Anyone ever broken a Pull Pal?

[TurboChris]

I ask as I've wanted one for years but have always had a hard time justifying the cost considering I only go offroading a couple times a year these days. I wonder if I couldn't get buy just fine with the 11,000 lb rated version vrs the 14,000 lb version with my Suburban. I know it would work just fine in the vast majority of situations...but I'm not sure where the weakness really is between the two. I run a 16,000 lb winch and while I'm sure in the right situation the 11,000 lb pulpal could bend or break...but...Anyone ever broken a 11,000 lb one cause their vehicle was too big (or too stuck)?

 

[ldivinag]

you could always bury your spare tire and run the cable into it...



you gotta ask yourself.

1. do you go wheeling alone?

2. do you go wheeling in desert type environment where trees are next to zero?


in the 15+ years wheeling, there was one situation where i wished i had one. i was stuck in this uphill trail. single vehicle width so the jeep behind me couldnt go around me and be my winch point.

my passenger side tires fell into ditch so i couldnt go backwards. jeep couldnt pull be down using a snatch strap. you'd think a jeep pulling me backwards DOWN a hill would be easy. but since i was in a ditch and against a sidewall, i was stuck. i mean stuck like a motherfu... SHUT YOUR MOUTH!

i had my front removeable winch but now where within 100 feet was a good mounting point. i had not had a chance to make a rear connector power cable so i could put the winch in the rear hitch and pull myself backwards.

this was the one time i wished i had a pull pal...

eventually, like a couple hours of digging and snatch pulling by the jeep, i got out of the ditch and was able to drive in reverse to lower myself out of that jam...

 

[seanz0rz]

I broke one. But in hindsight, I was misusing it as an intermediate anchor for a snatch block to pull around a corner. bad idea...

basically the bottom bolt sheared, causing the top to twist. I repaired it myself (cheaper than sending it to PullPal to have them fix it) and added some gussets so it would not be so likely to bend again.


the reason I have a pull pal was because of a bad stuck in some mud. tree line was 500 feet away, so even a winch alone would not have helped. We ended up digging out the truck after unloading the trailer and moving it by hand. 4 hours in the cold with snow flurries half the time made it that much worse. after that i bought the winch and pull pal. I have yet to use it to recover myself other than practice and demonstrations.

If I was in your situation, I would get the 14000 gwr. This is a piece of equipment that you only really use when you have no other option. To have last resort equipment fail is not an option for me...

 

[TurboChris]

My stucks "usually" are in the snow in Big Bear in the winter. So for that....I suspect the 11,000 would suffice nicely...I don't play in the mud much anymore...and the remainder of my offroading is solo vehicle trips a couple times a year running the Mojave road...but there isn't really anything out there to get me stuck...

 

[seanz0rz]

what about a set of Maxtrax or something similar?

 

[Derek G]

I've broken one using it on a rescue truck with the fire dept. Here are my two cents, when that thing broke that last place I wanted to be was with my hand and head 6 inches away from that cable. I got lucky and it shot the other way, but after that instance I will never use a pull pal again for any type of vehicle recovery, especially on something as large as a suburban. It's good as a tool for pulling fence post and such.

 

[Garbinator]

Be careful while on federal land, here in Cally, digging, getting caught augering those gnarly big tires for 40 feet while scrapping undercarriage. Equates to resource damage, which is a misdemeanor. I am not aware of the exact evidence assessment. I merely advise due to so many areas being shut-down. The feds justify closures using resource damage whenever wherever the mood strikes them. Especially in National Monuments and parks.

As for Sand dunes, I haven't a clue. In my older years, I choose to avoid having to break-out the recovery gear as it is just not worth it, especially after been there done that already, minus the regulators we have today.


:><:

 

[ExpoMike]

I've broken one using it on a rescue truck with the fire dept. Here are my two cents, when that thing broke that last place I wanted to be was with my hand and head 6 inches away from that cable. I got lucky and it shot the other way, but after that instance I will never use a pull pal again for any type of vehicle recovery, especially on something as large as a suburban. It's good as a tool for pulling fence post and such.

Maybe I am missing something but how does a Pull Pal remove fence posts? Pull Pal is an anchor point. A Hi Lift on the other hand could be used for pulling out fence posts.

Confused...

 

[sigo]

Maybe I am missing something but how does a Pull Pal remove fence posts? Pull Pal is an anchor point. A Hi Lift on the other hand could be used for pulling out fence posts.

Confused...

I'd wager Derek was talking about a Pullzall or something similar...