Hand winches???

[MacMan]

Much to my frustration, this mouse's best laid plans to sort some recovery gear cheap went to poop this week. I won two "Tirfor" hand winches on eBay, one for me and one for a mate, only to find that they were both infact no name Chinese made junkers! Had they been Tirfors they would have been a steal at the price, but because they were misrepresented by the felchers selling them and they were of nill interest to me for hauling my investment around I declined to pay for them and gave them a piece of my mind.

SO, I am back to square one, looking at the options out there. I popped into Duncan's 4WD (the first non Rover specific shop NOT to insult me for not buying a Toyscrota, big points to Warren!) and they had "Big Haul" and "Black Rat" winches on the shelf at around the $400-$500 mark depending on size.

What do you guys all use? Anything to steer clear of (other than Felcher Brother eBay Chinese knock offs), or anything to look for specifically?

Thanks in advance.

Still puzzling over where to put recovery points front and rear...

[DaveS3]

Does it have to be a hand winch?
Some elec winches are getting cheaper now (800-900) and a hell of a lot better to use than a hand winch.
Maybe even search the Trading Post for both cheap electric winches or a hand winch. Sometimes they pop up there.

Dave style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif

[Bytemrk]

Hi MacMan

I have a Big Haul ( Actually got it from Duncans ) 2500kg model

Bloody good winch.... bloody hard work 8O 8O

Great incentive to carry it around incase ------ and Try REAL hard not to need it style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif

I think you might find if you put the sqeeze on the price might be flexible ... I can't remember what I paid but it was over $100 off the average ticket price - but was around the time of the wd show - so might have been a show price.

I would recomend them...... just need to teach SWMBO to use it now :twisted: :twisted:

[RR5L]

Originally posted by Bytemrk

I would recomend them...... just need to teach SWMBO to use it now :twisted: :twisted:

If your holding classes, I will send my lovely wife along too style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif :twisted:

[Pedro_The_Swift]

Originally posted by RobG65+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(RobG65)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteBegin-Bytemrk

I would recomend them...... just need to teach SWMBO to use it now :twisted: :twisted:

If your holding classes, I will send my lovely wife along too style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif :twisted:[/b][/quote]

Di is keen on being held responsible for your actions--
in this case--
YOU got us in here,, YOU get us out!!

style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif

[MacMan]

My Girlie isn't afraid of work, but I think she too would subscribe to the "you got us here, you get us out" theory.

This is not something I plan on having to use, but it beats walking (and the angry eyes from afore mentioned Girlie) if we do get stuck.

[Michael2]

One day I came home from work and my wife asked me to have a look in the boot (in the days before she had a RR). I opened the boot of her car, and there, cradled in a blanket like a little baby was a capstan winch for my SIII 8O style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif - I love my wife so much.

Anyway, all I'm saying is - perhaps you won't have to make the decision. Maybe your other half reads your aulro correspondence (like mine) and will get a good idea :wink:

Good Luck.

[River]

Now thats an understanding partner, I have to hide most of these purchases in the boot under a blanket 8O

[alexcd]

i have a big haul hand winch.
Works great, hard work but for only $450 it will get me out of anything an electric winch will and it will easily pull to rear or side. I am now looking for ideas on how best to store it and the cable in the rangie, so i have easy access to it all the time. Probly build some draws.
If your on a tight budget like many of us, you carnt loose!

[MacMan]

Warren at Duncans 4X4 in North Rd told me that he carries a Big Haul and doesn't actually bother with electric winches for his vehicles. He told me that they are fully supported in this country and spares are not a problem.

I guess it all comes down to how much and where from!

[camel_landy]

Originally posted by DaveS3
Does it have to be a hand winch?
Some elec winches are getting cheaper now (800-900) and a hell of a lot better to use than a hand winch.
Maybe even search the Trading Post for both cheap electric winches or a hand winch. Sometimes they pop up there.

Dave style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif

A decent hand winch is much more versatile than a vehicle mounted electric winch. The electric will only be able to pull you in the direction that the winch is mounted (usually further into whatever has just swallowed the truck) where as the hand winch can pull you in any direction.... Even backwards. :wink:

Mark.

[sclarke]

Originally posted by Michael2
One day I came home from work and my wife asked me to have a look in the boot (in the days before she had a RR). I opened the boot of her car, and there, cradled in a blanket like a little baby was a capstan winch for my SIII 8O style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif - I love my wife so much.

Anyway, all I'm saying is - perhaps you won't have to make the decision. Maybe your other half reads your aulro correspondence (like mine) and will get a good idea :wink:

Good Luck.

Damn i married the wrong Lass.......
Mine says "Do what you want, you do anyhow"

Ahhh yep i do...... Hey Mark...

[DaveS3]

Originally posted by camel_landy+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(camel_landy)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteBegin-DaveS3
Does it have to be a hand winch?
Some elec winches are getting cheaper now (800-900) and a hell of a lot better to use than a hand winch.
Maybe even search the Trading Post for both cheap electric winches or a hand winch. Sometimes they pop up there.

Dave style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif

A decent hand winch is much more versatile than a vehicle mounted electric winch. The electric will only be able to pull you in the direction that the winch is mounted (usually further into whatever has just swallowed the truck) where as the hand winch can pull you in any direction.... Even backwards. :wink:

Mark.[/b][/quote]

I agree, but if your in that deep, Hand winches are seriously hard work, and can/will take hours of adjusting and readjusting to get anywhere other than further downwards.
In most convoys now, there are generally people with electric winches who are needed to be placed in the convoy appropriately. Most now carry a fair pile of gear that you can do the same things with hand as you can do with a electric, anyway i know i do.

BTW, how many people have the appropriate points & knowledge to recover from a position other then front or rear?
Not many at all, they will probably end up doing more damage

Dave.

[Michael2]

there are a couple of tirfors on ebay, both finish in 3 days. no bids yet.
one's @ $150 the other @ $300

[camel_landy]

Originally posted by DaveS3

I agree, but if your in that deep, Hand winches are seriously hard work, and can/will take hours of adjusting and readjusting to get anywhere other than further downwards.
In most convoys now, there are generally people with electric winches who are needed to be placed in the convoy appropriately. Most now carry a fair pile of gear that you can do the same things with hand as you can do with a electric, anyway i know i do.

BTW, how many people have the appropriate points & knowledge to recover from a position other then front or rear?
Not many at all, they will probably end up doing more damage

Dave.

If you're in that deep, you're driving like a $%*. style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif But at least with a hand winch, it _will_ get you out.... Eventually....

Even when out with the Camel guys, we rarely use winches. A quick tug on a rope is far quicker and easier to setup too.

Mark.

[Bushie]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'>I won two "Tirfor" hand winches on eBay, one for me and one for a mate, only to find that they were both infact no name Chinese made junkers![/b][/quote]

Are they actually that bad?

Reason I ask 20odd years ago I bought a copy of a Tirfor (Brano) which was pretty much an unknown to me - hasn't missed a beat in that time, mind you I try not to use it too much.


Bushie

[MacMan]

The answer to that one is that I don't know what they are like. When one buys a "Flying Dim Sim" or "Eagle Mouth" brand anything you take a punt. What I don't want to do is lose the bet in the middle of what's supposed to be a pleasant trip without anyone else around other than a p'd off Significant Other.

The other reason I backed out of the deal was on principle - the guys selling were shifty and hard to communicate with from the outset. As soon as I saw the winches and queried the brand the guy started back pedalling and blaming his boss, but his boss blamed him, and the net effect of that was that they both had a crack at me for "not knowing what I was after". My reply was "I am here to collect two Tirfor winches as auctioned by you and won my myself, and if you haven't got those two winches then my money stays in my pocket, thanks for nothing! Insulting the hand that holds the money is never a good idea!

[Michael2]

The $150 tirfor on ebay (the older model) is the same as the one I've got. I bought it in a 2nd hand shop in Kununurra, probably from Wyndham Port and probably circa 1960's. I paid $50 for it and then I bought a new cable in Melb for $100.

$150 sounds about as bargain as you'll get. They're easy to dismantle, clean and rebuild. I haven't used mine much, but it has been good. I didn't get a handle with it, but the Hi-Lift handle fits just well, so that compatibility helps keep weight down.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi...ssPageName=WDVW (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=30862&item=4551667775&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW)

[nutgrass]

I'd stick with the hand winch, had a tirfor years ago and no prob's, and for the money/actual usage/versatility factors I think it is a valuable bit of gear to have handy.That and a couple of passengers.