Thread: Winch - really a necessity? Your comment welcome

If people feel a winch is that important for self-recovery you'd think they'd have one front and back.
W.

Only twice I have needed a winch to get out of a bog and I used a hand pull through type. Amazing what you can get out of though with nothing. In the last fire one of the fire trucks was badly bogged, I sent another truck to help them get out. I hear on the radio they could not get them out and they tell me they need a tractor or something to pull them out and they were going to drain the water out which I told them not to and to wait for me to arrive.
There were old bushies on the second truck I sent and they thought they knew better than I did. I cut down an load of saplings with a cane knife and laid them in the wheel tracks under the wheels too. I got the moaning bushies to dig the diffs out whilst listening to constant protests how it would not work.. I hopped into the cab and without being towed at all I just drove the truck out. A winch would have worked well, but there was another way with a bit of thought. Before I arrived they had tried apparently everything for about 2 hours, what they had not tried was engaging any of their brains.
Winches are handy though, but heavy.
Chris

Hi,
Sit Rep:
Pulled off a bitumen road to check a set of roadside picnic tables as a spot to kip for the night. Heavy rain for days had us very cautious about going any where off road.

Problem:
Vic Gas had refilled a trench with soft earth between the road and the tables.

Result:
Bogged to the chassis at the rear. Front wheels on hard stand.

Not enough traction on the front to extract us forward, and that would put us on the wrong side of the trench. The Tirfur would have pulled us forward maybe but would have needed me to drive and winch at the same time.



Backwards was the only way to go, but our jacks and planks were inadequate to get the wheel out of the gooey trench to get planks under them.

Fortunately we were rescued by a local with a Toyota and a short strap.



Conclusion:
The weapon of choice here may have been a Hi-Lift Jack, although a mounted winch might have got me out - but on the wrong side of the trench.

Cheers

Originally Posted by austastar

Hi,
Sit Rep:
Pulled off a bitumen road to check a set of roadside picnic tables as a spot to kip for the night. Heavy rain for days had us very cautious about going any where off road.

Problem:
Vic Gas had refilled a trench with soft earth between the road and the tables.

Result:
Bogged to the chassis at the rear. Front wheels on hard stand.

Not enough traction on the front to extract us forward, and that would put us on the wrong side of the trench. The Tirfur would have pulled us forward maybe but would have needed me to drive and winch at the same time.



Backwards was the only way to go, but our jacks and planks were inadequate to get the wheel out of the gooey trench to get planks under them.

Fortunately we were rescued by a local with a Toyota and a short strap.



Conclusion:
The weapon of choice here may have been a Hi-Lift Jack, although a mounted winch might have got me out - but on the wrong side of the trench.

Cheers

I have seen someone run a front mounted winch cable under the car, it might have helped. A high lift jack can be very useful as you said.
Chris

Originally Posted by cafe latte

I have seen someone run a front mounted winch cable under the car, it might have helped. A high lift jack can be very useful as you said.
Chris

Hi, nothing but road behind me, and the chassis is on the ground in gooey mud.
Cheers

Originally Posted by B.S.F.

If people feel a winch is that important for self-recovery you'd think they'd have one front and back.
W.

With science (and shackles, snatch blocks, etc.), I do!

I also have a hand winch for when science fails me.

In Png 99.9 % of the 4wd are winchless we rely on rentacrowd
Mind u they are also often no spare, no jack, no tools, and no rego
Esp the Police

Originally Posted by austastar

Hi, nothing but road behind me, and the chassis is on the ground in gooey mud.
Cheers

Would an exhaust jack worked in this situation to lift and pack underneath?

Just thinking, instead of an electric winch have a hand winch (hard work I know but how often are you going to use it?), some sort of traction devices (Treds or Matrix) and a exhaust jack or maybe a hi lift jack (if you have jacking points). All of which you don't have to carry around all the time and most likely weigh less than an electric winch and bar.

Except Treds I have none of the above so I don't know if it would be better than having a winch. Just spitballing.

Does anybody use an exhaust jack?