Testing Pull-Pal Alternative: Smittybilt W.A.S.P. (Winch Anchor Support Platform)

[dust devil]

Actually, don't expect the WASP design to work in any soil or substance. The math is wrong. Look at the difference in the length of the pulling arm in the Pull-Pal versus the WASP and you will begin to see the problem. As the WASP digs deeper into whatever it is in, the attach point buries deeper as well, changing the angle of pull from horizontal toward the vertical. This design has been tried in a variety of substances under demanding circumstances, and usually fails to work. Its only benefit is its compact shape, but if it does not work, does it matter how easily it packs away?

No other product on the market works better than Pull-Pal, and most don't even come close.

 

[fourstringfletch]

I'd like to revive this thread after a few years of field testing.

The last comment about the angles makes sense to me, and I wonder if the ARB performs as poorly as the Smitty if they are indeed the same shape.

Pull pal is obviously the winner here, but 20 lbs saved is 20 lbs closer to GVWR and I have a perfect storage spot for the PRT.

Any experiences with a much cheaper boat anchor? Difficult to dig out but better than nothing for those of us with limited funds and no anchor yet?

Thanks, as always for your thoughts.

 

[wyocoyote]

Thank you so much for the test, like they say try before you buy when possible.
If you get a chance please ad your experience with the pricey ARB winch Anchor
looks like their was once something called the gopher that is similar?

 

[wyocoyote]

And the ARB "Tree" ?

Its been 2 years since I posted on this thread I have not found a "definitive" review that tested all three. The ARB is pretty darn pricey. I have seen some screw in anchors tested against the pullpal. I see folks say get the ARB because they are a quality brand. The smittybuilt wasp looks the same as the arb 230 portable rescue tree in pix. pix lie. I appreciate this older review showing me the pullpal to be superior to the wasp, but the jury is still out on the prt. at least at the portal. I have seen some other interesting (funky) alternatives out there as well. Quite resourceful folk in the world. Ive been stuck in the mud treeless once in the last 2 years, and the recovery as is typical involved getting a bigger truck more stuck than Ito winch myself out, then my truck and another to get him out. I am not looking forward to the day I have to dig out my spare, bury it with my winch cable attached and try try again. I am hoping to find the right product to be able to do it myself when there is no tree or other vehicle to be found.

 

[wyocoyote]

lan-cor vs pull pal in sand

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50dBLdRtWUk

 

[blazergreenlaning]

You'd be surprised what you can get out of with nothing more involved than an old axles haft and a hammer.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Xparent Green Tapatalk 2

 

[wyocoyote]

is this the answer perhaps. spade boat anchor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjuif0HCVi4
noticehow well it resets itself

 

[wyocoyote]

human power

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPOYzc8418w

My single 4x4 gal pals might like the idea of bringing several firefighters along over having a winch at all. I'd like to have the instruments the guys are using for testing.

 

[Streaky]

There's a self recovery ground anchor on the market called the Lan-Cor....me and a bunch of friends decided to put one to the test against the Pul Pal.

Despite multiple attempts and 'one on one' advice from the manufacturers in New Zealand we simply couldn't get the Lan-Cor to work in sand.

Here's the clip we made on first the day of testing.....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50dBLdRtWUk

 

[zelatore]

As a boater I get a bit of a chuckle out of the land anchors. They're something of a novelty in the 4x4 community while every cruising boat has and uses an anchor regularly. And any experienced captain will be quick to tell you no one anchor works best in all bottom types. There has also been tons of independant anchor testing done over the years. My personal preference is the Rocna, but you certainly aren't going to carry something like that on a truck. If you were to look at marine anchos, about the only one I might recomend would be the Guardian by Fortress. It's a Danforth style anchor but done in aluminum to reduce weight since this style relies on fluke size much more than sheer weight. But more importantly it breaks down and stores in a relativily small package.

I don't know how it would actually fare against the pull-pall, but it seems the only reasonable alternative. Of course, they don't exactly give them away so don't expect to pick one up for a couple bucks.

 

[traveldud]

Interesting idea. Reading on this website: http://www.wholesalemarine.com/fort...6Od6Qwb3Nk5kj_EjaRvGwJ9u6HRXo5Gz_UaAnZY8P8HAQ

, it has approx. 1600 lbs holding power for the largest anchor ($800+) in mud. Does that correlate anything weighing over 1600 lbs it will just drag the anchor through the mud or snap it? The anchorrite is alos 700+ with shipping, however it may continue to dig in like the W.A.S.P.

Curious? thx

 

[Stumpalump]

I wonder why over the decades of playing with boats and reading boating forums I've never once heard of using a Pull Pal or any other 4x4 specific land anchor as a boat anchor? I've also never owned a Danforth anchor that I have not bent. I carry them because they are the lightest not the best. You need one almost the size of your coffee table with a long heavy chain to stop a 21' boat in a storm or even a strong tide with a little wind combination. I consider a boat anchor as a suggestion to not blow away in a light breeze unless it's huge, heavy, connected to a long heavy chain and my line is 10 times the depth to get the angle right. Any boater with experiance with anchors in tidal areas would laugh at the idea of hualing around a boat anchor for 4x4 use.

 

[verdesardog]

There is a huge difference between anchoring a boat and winching on dry land. A heavy chain is needed for boats because they are way above the anchor, the weight is required to keep the pull parallel to the bottom. When winching a vehicle the stress is already parallel to the ground so a heavy weight is not required to keep the anchor pulled in the correct direction.

I see absolutely nothing wrong with using a boat anchor for winching on dry land. But to get one strong enough to handle the stress and large enough to hold in soft sand could be counter productive.

 

[WestBoundDave]

Pull Pal test

Reviving an old thread, I have purchased a pull pal with some difficulty (Had to have it shipped from US, and to cut the costs down, I had it shipped in a container with some engine parts with some mob that imports engine parts and cars, so it did cost me only $130 in shipping, courier would be over $300). The guys who manufacture the Pull Pal were great to deal with.
I have not used it in anger yet, but just testing it,once on a solid dry clay, where I had some difficulty getting it to bite properly, and once in the sand (where at first, I stupidly put the blade the wrong way around, and was wondering why it did not bite properly, do not ask, sometimes one just does not use the brain). In the sand there was no issue. It is a heavy thing, but I can say that I am very confident that I could get myself out of any issues if I travelled solo in a treeless country. Yes and remote on the winch helps, especially if you are solo.

In the sand

Solid clay