Given the size of your rig, I would think a tow truck would be able to get almost anywhere you'd get yourself into. Out and about on trails and beaches I can imagine if your rig gets buried, you'll attract enough attention get a couple of trucks to help you out. Just don't get bogged in a river bed with that snorkel kit!!! (I'd put funny emjois here if I knew how)
Dodge Ram 5500 motorhome
- Thread starter Healeyjet
- Start date
Yes... watching someone spend hundreds of thousands of dollars building awesomeness is a tough job but somebody has to do it! You owe us big time. You're welcome!
If you're going to have the bumper to hold a winch anyways, then I would definitely possibly yes. A big 4x4 with 41" tires and a big front bumper would look out of place without a winch. The warn 16.5ti is a great choice. From a practical standpoint though, it will probably rarely be used (and when it is used, probably on other vehicles besides yours). In that sense, a winch can sometimes be a liability, or at least I've always thought so. If you have a winch you may find yourself pulling people out of ditches and things, and it can be dangerous work winching someone out of a ditch on a snowy road. Lots of stuff can go wrong... the line can snap... you can get hit by an oncoming vehicle... the drivers truck can get damaged and they sue you... your vehicle or batteries or alternator can suffer damage/strain... on and on it goes. If you don't have a winch, no one can ask you for help. Just one thing to consider that people rarely think about
Photomike
White Turtle Adventures & Photography
I was looking at a winch for my truck and decided on not getting one. One of the big reasons was that I never got a bumper that I liked for the truck so.......
But the other reasons were:
- Most of the places that I go are within towing distance for AMA, so I bought an AMA membership :sombrero:
- With a winch, like with four wheel drive, sometimes it gives you more confidence than you should have :bike_rider:
- Most of the places that I go there is NOTHING to winch to, the grass of the prairies just does not hold when winching :snorkel:
- I would need such a large winch that the weight would be insane :Wow1:
- If you have one you need to keep it clean and working and if it is just for show why bother :elkgrin:
- Most places that I have been I see other people and can get a tow from them, even in the bush miles from anyone I see someone drive past :smiley_drive:
With that being said if I was going to get one I would have one that I could move from the front to the back as needed. We have that on our local fire vehicles and I like the ability to be able to move the winch so when you are stuck it opens up a lot of other options.
One big thing that I make sure of is that I do carry a good tow rope and I have some anchors to hook it to. On my van it has nothing to hook to so if I ever get it stuck I may as well call a taxi!
But the other reasons were:
- Most of the places that I go are within towing distance for AMA, so I bought an AMA membership :sombrero:
- With a winch, like with four wheel drive, sometimes it gives you more confidence than you should have :bike_rider:
- Most of the places that I go there is NOTHING to winch to, the grass of the prairies just does not hold when winching :snorkel:
- I would need such a large winch that the weight would be insane :Wow1:
- If you have one you need to keep it clean and working and if it is just for show why bother :elkgrin:
- Most places that I have been I see other people and can get a tow from them, even in the bush miles from anyone I see someone drive past :smiley_drive:
With that being said if I was going to get one I would have one that I could move from the front to the back as needed. We have that on our local fire vehicles and I like the ability to be able to move the winch so when you are stuck it opens up a lot of other options.
One big thing that I make sure of is that I do carry a good tow rope and I have some anchors to hook it to. On my van it has nothing to hook to so if I ever get it stuck I may as well call a taxi!
mk216v
Der Chef der Fahrzeuge
Ward,
Many good points here, stuff to think about.
In the minimum I've gone with this for my 9500lb rig;
--Pair of Maxtrax(need to get another pair)
--MasterPull kinetic tow rope
--Tree saver
--ARB snatch block
--Gloves
--VanBeest shackles(from MasterPull)
Nothing wrong with the Warn 16.5Ti, but for my van I've just purchased a ComeUp 16.5S(S for synthetic line). ComeUp used to make a lot of the Superwinches under the Superwinch name;
http://shop.comeupusa.com/p/seal-gen2-16-5s-12v-winch?pp=12
One of my search and rescue teammates works for ComeUp USA and we were discussing winches. Interesting comparison;
ComeUp 16.5S vs Warn 16.5Ti
5.8hp vs 4.6hp
343:1 vs 315:1
1/2"x82' synthetic vs 7/16"x90' wire
132lbs vs 138lbs
Contactors vs solenoids(pretty unique difference when it comes to long term reliability)
I'll probably add one to the rear as well once I do a new rear bumper. As I get more involved in SAR and our 4x4 team is an All Hazards Crew for the tri-country police/sheriff's offices, and we do the SCCA Oregon Trail Pro Rally scene support/EMS, having a winch and learning more about is paramount to me. YMMV
-Jeremy
Many good points here, stuff to think about.
In the minimum I've gone with this for my 9500lb rig;
--Pair of Maxtrax(need to get another pair)
--MasterPull kinetic tow rope
--Tree saver
--ARB snatch block
--Gloves
--VanBeest shackles(from MasterPull)
Nothing wrong with the Warn 16.5Ti, but for my van I've just purchased a ComeUp 16.5S(S for synthetic line). ComeUp used to make a lot of the Superwinches under the Superwinch name;
http://shop.comeupusa.com/p/seal-gen2-16-5s-12v-winch?pp=12
One of my search and rescue teammates works for ComeUp USA and we were discussing winches. Interesting comparison;
ComeUp 16.5S vs Warn 16.5Ti
5.8hp vs 4.6hp
343:1 vs 315:1
1/2"x82' synthetic vs 7/16"x90' wire
132lbs vs 138lbs
Contactors vs solenoids(pretty unique difference when it comes to long term reliability)
I'll probably add one to the rear as well once I do a new rear bumper. As I get more involved in SAR and our 4x4 team is an All Hazards Crew for the tri-country police/sheriff's offices, and we do the SCCA Oregon Trail Pro Rally scene support/EMS, having a winch and learning more about is paramount to me. YMMV
-Jeremy
GNTY
Adventurer
Smittybuilt has a 17.5k lb with 6.6 hp. I've bought warn and smittybuilt in the past, have yet to have a need to use them but having one gives me a piece of mind. I'll likely be going with smittybuilt on my current rig as they are quite a bit less expensive, cost vs. use ratio. If I was using it often I'd go with warn or equivalent.
guidolyons
Addicted to Gear Oil
If you look at the cost of an offroad recovery, even just short distance off the pavement, a winch is cheap insurance. While a winch up front is traditional, if you have just one and are travelling solo, it may be more advantagous to mount it the the back so you can pull yourself out, back the way you came and try another route.
Lockers and a winch can help you get stuck further off the beaten path. :elkgrin:
Lockers and a winch can help you get stuck further off the beaten path. :elkgrin:
Healeyjet
Explorer
Picked the camper up on Friday and drove up to see Mark at Lite. Mark will be taking the truck and adding the AEV bumper and bigger wheels/tires. He started ripping the truck apart this afternoon in preparation for the bumper's arrival.
Here are some updated photos from Friday. Mostly systems pictures as there isn't much left of the camper you guys haven't already seen.
Here is the battery compartment located right behind the driver's side door.
This is a photo of the compartment right beside the entry steps. It houses the Oasis Zephyr heating system and leaves us a little room to store something.
Bathroom with shower all connected.
Annie's handiwork. She bought a couple of IKEA pillow inserts and sewed up some pillow covers. She also made a couple for on the bed.
Under the kitchen sink. This shows some of the water filtration, the silver box is part of the heating system while the black box on the right is the Outback transformer that we had to add in at the last minute to satisfy the 240V Wolf Induction cook top.
A shot of the TV system. It sounds like we are big time TV watchers but we aren't. We added this for the times when we are sitting somewhere with absolutely nothing else to do. We have an Over the Air antenna on top of the camper which brings in HDVT OTA signal. The wireless router is there so I can work on the road. There is also an Apple TV so we can get Netflix etc. We have a Cradlepoint IBR1100 router to create a Wi-Fi network on board. The download and upload speeds are incredible.
No more exterior pictures until it is sitting on it's final wheels and tires and the bumper is installed. Which if the truck carrying the bumper would ever get to Red Deer should hopefully be this week.
Ward
Here are some updated photos from Friday. Mostly systems pictures as there isn't much left of the camper you guys haven't already seen.
Here is the battery compartment located right behind the driver's side door.
This is a photo of the compartment right beside the entry steps. It houses the Oasis Zephyr heating system and leaves us a little room to store something.
Bathroom with shower all connected.
Annie's handiwork. She bought a couple of IKEA pillow inserts and sewed up some pillow covers. She also made a couple for on the bed.
Under the kitchen sink. This shows some of the water filtration, the silver box is part of the heating system while the black box on the right is the Outback transformer that we had to add in at the last minute to satisfy the 240V Wolf Induction cook top.
A shot of the TV system. It sounds like we are big time TV watchers but we aren't. We added this for the times when we are sitting somewhere with absolutely nothing else to do. We have an Over the Air antenna on top of the camper which brings in HDVT OTA signal. The wireless router is there so I can work on the road. There is also an Apple TV so we can get Netflix etc. We have a Cradlepoint IBR1100 router to create a Wi-Fi network on board. The download and upload speeds are incredible.
No more exterior pictures until it is sitting on it's final wheels and tires and the bumper is installed. Which if the truck carrying the bumper would ever get to Red Deer should hopefully be this week.
Ward
pappawheely
Autonomous4X4
I have only rescued others with my winch but I would rather have one than not. A simple pulley can increase it's capabilities. Winches can be used for many things you don't think about like making repairs and moving obstructions. They are a useful tool just like a shovel, fire extinguisher, etc. It's better to have one and not need it than to need it and not have one. Other vehicles that might be useless for a recovery can be used as anchor points.
guidolyons
Addicted to Gear Oil
Very nice! :jealous:
