOSE ARE THE ONCE,S DESERVE A FINE

But i think a hammer and a chisel would work also as mentioned above.

 

[Mark W]

I don't spend time in OHV parks or heavily used and strictly regulated "magnet trails" so I have no idea what might or might not be considered proper there.

For real off road back country travel I still don't see you sinking a winch anchor in stone with a hammer and chisel. You *could* run a hammer drill with a small generator or large inverter and depending on the type of rock since bolts deep enough to use as an anchor to drag yourself off of a rock.

Would make a cool story after the fact, but it seems to me there are a lot of simpler approaches.

And if you are running solo in the back country, a bit of caution and pre-planning beyond what you might get away with in a group in an OHV park should be the norm too.


Mark...

 

[buschmaster86]

yes i know but i mean for worst case scenario (when im out offroading i often tend to underestimate things

but a 2e 30m of synthetic rope can also be verry handy to reach something to connect the winch with.

 

[lrowe_csp]

management agencies ? the world is of everybody so..as long its not obama,s backyard and only hammer a rock when its the only option to get home (wich i would do cause its forcing heavy making holes in stones) i dont see anything bad to it.

(that rebel teenagers millions of years ago making stupid drawings of lions and stuff in our beutifull nature caves THOSE ARE THE ONCE,S DESERVE A FINE

But i think a hammer and a chisel would work also as mentioned above.

Land management agencies are balancing multiple uses of the public lands. In the lower 48, there are many persons and organizations that think only their way of recreation should be allowed, and hate to see us drive on the FS and BLM trails. They would like to see our use of 4wd vehicles on these lands and trails banned, and they attend public use meetings and pressure land managers to shut us down. "Leave no trace" is a smart philosophy for us to abide by, and that translates to not giving those "haters" opportunities to make the case against us in public forum's. Cleaning up our oil leaks, packing out more trash than we brought in, and not tearing up the landscape makes it easier for a land manager to support our recreation. You don't need to like it, but it is reality.

 

[Randy88FJ62]

The idea of drilling a hole and placing an expanding bolt or just a stake in shear is unrealistic. I do a lot of big wall climbing, trad climbing, and canyoneering. We place pitons, 1/2" expanding anchor bolts or glue ins for anchors as a last resort. We do our best to use natural anchors.

You're better off carrying an extra 200' of cable to extend your winch to a natural anchor. Usually commen sense, a hi-lift, and a winch can get you out of most situations. You could even carry those long ladder things to bridge gaps.

Your back up plan could easily be a sat phone to call in help from fellow wheelers. The sat phone is also good for medical emergencies.

 

[Jetboy]

I cannot imagine a situation where you would "need" to put a rock anchor in to "get home". I simply don't think the situation exists.

That said, if you wanted to set anchors, I'd buy a gas powered hammer drill. But I wouldn't do it on public property. I leave the trail as close to as I find it as possible. - I'm not afraid to walk to places I can't drive to.

 

[buschmaster86]

alright then GOOD TIPS !!!

I will leave no trace indeed and bring home also some other dirt that pops to the eye,s so the landscape agent or simular,s can see that after i been there that i cleaned that also

 

[subzali]

There are a couple tough trails that I know of here in Colorado that have permanent winch anchors attached to the rocks. These were installed by the local land management agency (with my club's help on one of them). If you're traveling a well-used trail and you feel the need for a winch anchor at a certain location you can bring it up to them and maybe they would agree to install one.

 

[rusty_tlc]

I have seen permanent anchors on some of the old back country roads here in the SW. Usually to get over a "waterfall" in a gravel wash. It's fairly common to see the washes scrubbed down to bedrock with no trees or boulders large enough to winch off of.

 

[landyNZ]

There are a couple tough trails that I know of here in Colorado that have permanent winch anchors attached to the rocks. These were installed by the local land management agency (with my club's help on one of them). If you're traveling a well-used trail and you feel the need for a winch anchor at a certain location you can bring it up to them and maybe they would agree to install one.

What kind of gangster welding are you doing there...

 

[subzali]

Wasn't me, but a guy in the club burned up one or two Optimas running a Mobi-welder on that setup...