Intro and winch anchoring question

[adventurebuddies]

I've been lurking here a bit but haven't gotten around to contributing. Thanks to everyone for their informative postings. I drive a 97 FZJ80 with all the typical bumpers, lift, etc. The plan is an around the world trip and I'm tinkering here and there to get the truck ready. In the meantime it's mostly weekend camping trips around SoCal.

I was at West Marine the other day picking up a fuse for my Aux battery and I wondered into the anchor department. The PullPal seems like a super useful purchase, but I can't justify the $$$$, so I was looking at alternatives. I noticed these river anchors at something like $20. They're heavy and look like they're made of solid steel. I think they're meant to grab into muddy river bottoms. This got me thinking, could they be used as a winch anchor to wedge between boulders (like rock climbing nuts) or burried in dirt or sand like a deadman anchor?

They don't have any load rating data other than that they seem solid. I think the greatest risk is that it becomes dislodged under load and slings through the air taking the "dangerous projectile" thing to a new level of mahem.

Anyway, just brainstorming here. Any thoughts?

 

[Bighead]

Take a look at this as another option...Instead of PullPal....follow up

I don't know how well it would work for sand (I've only used a Pull-Pal in sand) but it does appear to be a low-cost alternative.

 

[ntsqd]

Internet lore says not a good idea, but I can't point to any actual testing done. So it could be someone's bias perpetuated or it could be valid.

 

[Alaska Mike]

I'd say don't do it. For alternatives, try:
http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15064

 

[madizell]

Ground stakes work fine. In firm soil, one or two will get the job done. In deep sand you may need three or four tied together, but not as shown in the sketch in the forum link above. Ties need to go from top of first stake to ground level of the second, and from top of second to ground level of third, and so on, so that the pulling force on the succeeding stakes is as close to the ground as you can get. It's all about leverage and making the most of what you have in the way of ground resistance.

The down side is that you just about can't use them in rocky soil or hard pan, and if you do get them pounded all the way into the ground, even in midwest corn growing dirt, they can be a ***** to recover without help from friends. Just as with a deeply buried pull pal, you can use your vehicle to recover the anchor points, but only if you actually recover the vehicle and can maneuver it around the anchor area to your advantage (you have to get behind the anchor point to pull the stakes). There will be times and places where you can't get past your own anchor, and if you have to reset the points before you get to the original anchor point, you will have to pull them up yourself. I have watched this process in Australia during race events. It is only fun to watch because someone else is doing it.

The marine anchor is not designed to hold significant stress. A floating boat exerts very little pull on an anchor, and is held in place as much by the weight of the anchor as its blades or flukes. It certainly is not intended to receive 8,000 pounds of pull, and even the modest sized mushroom boat anchor weighs more than a Pull Pal.

 

[madizell]

I'd say don't do it. For alternatives, try:
http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15064

Nice looking design which might actually work for light duty work. I especially like the fact that the guy used a plow point for the blade, as this area of a pull pal is generally the first to fail if made from mild steel. The support arms are the next most important part, running from main arm to down arm, and these have to be positioned correctly and have sufficient sheer strength to take whatever you plan to give the anchor. The other critical design feature is the angle of the blade relative to the line of pull. Too shallow and it won't grab. Too deep and it will bend or won't dig in. The idea is to build an anchor that looks in shape something like a fish hook so that the line force pulls the hook deeper and harder into whatever it is placed in. I would suggest that Gremillion's Pull Pal has been optimized in all of these areas.

 

[adventurebuddies]

Excellent input - thanks. Basically confirms what I already was thinking.

 

[tdesanto]

My thought? Pull-Pal. Sure, it's more, but it's well built and works.