Anyone actually use a Pull Pal?

[ssssnake529]

I have a Pull Pal land anchor.

I've never used it. I seldom even bother to bring it with me any more, as it's kind of big and heavy and I typically don't think it's worth the weight/space.

Who uses theirs? Does anyone have stories where having a Pull Pal made the difference between getting out and staying stuck?

It's a cool piece of equipment, I'm just wondering if I'm not part of the target market or if I don't get stuck in the right places to have need of it.

Are there folks out there for whom a Pull Pal is a standard piece of gear?

 

[hochung]

I've used mine several times. I can't think of any other way I could have gotten myself unstuck without the Pull-pal in these scenarios. Mostly in the dunes while alone or in dry lake beds that weren't so dry. This is usually how deep it'll sink in sand after the winching.

I've had a customer come back to buy a second one because he left his first one somewhere in a muddy lake bed down in Mexico. He got himself unstuck, but couldn't get the anchor out. So he just left it there. LOL

I know it's a pain in the ***, but specially if you travel alone, bring your pal with you.

 

[Nikson]

Pull Pals are great if you actually plan to use it a lot. For the most part, it is possible to do without it.

Driving skill/road knowledge does a lot more then most of our gear we could carry, but when push comes to shUv, yes they can be handy.

I've considered that its a needed item to have, but only if you KNOW you will be needing it in a lot of situations.

During one of the previous adventures in Altai Mountain & Mongolia area, we were in the middle of one of the valleys, and one wrong turn on behalf of the driver, we ended up being in the middle of the swamps. Never expected... Never thought...

Previous experience was very helpful, when you can apply some muscle to the shovel, throwing your spare wheel into the hole & attaching a strap to it leading up to the winch line.

It did take us about 3 hours, we were in no rush, keeping in mind all the "vodka" we drank, since we decided to spend the night right there... plus on that specific stretch of the road, we were the only car for next/past 3 days...

I am not the author of this foto, but as best as can be described (stuck with no ATTACHMENT point)

Knowledge is POWER!!!

Best of Luck,

 

[Karma]

HI All,
Yep, I do carry a Pull Pal as standard equipment on my Jeep YJ's roof rack. Never used it. So, why carry it?

Well, I do a lot of wheeling in very lonely places alone. My primary goal is self sufficiency. I have to play the odds. I know at some time I will be very happy I have the Pull Pal. Yes, it is heavy. And yes, it does take up some space. But I designed my roof rack with it in mind so the space price is not too high.

Is it worth the effort and money? I honestly don't know. If I need it, then the price is low. If I never use it, well, all I can say is I was prepared.

Sparky

 

[stevo]

Pull Pal

I bought my first 4x4 back in 1980 and have had several since; I mounted winches on three of them and was lucky enough that I've never had to use one to extract myself (others yes, but not myself). I now find myself planning camping/four wheeling trips for just my wife and myself. (Kind of a loner I guess) I now drive a Pinz and I am saving my money so as to put a winch on it. A Pull Pal will DEFINITELY be part of my recovery kit. I am in my mid-60s and the idea of digging my way out not only does not appeal to me but kinda frightens me. (The headlines could read: "Dumb-assed old man dies trying to get un-stuck from the sand while off-roading in the desert")
I may never use it but I think of it like my .45auto-I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
Cheers, Stevo

 

[Sirocco]

Carried mine for around 12 months and only used it once. Was is a neccessity? probably not, but with a loss of traction on a slope and a rear quarter panel an inch from very big bedrock the PP helped perform a controlled recovery. There were no anchor points and no vehicle in front, not much of a way around and in the UK you 'have to' stick to the marked byways.

picture may provide some clarity. Vehicle only needed about 24 inches of forward movement to gain traction, PP held up in shallow soil enough to crawl the 90 over.

The PP is compact and held against the dog guard in the 90, I have no issues with bringing it along.

G

 

[overlander]

I don't have one yet but definitely plan on getting one as a "gotta have". The fact that Bill Burke has a very well worn one on the back of his D90 tells me all I need to know.

 

[bfdiesel]

I have three 4' concrete stakes. Take up less rom and I wouldn't be hurt if I had to leave them.

 

[LR Max]

I have three 4' concrete stakes. Take up less rom and I wouldn't be hurt if I had to leave them.

That is what I've heard. Take 3~4 silt fence stakes, pound them into the ground and connect them with a Grade 70 chain. As with you, if they disappear into the ground, it isn't a huge problem.

While I am on the east coast and trees are plenty, a Pull Pal would be nice if I ever decided to head west.

 

[X-plorenow]

I was wheeling my well equipped 02 Jeep TJ alone (no other vehicles) at the top of a mountain pass in CO in late spring a few years ago. I was near the top of the pass above the treeline where there was still some snow on the ground. At one point I moved the edge of the trail to avoid a snowbank on the opposite side and the side of the trail gave way. I ended up on the side of the trail on a loose scree field. I tried for several minutes to drive out of the situation but was unable to do to the loose footing and extreme gravity pulling me down the steep slope. I got my wife and I out of the Jeep when I thought the situation was unsafe. I tried for about 20 more minutes to winch out of the situation but couldn't find an anchor point. Even seemingly large rocks broke up into smaller rocks. All the smaller brush just pulled out of the ground.

I tried one last time to winch, the truck shifted slightly and there was some slack in the line and there she went, rolling down the hill and up in the air till she landed on her side a couple hundred feet down the hill.

I had a winch and a full recovery kit (so I thought), knew how to use it and had used it many many times in a variety of conditions and environments. Never needed a Pull Pal. But I would have paid many times retail value to have one that day.

Simple answer, if you plan to wheel alone in remote areas, carry one. If you always travel with another vehicle it is unnecessary as you should have a good anchor point.

 

[ssssnake529]

I mostly go out alone, so I guess I should take my Pull Pal along. (or maybe I should make some friends so I don't have to go alone.)

 

[cruiseroutfit]

A great followup thread to our conversation this morning at the shop

As I eluded to this morning I've used the PP several times but I was with other vehicles in all cases and likely could have winched to them or had them do the extraction... guess we will never know. I keep packing it along because I do end up out solo vehicle from time to time and in that case those same recovery scenarios would likely have dictated a winch anchor.

 

[ReconH3]

I've had one since 1998 and never leave home without it. I've used it extensively. Even if you have trees nearby, not always are they at a good pull angle. I've even used it in competitions and it made a huge difference. Since our pull directly in front we would be out in no time. The other guys that were pulling sideways using trees would take much longer. Some would even break their cable. Sometimes we've needed to winch around and obstacle at an extreme angle. We've used the pull pal to set up a second anchor point to get us around the obstacle with out releasing the final anchor point and risk sliding back down the hill.


"Ex Umbris Venimus"

Sent from my iPhone

 

[hochung]

That's a whole lot of typing you did on the little iPhone. LOL

 

[ReconH3]

That's a whole lot of typing you did on the little iPhone. LOL

Yeah Unfortunately with all the traveling, sometimes it's the only way I get to connect. You get used to it


"Ex Umbris Venimus"

Sent from my iPhone