Hand Winch worth it or no?

[Outdoorsben]

I don't wheel hard anymore it's more exploratory wheeling. I often take my young kids (5 & 3) exploring forest or logging roads and setup camp. I try not to get myself into situations that I will get stuck but things happen on the trail. I was debating on getting a winch and mounting it to a bumper up front but want to keep the weight down so I thought maybe a hand winch would work if I get into some mud.

Now I've been doing some research because a solo recovery with a hand winch just seems unsafe because no one is in the vehicle to hit the brakes or keep it in control. I guess if it's a mud area you are in it's less important but it always struck me as odd.

So what do you all think, hand winch or just get an electric winch and put it on the front.

 

[Superduty]

Electric.

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[Deleted member 9101]

I used one for many years, never had any problems. Just don't buy a cheap one and use chain so you can easily change where it hooks vs. having to deal with straps or rope.

 

[scanny]

In my opinion electric is better, because hand winch (i.e. cable puller) takes forever and requires quite a bit effort to move your truck just a few feet. But electric require proper installation and maintenance so I opted for 3 ton cable puller myself : )

 

[dreadlocks]

Traction Boards instead? much lighter than an electric winch, more capable solo than a hand winch.. if your not wheeling hard good chance the'll be plenty adequate.

I cant fit a winch on my SUV, the one on my Jeep is rarely used and it wheels hard.. four maxtrax seem like a good middle ground for dealing with mud/sand/snow that I under estimated just exploring about.. Carry a good snatch strap and pray someone stumbles across you if you ever found your self in a winch requiring situation.

 

[rnArmy]

Electric winch all the way. Traction boards are nice for a back-up, or for situations when they'd probably be more practical (my Jeeps both have electric winches, and my TJ also has traction boards). But there are things that only an electric winch can do. I don't think the weight of the winch will make as much of a difference to the front of your vehicle as you think it will. The winch will weigh even less with synthetic line.

 

[JDaPP]

I am interested in a hand winch as well which ones are you looking at?

As a side note have you considered a electric winch and a front receiver hitch? Still heavy but can be removed when not used.

 

[hemifoot]

i used a hand winch in my sand rail then again in my dune buggy,but that was way before atv winches were around and it worked fine but is slow and labour intensive.now i'm electric mounted to a receiver mounted winch cradle.way more versatile.i use it for more than winching just the truck.clearing blocked roads,winching other wheelers,pulling firewood logs to the road,pulling my boat and/or trailer out of the water.very handy to have.

 

[scanny]

I have this one : http://www.maasdam.com/6000s.html , it's a good backup in desperate situation, but I try to avoid using it at any cost

 

[Metcalf]

With a hand winch it is really hard to 'help' the winch with the vehicle.

 

[jadmt]

I jeep offroad and we use winches often, can’t think of a time when a hand winch would have worked.

 

[brp]

Has anybody come up with a trifor style hand winch that uses synthetic rope? I have an ARB hand winch, I like it, but syn rope would be a really nice safety feature. You can't stand out of the danger area like with a remote controlled winch. The reduced weight and size compared to a coiled cable would be nice too. I bought an aluminum pole to save weight compared to the steel handle provided.

I chose a hand winch because it is really reliable, cheap, transferable, adaptable, but yes, slower, harder, weaker.

 

[scanny]

I found this one with synthetic rope:

The More Power Puller®, Portable Winch, Cable Puller, Come Along Winches | By The Wyeth-Scott Company

Buy The More Power Puller Online Today! Shop puller models & replacement parts, FAQs, operating and repair instructions. Contact us online or 800-743-4521.

www.wyeth-scott.com

 

[verdesard0g]

A hand winch can absolutely save the day in simple circumstances. If you are often needing the power of an electric or hydraulic winch you are going too far into trouble in the first place.

 

[rgallant]

Given your description of your current travels, a hand winch would get the job done. I have gone around on an electric winch for 8 years still do not have one. But I travel solo mostly so it is prey easy for me to say the road ends here to day, or get out and walk the road for 15 minutes before going down that dodgy stretch.

I have used my Hi-lift to lift a tire when an old rotted wood culvert gave way, that was exciting. I use a strap or chain to pull logs out of the way, after cutting if required. I have used the hi-lift to pull my truck out of mud, exactly once but that was from the back to move backward, not something an electric winch would have helped with as it would have been on the wrong end.