Thread: tirfor

After having a small Tirfor (T614?) when I used to offroad a Type 3 VW I too vowed that I would avoid them.
The main problem is the weight and bulk of the winch as well as the cable.

In 1988 while posted to Thailand I bought a WARN portable 5000lb winch which came in a steel box with plastic lid and can be used via an included receiver or via an equaliser through two fitted D shackles.
It also came with an extension wire to the rear of the car with Anderson plugs, and a short cable to be attached to the battery for front pulls. so it can be used in all positions including off the chassis if necessary. It fits neatly in the footwell behind the drivers seat, held down of course by a nylon strap and stuff can be stacked on top of it..

I recently changed it to Dyneema and I reckon it's lighter than a Tirfor and cable.

The funny bit is I have only used it in anger once to retieve a guy who had fallen off a causeway in the Watagans, and it very effectively pulled the car sideways until pulling a couple of trees over.

But I reckon its the duck's guts and can do anything you want through a snatch block though slowly.

There are receiver portable mounts advertised in the mags, and a cheap 9000Lb winch on one of those receivers, plus maybe drilling some holes for shackles and some cable extensions , with some Dyneema would be the go and able to pull from anywhere on the car.And be lighter and less bulky than a tirfor and MUCH MUCH less work.
Regards Philip A

Not as scary as the one I was looking for. German or dutch clip of a similair system that just used a flat plat with an oblong cutout that dropped over the ball. Oh, and it was a capstan!

Tirfor is a brand name for the ORIGINAL Tirfor winch, all others are copies and none are better, every construction/mine site I have ever worked as a Rigger the Tirfor brand was the only winch on site.
If you buy a snatch block (largest dia. and correct groove size for the wire rope used) you can reduce the effort required to operate the winch by 50%, BUT always attach the snatch block to the vehicle or the load to be moved, run the cable through the snatch block and back to your anchor point, it will make a hard job more bearable, Regards Frank.