Winch on vehicle

[Dgorila1]

I see many dwellers like to travel into the rugged off-road areas with their rigs. I haven't noticed anyone that has installed a winch on the front and/or rear of their van, truck,etc. Seems like this would be a good addition to get unstuck if needed, no matter 2wd or 4wd. Anyone have any feedback on the positives or negatives of adding  a winch?

 

[bullfrog]

I have a small cheap one mounted on a hitch platform with both front and back receivers on the vehicle, snatch block, home made pull-pal, shovel, tow strap, extra battery, jumper cables, various clevises, and gloves. All of these are or have been required to get vehicles unstuck when roads get bad here in Utah. As you can see this amounts to a large commitment of space and weight, plus learning how to use the stuff safely. When getting towing service to respond is gonna cost over $1,000 a trip, if they will respond at all it makes sense but quite a few seem to get by depending on people like me to help them out. It seems after gaining experience off road I don't get into situations or have learned how to keep from getting stuck in my vehicle much, it is usually someone else visiting.

 

[highdesertranger]

I have one,



I have used it more for moving boulders to get the gold underneath them and for moving  trees out of the road.  I have used it a few times to pull people out.  I find a winch to be a useful tool but I feel it's a bit of an overkill for most people.  if you want to travel off the beaten path further the first thing I would add would be some type of posi/locker.  if that doesn't cut then a true 4x4.  then a winch.  highdesertranger

 

[DuneElliot]

As much off road driving I've done with my truck I've never had the need for one. I've been careful though and never put myself in a situation where it might be needed. The only times I've gotten a little crazy was with other people and everyone had tow ropes/chains. So far I haven't come across anything Big Blue can't handle...and she's seen a lot. I've thought about it, but so far I haven't been able to justify the cost vs benefits. I do always carry a tow rope and chain, just in case though.

 

[HarmonicaBruce]

Sprinter vans seem to me to be prone to getting stuck.  I've called tow trucks twice, once when I was on wet ground, and once in dry sugar sand.  If I was to get a winch mounted, with my luck I'd need it on the other end of the van.  I thought about something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B009...3_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=1EXA136ER04XHD696M97

 

[johnny b]

be very careful with winch capacity...that little 1000 pounder you linked at amazon wouldn't do much for a stuck sprinter.
a cable that snaps under load can whip around and cut you in half.   :exclamation: :exclamation:

get a properly sized winch... and get a synthetic cable to be even safer.

 

[highdesertranger]

a word about synthetic cable. if you are using the winch for self recover only, syn cable is fine. in this instance the cable is static, meaning it doesn't move in relation to the ground. now if you are using the winch to recover another vehicle or move objects the winch cable is active, meaning the cable is moving over the ground. synthetic cable is not good for this at all especially if pulling the cable over rocks. the syn cable will abrade and fail quickly. so keep this in mind. highdesertranger

 

[biere]

A few decades ago when I was young and had my first 4x4 everyone said you need a hi-lift jack and it can winch you out. Talk about hard labor.

I could see a portable winch setup being useful, still going to be heavy and I would have one heck of a receiver mounted for it to use.

For something like a van I was living in, I would mostly want to go backwards if I got stuck. But front receiver hitches are out there, so I would set it up for front or back and being portable means I could secure it someplace when not in use so it would not get stolen. Receiver hitches can be used for all sorts of stuff so I consider it a tool somewhat.

While I agree synthetic cable can get damaged easier than wire cable, for something portable the synthetic cable weighs less and that would be nice. I agree wire cable will take more abuse but it won't just keep on taking abuse forever.

A positraction or locker in the drive axle would be my first money spent. Good tires are needed as well, but if you drive a lot then aggressive off road tires might not interest you. Tires do make a difference.

If thinking about a winch read up on some of the 4x4 sites about rigging them safely and especially if considering the pulley stuff to double the pulling power, it halves the speed of the pull and this is just basic without considering friction.

I have a one wheel drive wonder pickup right now and it can get stuck on wet grass in the yard at times, so I have given some thought to options. Tires would help, locker would help, and both of those would be quicker than dragging out a winch and hooking up to something.