hand winch/come along

[mustangwarrior]

i'm looking into buying maybe a hand winch of some sort or a come along, i would really like a winch but thats not quite in my budget right now and would like a little extra security when on my own, i would also probly double it up with a snatch block, i'm not looking for something to pull me outta the mud, but something incase i high center somewhere, or slide off the road

i have looked at some at tractor supply that are 2 and 3 ton but are a little pricey, have also seen some on ebay, any recommendations?

 

[Antichrist]

Read this thread.
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19356

 

[greentruck]

Well, if a guy thinks TSC's price on come-alongs is a little steep, sending him to the good stuff is not really too helpful here.

Admittedly, the standard, stamped metal come-alongs typically found at ag-stores and big-boxes stores leave something to be desired. But if that's you budget -- or even a little less and you need to scrape it up next Friday -- then, yes, a come-along is an improvement over nothing.

Just don't get too stuck. They don't work miracles and they're easy to overload. So get the highest capacity you can afford, if not the biggest they have on the shelf. The ones mentioned with a snatch block are an improvement over not having one.

Better yet, get two. You can double up on the pull, as well as have more cable to work with. I carried two around in my 93 Rodeo for years and never did get stuck. Sometimes just having in mind your recovery capabilities, whatever they are, keeps you out of trouble.:coffeedrink:

 

[Azlugz]

Wow, the guys on that thread were talking $200 for a come-along. might as well save another $100 and buy a $299 Smittybilt 8K winch. Much better deal

 

[Antichrist]

If I recall correctly several posts in that other thread addressed reasons not to cheap out on a come-a-long, which was my point.
And not $200 for a good one.
$139 for a Maasdam:
http://www.torcarr.com/index.php?ma...id=229&zenid=22290f5c50e1e3fc3ddbb2f92b35028f

Or $160 for a More Power Puller (which I've used a lot)
http://cspoutdoors.com/morpowpul.html

If you're going to use it very occasionally that's a good deal cheaper than an electric winch, since for a winch you'd also need a bumper.

 

[mustangwarrior]

i guess tsc isn't too bad but i'm not looking to spend over $150, by then i may as well get a winch, like i said, i, not gonna use it to pull me out of the mud or anything, but if it high centers on a hill, or can't get up an icy ledge or something, its there for security, i'll play it safe when by myslef and all my usuall spots i've never been stuck

ok, then what are your thoughts on the cheaper ebay winches? i bought one for my quad and it hasn't let me down yet, it is slower than a warn, but does the job, trust me it gets used, even used it to pull a rolled 3 wheeler up a hill once, but not sure about cheaping out on my truck

 

[greentruck]

I'm happy with my XRC12. The XRC8 is pretty much the same mettle.

Plan on recycling the puny cables that come with it, even if they are long enough. If you are thinking you really need a winch, you probably do.

Don't skimp on the install, get it right -- and that will cost close to what a $299 winch does, minimum.

 

[Rover De Land]

I know this isn't the same..

But I had to use my highlift as a winch once in an emergency situation. It was 11:30pm when I finally got out. My rescue got stuck waaay worse than I did.

Let me just say that was an experience. I know its not the same, but I had to use what I had. And I didn't have the chain setup like they sell. I had a strap tied to to tip of the highlift and the other end to a tree. While I had a strap from my recovery point to the lifting part of the high lift..

The fun part was finding a tree the perfect distance away [good thing I was in the woods] and winching about 45" and then putting more wraps around the tree to pull another 45" and then having to find another tree..

That was a LONG night..

.....Made me want a winch.

 

[greentruck]

Pretty much BTDT, for sure. Fortunately, it was with a 76 Subaru 4x4 wagon. Still pretty heavy and all we had was one comealong.

The thing that saved us was the fact that we were stuck in the middle of a farmer's field, going around a drift on the road next to it. That road was often used by people dumping and we managed to scavenge enough lumber to pound in for pull points. I think we had to do that about four times before we got out of that soft spot with the comealong.

Thus, one of the origins of my comment about letting your recovery gear be your guide to what you attempt. You learn fast after a time or two like you described.

 

[mustangwarrior]

thanks guys, i might look into the SB winch, i dont do any serious crawling and dont do mud deeper than the bottom of the doors, its not a hardcore rig so maybe i'll go with the come along first and spend the winch money on some other valuable mods, and as far as mounting one, i'm gonna do a front reciever hitch so i can choose the front or rear of the vehicle depending on the situation

 

[TwoTrack]

I know this isn't the same..

But I had to use my highlift as a winch once in an emergency situation. It was 11:30pm when I finally got out. My rescue got stuck waaay worse than I did.

Let me just say that was an experience. I know its not the same, but I had to use what I had. And I didn't have the chain setup like they sell. I had a strap tied to to tip of the highlift and the other end to a tree. While I had a strap from my recovery point to the lifting part of the high lift..

The fun part was finding a tree the perfect distance away [good thing I was in the woods] and winching about 45" and then putting more wraps around the tree to pull another 45" and then having to find another tree..

That was a LONG night..

.....Made me want a winch.

I have used the hi-lift to winch as well. (I do have to winch kit and appropriate chains, which does make it a bit simpler and quicker) As long as your not up to the frame in mud it will do more than you would think. If your stuck, your not going anywhere fast anyway. Hi-lift is better than nothing. I've used it to pull me back onto the main trail an once when I got stuck on a water crossing.

It really just depends on your use. I have a 2wd. So when I get stuck, its usually not too bad.

 

[Azlugz]

I have used a come-along several times to load my kids cars on a flatbed when broke. I have a small winch on the flatbed now too. Maybe I am just getting old but that is just too much work

 

[mustangwarrior]

well i'm planning on building some sliders this summer, so maybe a highlift isn't out of the question