Hand Winch worth it or no?

[rnArmy]

I think I've had mine for 30 years now. I'll probably never get rid of it even though it hurts my knee to drive it. It keeps my other Jeep company in the shop. It is never lacking for power off-road; just don't expect to go fast on pavement.

(But to keep this thread on track) I think winches help keep people from damaging their 4x4s. It is easier on the vehicle to winch it vs. trying to stomp on the gas and try to power your way through something (that's how stuff breaks or you bounce into trees or rocks). Both my Jeeps have electric winches up front.

 

[dreadlocks]

Nothing like the timeless old winch debate thats been raging for decades now.

I dont think OP needs an electric winch for the kinda stuff he claims he's doing.. now each their own, but I learned to wheel without depending on one and think for vast majority of ppl they are just mall crawler ********.. there's a dozen decked out jeeps with winches and the whole 9 yards in my work parking lot and aint none of em even got a scratch on the hooks or any recovery points or anywhere really. However there's a few old beatup yotas that come back to work on monday looking like they had a blast at Moab or whatever, and none of em have winches.

Here's me 15 years back, in a bone stock 4cyl jeep doing stuff none of those mall crawlers at work have ever done.. I couldn't even afford a AT Spare back then, let alone a winch.


Now I've had to been snatched plenty of times, but its cheaper to find a friend and bring some extra beer than it is to buy a winch.. and when I dont have a buddy with me, I just take it easy and dont try to go places I'm not confident I cant get outta.. there is no shame in getting out and walking a path or poking a stick into some mud before hitting it.. When I'm out with my family in my SUV just overlanding and not wheeling, I'm turning around before I go down stuff like above.. most likely things to get me stuck is beach sand or ending up in a ditch full of snow and even then thats pretty unlikely, but to still be prepared traction boards should be more effective than either a hand or electric winch, just finding an anchor point on a beach would be.. a **********.

I understand a lot of you guys wouldn't go out w/out a winch, and you got good reasons.. but remember that for many of us its a luxury that lets us do stupid at worst, and expensive disaster insurance at best.. I'm sure OP has better things to spend his money on than this since he has indicated no particular interest in hard wheeling while overlanding.

 

[robert]

This, plus 150' of line coiled on the hoodView attachment 507423, solves all the issues.

Sweet old capstan winch. I doubt most folks with four wheel drives these days even know what it it is much less how to use it unless they also sail.

And Metcalf, yeah, if I ever get some extra money and get around to it I may buy some synthetic line, it's a great way t have extra on hand. Anymore I'm honestly a lot more likely to use the winch for other tasks it seems. It's an insurance policy since I'm generally traveling alone but the last couple of times it's been used were to pull some shrub things out of my parent's yard for them. LOL I couldn't get the truck into the back yard but I could run the cable through the gate back to the bushes. Before that we used it at my buddy's hunting property to move some stuff around.

 

[hemifoot]

well dreadlocks,you don't need a winch and feel the need to ******** on anyone that does,again.good for you.some of us actually get out of the mall and actually go out exploring.we like to carry the insurance of a winch.if you don't need/use one then why even contribute another one of your bitter rants on something that holds no interest to you? you claim to never need a winch/come along,maybe you should butt out.you wait till 4 pages then post that garbage?sheesh.

 

[dreadlocks]

I replied good honest advice to the OP on the first page, since then its de-railed into the typical winch waving contest.. I'm not saying all people with a winch are mall crawlers, but I am saying all mall crawlers have a winch..

I was not crapping on anyone, more ppl on this site actually use winches than IRL and thats awesome.. I was just trying to address the original question, since here we are 4 pages into "GET A 9000LB USA MADE DEAD WEIGHT" when the poor OP was actually asking if he really needed a winch for just cruising the back country roads solo with his family.. and fuckall if you need a winch to get into that game, you dont even need one wheeling let alone what he described.

 

[67cj5]

A Winch is not a must have Item but It is nice to have one if the going gets tough, sure a hand winch will do the job but some folks have health issues that won't allow them to use such a thing, Others buy the biggest branded models because they think they gives them some kind of guarantee to keep them safe, I bought a Winch for a 5th of the price as some of the top brand models and it will last just as long as one that costs 3K, I bought mine because it is portable and can be mounted any where on my Truck and I can remove it to avoid theft or when it is not needed, I also have a large hand winch and a 2 Ton ratchet hand winch/puller, If I can use the Puller and get the job done then fine, I also have 2 Hi-Lifts and a generic hi lift jack so I have many ways to get unstuck If needed.

We all have what suits us best, and the top brands are no better than the cheaper models and most winch talk is more about bragging rights regarding Brand, Cost and capacities etc, personally I would not go past some of the generic brands because you get a heck of a lot for the money.

 

[Metcalf]

I'm having trouble visualizing this. Can you explain?

Bill Burke does a pretty good job of explaining it.

 

[Metcalf]

Or work a linetruck, or well drilling rig.
In my experience they work great with dacron or nylon ropes. But nowdays super slippery and lower melting point Spectra type poly ropes, Maybe needs different technique ?

This. I'd like to see modern syntheic lines work on a capstan, but I don't see it being a good idea.

 

[Metcalf]

I understand a lot of you guys wouldn't go out w/out a winch, and you got good reasons.. but remember that for many of us its a luxury that lets us do stupid at worst, and expensive disaster insurance at best.. I'm sure OP has better things to spend his money on than this since he has indicated no particular interest in hard wheeling while overlanding.

Decent quality winches have never been more affordable.

I've definitely been in situations, even with other people along, that there was no way to get out of a bad situation without a winch ( or other pulling device ) that was not another vehicle with a strap.

 

[rnArmy]

So I went and looked at the OP's first post. I also highlighted a few things from that post. Quote:

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.

It sounds like the OP's already leaning towards an electric winch. He recognizes things happen on the trail, he's often with small children, and from his profile picture he's driving a new(er) type Jeep. He says he used to wheel hard, so I'm going to assume he's experienced with winch use (his own or with others). Some of those nicer hand winches (the ones from wyeth-scott cost about $300; some more) are about the same price as an entry level electric winch. I wouldn't count on a $20 HF hand winch to unstuck my Jeep. And if you get an electric one with synthetic cable, the weight is even less compared to one with steel cable if weight is a concern. And if you're using a hand winch (or a hi-lift as a winch) by the time you buy all the extra length of chain, cable, and hooks, you're really not saving that much money. And you've still gotta carry all that stuff, so you're kinda negating the weight saving idea. And traction boards take up a lot of space.

Yes there is an ongoing debate in some circles of whether or not you need an electric winch. Do what you want (it's your vehicle and your family that's depending on you getting them home safely after four wheeling), but I think of it this way (we should do a poll):

1. How many folks have ever had to use their winch and were glad they had one?
2. How many folks out there who don't have a winch (or didn't have one at the time) have at one time wished they had one (and possibly bought one afterwards) as they were trying to get unstuck?
3. How many folks out there who don't have a winch have had to be winched by someone else at one time or another?
4. How many folks out there don't have a winch, have no intention of getting a winch, and believe getting unstuck is part of the fun?

I personally fall under #1 (and on more than one occasion).

 

[dreadlocks]

1. How many folks had to use a winch in a situation you only ended up in because of said winch?
2. How many folks have a winch that you have never used
3. How many winch owners who self recover often have traction boards and which would you grab first?

I think alot of this might be regional too, those who play in a desert have different recovery needs than those who play in a swamp... and I totally agree a hand winch/come a long is a poor recovery tool, there are a variety of better and safer recovery tools to carry than that.. I think I only seen 1 person mention a HiLift so far in all this.

I guess my definition of hard wheeling is needing to bring a winch to put your mind at ease heh.. exploratory wheeling something I see lifted Subarus doing in these parts, A wrangler is entirely capable with good tires for that.

 

[rnArmy]

I have winches and recovery boards. I guess I would use whichever one was the best and safest choice for the situation. It is good to have a choice (winch vs. recovery boards).

 

[dreadlocks]

thats of course is quite logical, however I kinda was meaning which would be the first you'd buy assuming you cant get both right now.. in the context of light exploring, ie you really dont really have any need to get to the other end of this trail, other than perhaps pride I suppose?

 

[Metcalf]

1. How many folks had to use a winch in a situation you only ended up in because of said winch?
2. How many folks have a winch that you have never used
3. How many winch owners who self recover often have traction boards and which would you grab first?

I think alot of this might be regional too, those who play in a desert have different recovery needs than those who play in a swamp... and I totally agree a hand winch/come a long is a poor recovery tool, there are a variety of better and safer recovery tools to carry than that.. I think I only seen 1 person mention a HiLift so far in all this.

I guess my definition of hard wheeling is needing to bring a winch to put your mind at ease heh.. exploratory wheeling something I see lifted Subarus doing in these parts, A wrangler is entirely capable with good tires for that.

1- My winch has never gotten me into any situations, but it has gotten me out of lots.
2- I use mine ( multiple ) a lot, a significant portion of that is pulling out vehicles that don't have winches.
3- I can't carry every gadget under the sun, a winch will get me out of more situations than something like a traction board.

 

[billiebob]

1, It doesn't take much to be stuck enough to need a pull, from another vehicle or a winch. But if you travel remote roads alone a winch can save an 8 hour walk out. I've had several of those walks before I bought a winch.

2, It is also handy to pull a log onto or off the road and turning around a trailer at a deadend.

3, Traction boards just take up space. I have lockers front and rear. Believe me if you are stuck all locked up, you'll need a winch. Lockers are my choice for traction. I prefer to pack a chainsaw over traction boards.