Winchless Recovery Kit - Any Suggestions?

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Yukon LX

Yukon LX

Joined
Jul 23, 2010
Threads
112
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2,587
Location
Morehead City, NC
I am compiling my recovery kit, as i do not have a warn in the bullbar yet and probably wont for quite some time. Below is what i have so far. Does anyone have any suggestions for any additional gear?

1- 15,000lb 25 ft Snatch Strap
2- 10,000lb 25 ft Snatch Staps
1- 5,500lb 20 ft Tow Rope
1- 100 ft 5/8th inch warn winch cable with hooks (Extension Purposes for Hand winching)
1- 8,000lb 3 hook Hand Winch
1- 48 inch High Lift Jack
1- Shovel with Gloves
2- ¾ inch Shackles
1- 15 feet of chain
 
linx levelers and/or an axe. i've recovered myself from playa mud up to the axles with linx levelers and beer. i've done the same job with tree branches hence the axe should be in the kit. my choice for this purpose is the gerber one with a hand saw in the handle. its small but sufficient ;)
 
I'd strap a pair of MaxTrax atop your rig for solo recovery in mud/snow/sand.
 
Doing it a bit backwards - isn't the usual sequence... buy winch and then realize you need a bunch of other stuff to really make winch effective?

Snatch block(s)
Winch extension line
 
pegasis0066 said:
Doing it a bit backwards - isn't the usual sequence... buy winch and then realize you need a bunch of other stuff to really make winch effective?

Snatch block(s)
Winch extension line
Click to expand...

Haha maybe. This fits the wallet a little better for now and leaves room for sliders and under armor.

Got the line extension. And thanks for all the suggestions.
:cheers:
 
Not sure why there are two threads, but I'll repost my answer here since this one has more discussion in it

Sounds similar to my situation. I have the following in my kit:

60" Hi-Lift
Slee Jac-Kof tool (slider adapter, wheel lifter, recovery point adapter)
Hi-Lift Offroad Kit (winching attachments)
Rescue42 Jackmate
15' 3/8" Grade 70 chain with grabhooks (not sliphooks)
Two 3/4" Crosby shackles
3"x20' strap
2"x30' strap
Tow strap (for people in ditches in the winter)

I'm still planning on picking up a 50'+ synthetic winchline extension, but I haven't found a good deal on one yet. I would also recommend a short D-handled spade/shovel for digging, and an axe or chainsaw for "resizing" logs.
 
When I had no winch, I carried two comealongs/hand winches in my kit. This gives you whatever extra cable reach you would have had with only one. An extra rope or cable will help some with this, but have two of these with snatch blocks on them can be quite handy.

As for now, I still carry one comealong. I've dealt with stucks where having a side pull is almost as important as the main pull. This is especially true if you don't want more damage than will buff out!:hillbilly:
 
that thing is awesome. i had heard about it before. i just bought one!!!!!!!!!
 
That's a sweet looking come-along, and it runs a fair price ($150+) and much cheaper than a winch.

On a sour note, I used several come-along winches with my old Scout II, nothing quite as nice as that one. I can honestly say, they never worked once to get me out of a jam despite trying them every time. I had more close calls and twisted a couple of'em up maxing them out. The loads with a vehicle easily max and surpass most of those winches' ratings.

I think your best bet is a hi-lift jack and more friends before spending much on the hand winches/come-alongs. I vote save the $150 for the winch and avoid the bad trails.
 
On a sour note, I used several come-along winches with my old Scout II, nothing quite as nice as that one. I can honestly say, they never worked once to get me out of a jam despite trying them every time. I had more close calls and twisted a couple of'em up maxing them out. The loads with a vehicle easily max and surpass most of those winches' ratings.

Not Sure what your situations where like but b4 I had an electric winch I have used a Tirfor(come-along) many many times for my 4wd.
With work it was all we had in P-N-G and Fiji and I still carry one now even with a warn 8724. I would not be without 1
 
JEH97LX said:
On a sour note, I used several come-along winches with my old Scout II, nothing quite as nice as that one. I can honestly say, they never worked once to get me out of a jam despite trying them every time. I had more close calls and twisted a couple of'em up maxing them out. The loads with a vehicle easily max and surpass most of those winches' ratings.
Click to expand...

My take on winchless recovery is to be aware of what your limitations are. If you take care to avoid stucks that your recovery gear can't extract you from, then you're more likely to find yourself in situations where what gear you do have will be able to help you get out of.

My 17-year period without a winch on whatever I was driving was also one when I never needed a winch.

Naturally, you're not always that lucky, or you happen to need to go someplace regardless of getting stuck or not, or, like me, your eyes and judgment aren't quite as good as when I was younger -- and a stuck 6,000 pound truck is not the place for me to finally need recovery again and not have a winch. :p
 
Another quality come-along is the Maasdam Pow'r Puller. They have a 4 ton model for $180. Like the Wyeth Scott, it is in a different league than other come-alongs. Amazon.com: Maasdam Pow'R Pull 8000SB-C 3-Ton/4-Ton Heavy Duty Cable Puller: Home Improvement

You may also want to consider a ground anchor. Pull-Pal and ARB make them, but they are expensive and take up a lot of space. Do a search and you can see some home made versions that basically involve hammering a steel spike into the ground.

The Max Trax is a good idea, but I prefer a bridging ladder. Search for fiberglass grating and you might find some used industrial grating for cheap.

Hi-Lift base, which you can buy or make a home made version.
 
madinal said:
Try this hand winch from ARB. It's a little pricey but it works.
Hand Winches - Off Road Vehicle Recovery
Click to expand...

It's like a Tirfor- a heavy duty hand winch that's expensive, but more than capable- makes the powerpull look dinky.

Since it pulls the cable through the winch instead of spooling it, you can winch the whole length of cable- mine's 60 feet, but you can pull as much cable as you have through it. I paid something like $550 8 years ago for an 8000# capacity model- it's great- worth it's weight in gold.

Here's something like it- black rat hand winch

hand_winch_cover.jpg


Recovery - Hand winch
 
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That looks great, but at 550 for 8k, i could get a used warn for almost the same. I have another question. On a warn winch cable. on th opposite end of the hook, the little cap with the hole in it, is that load bearing. Should i just put a hook or loop on the other end? I have am getting warn cable off a winch as an extension for those far a way tree anchor points and am curious as how to set it up
 
No - it is not load bearing! The cable stays attached to the winch by friction of multiple wraps around the drum. You could use steel cable clamps to make a loop at the other end, but you need to know what you are doing to ensure the cable and ends can withstand the load. A broken winch line can be a lethal weapon.
 
Thanks for the update. i figured as such. i will add a loop tp the other end.
 
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