Cheap winch or good 2nd hand one?

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Originally Posted by mark2

I sold my electric winch and bought a hand winch. The electric winch was a lot of dead weight and money sitting on the front end. The reality is that most winches are rarely used and when they are needed often dont work from corrosion of the solenoid terminals due to lack of maintenance and infrequent use. You will also need a second battery as winching is like driving on the starter motor in terms of the current used.

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LOL! And a hand winch isnt dead weight?!

And you can use a electric winch yo pull yourself out...2 tree trunck protectors and 2 snatch blocks...there you go!

Angus

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Originally Posted by McDisco

LOL! And a hand winch isnt dead weight?!


Angus

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:eek: I think its obvious that you only carry the hand winch when you need it. Do you unbolt your electric winch when driving on the road??? Also an electric winch weighs about 3x that of a Tirfor (not including the second battery) AND it sits right over the front end.

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Originally Posted by stooge

Ive read through some posts on winches, and wanted to know what you people with both cheaper (under $1000) winches thought and those who may have bought a good second hand one (like a warn). What are your opinions?

Scenario: Will be going out and trying hard tracks, but not every weekend. So I would assume usage of the winch once a month (to give an idea of usage).

So, from what ive read, if I were to buy a cheapie (Repcos Maxi Trac) I am lead to believe that its best to pull them apart, regrease the components, water seal other components etc. If I went the 2nd hand winch, it would be an unknown on how well it was looked after until bought and stripped down.

Any thoughts?

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Without any prior experience, I went for the 2nd-hand Warn XD9000 (probably paid too much for it) rather than a new cheaper one due to having a bit more confidence in the Warn plus the availability of parts. I may have been lucky as it was virtually brand new and all it needed was a good cleanout and the gbox repacked.

I didn't like the specs of the Magnum with only a 2 pole motor.

Look for a cheap Warn highmount ($3-$400) and then put a 6hp motor on it ($500):D

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Originally Posted by Tank

What's wrong with running the winch cable under the vehicle and out the back and hook onto something behind you and pull yourself backwards, I've done it many times, wouldn't advise doing it with synthetic rope as they wont handle abrasion, Regards Frank.

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:o

Please tell me that you're running the cable through a snatch block, in front of the car, to position it before running it underneath and not just letting the winch cable rub along the underside of the truck...

It's also assuming that you can actually get under your truck and you're not bogged up to your chassis in water!!!

There is actually a technique for using a front mounted winch to recover backwards but it requires several snatch blocks, an enormous amount of rope and anchor points in just the right places...

M

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Originally Posted by McDisco

LOL! And a hand winch isnt dead weight?!

And you can use a electric winch yo pull yourself out...2 tree trunck protectors and 2 snatch blocks...there you go!

Angus

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Let's face it... Most people just want the winch as a fashion accessory. A Tirfor stuck in the trunk just doesn't have as much street cred.

The Tirfor is still a dead weight but if you're going to carry a winch, you might as well have something that's much more versatile than a winch that can only pull in the one direction. It's also significantly cheaper and you don't need to modify your vehicle to use it (assuming you already have recovery points).

M

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Originally Posted by stooge

Scenario: Will be going out and trying hard tracks, but not every weekend. So I would assume usage of the winch once a month (to give an idea of usage).

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I'll go Tirfor and 20 to 50 meters extention straps (+ at least one car with you on your trip) or hydraulic winch. I've seen how top line Warn winches slow down while winching and die. Once a month - too much load on your car battery, so be ready to replace batteries more often than normal.

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Originally Posted by camel_landy

:o

Please tell me that you're running the cable through a snatch block, in front of the car, to position it before running it underneath and not just letting the winch cable rub along the underside of the truck...

It's also assuming that you can actually get under your truck and you're not bogged up to your chassis in water!!!

There is actually a technique for using a front mounted winch to recover backwards but it requires several snatch blocks, an enormous amount of rope and anchor points in just the right places...

M

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That is correct, 2 snatch blocks required with 2 points (trees or other anchor points). Also 2 tree trank protectors, sometimes an extention strap to get to remote ancor point. And not always recovered car goes where you want...

Maybe once a month is over the top, but thanks for the replies, it certainly makes me think about the tirfor.

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Originally Posted by Ruslan

That is correct, 2 snatch blocks required with 2 points (trees or other anchor points). Also 2 tree trank protectors, sometimes an extention strap to get to remote ancor point. And not always recovered car goes where you want...

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I think you'll find you'll need at least 3x snatch blocks, preferably 4x!!!

1x On the anchor point in front.
1x On the back of the truck.
2x on the rear anchor point.

Either way... It's not pretty!!!

M

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Originally Posted by camel_landy

I think you'll find you'll need at least 3x snatch blocks, preferably 4x!!!

1x On the anchor point in front.
1x On the back of the truck.
2x on the rear anchor point.

Either way... It's not pretty!!!

M

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HUH?! I dont get ya...with an electric winch you would go to a front offset winch point (such as a tree), then to a rear offset point and then to the rear recovery point. Why would you need a snatch block on the frnt and rear of the car? Maybe if you were severely stuck and needed to multiple torque massively...

Am I missing something here?

And I do agree about the versatility of a hand winch. For my sort of driving I think I use the electric winch enough to justify having it and oftern done need to recover backwards or to the side (as I oftern travel with others with winches). It would be handy to have but you have to reasonably pack recovery equipment you would use regularly and also consider the weight of all the stuff.