Who has used a rear winch? Do you think it is necessary?

[unreng]

We have a keeper 17.5 winch in a mount attached to the rear frame of our 2017 F550. We’re putting the truck on a diet to decrease the weight on the rear axle, and are pondering whether to remove the 200+ lbs of winch and mount (3/8-inch steel) and elec-cable.

Has anyone with a +17,000lb 4x4 camper used their rear winch?

We’re driving to Alaska this summer thru BC and will probably travel to Tuk next summer with friends.
The truck will eventually have an electric front locker and an arb when they finish development for the rear axle.
I have 20+ years of offroad experience with a diy’d 78 f150 4x4 on 40-inch tires.

Appreciate the feedback. ?

 

[Peter_n_Margaret]

A winch does not have to have a fixed position.
With some decent cable it can operate anywhere and be stored anywhere when not in use.
It is a Warn 16.5Ti.

Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

 

[86scotty]

@unreng, I'd ditch the rear winch for sure if you're trying to lighten up. You can get creative with your front mounted winch if you need to pull backwards and you have some other recovery gear.

 

[waveslider]

Due to the fact that we travel alone more often than not, and that the achilles heel of our type of vehicle is mud/slippery conditions, we have a permanent rear winch. And we have used it.

It weighs more than Thor's hammer so it's not like anything suitable for our weights would be human- movable.

We also carry truck claws for the same reason (mud/slippery) but haven't used them yet. Had an opportunity to but since we were on private property, the owner/friend just pulled us in his tractor.

When the frost is down 4 inches and the weather warms up to make soup, the only thing going through that is a mega tractor.

 

[charlieaarons]

 

[charlieaarons]

You can catch a glimpse of my rear winch on the third picture. The first 2 summarize weight reduction/redistribution project. When the camper was built, it had a FischerPanda 1cyl diesel generator for the AC.
I deleted AC, mainly because it was an unreliable 110v built for class C type RV POC. I have a much nicer ventilation system now that’s really quiet and uses almost no power.
Anyways, being OCD about some things, I had 200kg (440 lb) heavy metal recovery gear (including Pullpal anchors, plural) in the rear compartment. Because of the generator, the original 60 gal fuel tank was shortened to 40 gal, and I had 2 behind the rear axle auxiliary tanks 61 gal each. Resuult was weight distribution as bad as 36/64, total full water/fuel 12600kg (gvw 15000).
So I had my local metal shop guy build a very strong and well braced 100kg box on the moose bar, which itself was re-braced.
Yes the box is very ugly.
Deleted generator, replaced with 65gal Alumitank.
Results on scale with water full, front 2 tanks full but rears empty (still 105 gal) is 12300kg, 41/59 distribution.
Didn’t even think about removing rear winch, have used once for self recovery, several other times for recovering others.
Getting stuck in a heavy vehicle is never pleasant; there’s other ways to redistribute and even reduce weight without deleting ultimate self recovery tool.

 

[waveslider]

There is at least some truth to the old adage: "Front winches are for getting other people out, rear winches are for getting yourself out. "

 

[Fishenough]

There is at least some truth to the old adage: "Front winches are for getting other people out, rear winches are for getting yourself out. "

A lifetime of exploring back roads of British Columbia and the Yukon, and if you built a vehicle like that you know what you're capable of. Any path in our tree Laden West Coast wide enough to fit your rig, I doubt you'll ever need the winch. I have lockers and chains, haven't bothered with a winch in 10 years.

Remember to test walk those huge puddles ( exactly where I've pulled most people out of with my winch, and been pulled out of also. Decades ago)

 

[unreng]

Thanks everyone. The winch will likely stay for this trip (the future is unknown), and it’s interesting to read the different viewpoints.

 

[charlieaarons]

There is at least some truth to the old adage: "Front winches are for getting other people out, rear winches are for getting yourself out. "

My reasoning was & is: easier to retreat along a route you’ve already made, therefore the rear is a 15k Superwinch, front a 20k DP. Both hydraulic. And since even at the beginning I knew rear weight would be an issue, w/cable the rear is ~125 lb lighter than the front.

 

[Roverchef]

Don't be silly...Keep the winch and switch to synthetic cable(rope) and an aluminum fairlead. You'll lose almost all the weight and get to keep the winch in place. Safe travels!

 

[aknightinak]

@unreng, I'd ditch the rear winch for sure if you're trying to lighten up. You can get creative with your front mounted winch if you need to pull backwards and you have some other recovery gear.

At 17,000 lb, I'm not thinking that a 200 lb rear winch is a tremendous weight burden. I'd do as Roverchef suggests—keep it and outfit it with uhmwpe rope, maybe even an uhmwpe fairlead (sure, they can deform under a hard pull, but they are relatively cheap and even lighter than aluminum).

Creative does work, but the easiest way is generally straight back to an anchor by running the rope under the axles, and I've wasted a couple of cables doing that with a rig that weighed much less than the OP's.

 

[86scotty]

At 17,000 lb, I'm not thinking that a 200 lb rear winch is a tremendous weight burden. I'd do as Roverchef suggests—keep it and outfit it with uhmwpe rope, maybe even an uhmwpe fairlead (sure, they can deform under a hard pull, but they are relatively cheap and even lighter than aluminum).

Creative does work, but the easiest way is generally straight back to an anchor by running the rope under the axles, and I've wasted a couple of cables doing that with a rig that weighed much less than the OP's.

Good point. I did not catch the weight of his rig.