which winch for a guy who doesn't like winches?

[sixstringsteve]

I've never been a winch guy. I never wheel alone and ive never needed one. A tow strap has always done the job. However, i like being prepared for anything and i definitely see the upsides to having a winch. I love wheeling.with people who have winches, and i always feel better knowing they have one.

I dont like traditional winches for the.following reasons:
- winches are the #1 Mall crawler/wannabe device (see jurrassic park)
- theyre super expensive
- they hardly get used, and if they dont get used enough, they dont work when you need them to
- winches kill your approach angle
- theyre heavy
- i plan on building a front bumper soon and i dont know how much.room a winch.requires, or how to wire it, etc.
- winches can be dangerous if used improperly. I feel that.inunderstand.enough.to keep myself and others safe
- i dont need a winch for 98% of the daily driving i do
- most of the time i see a winch used on the trail, a strap would have been fine, but they use the winch because they want to justify having it.


Now, i dont want to start a fight. I think nothing less of those with a winch, in fact i like that they have one.



What winch options.do you recommend.for.me? Are there mechanical winches out there? Ive thought about a hitch mounted winch on a cradle.mount, which is what im leaning towards

 

[frieed]

If you wanna go oldschool you can use a hi-lift jack and chain. Oh, that's right, you sold your jack .................. to me
Another option is put a hitch receiver in the front bumper and get a receiver mount winch platform.
I have a Warn M8000 that is a pretty standard size and you can look at my bumper to see how it fits.
I have seen this winch mounted in a stock JK front bumper as well.

 

[rholbrook]

If you go to Habor Freight and buy one of their cheapies then you get what you want. You will have your winch but then you wont because it may or may not work when you need it.

I have only used mine a couple of times but it is nice to have just in case. I bought my Warn on sale for about $500 out the door.

 

[Badger]

There are several companies that produce a mechanical hand winch.

ARB Magnum

 

[sixstringsteve]

^^ sweet, that's the type of thing I'm looking.for. anyone have any experience using one?

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Yup, they work really well and offer some flexibility you don't get with an electric and practicality you don't have with a come-a-long. In stock too

 

[Kevin B.]

Yup, they work really well and offer some flexibility you don't get with an electric and practicality you don't have with a come-a-long. In stock too

If Steve doesn't mind, I'd like to hear more. I carry a comealong as a "just-in-case" sort of thing, and I kinda agree with Steve about the weight and hassle of a winch on the bumper. What does the Magnum bring that the comealong doesn't?

 

[sixstringsteve]

Yup, they work really well and offer some flexibility you don't get with an electric and practicality you don't have with a come-a-long. In stock too

can that handle the weight of my vehicle? I'm guessing I"m pushing 4500-4800 lbs.

 

[TJDukit]

There are several companies that produce a mechanical hand winch.

ARB Magnum

Now that is sweet. Whats great about that is it is portable and can be used anywhere and is a whole lot lighter than a winch in a cradle and I'm sure it takes up a whole lot less space.

If Steve doesn't mind, I'd like to hear more. I carry a comealong as a "just-in-case" sort of thing, and I kinda agree with Steve about the weight and hassle of a winch on the bumper. What does the Magnum bring that the comealong doesn't?

I carry a come along as well but not for recovery that's what I have a winch and straps for. I carry mine for things like a possible broken track bar or some other un-forseen event where you might need it.

I have to agree with Steve that most of the time a strap works just fine. I've used my winch a few times including out at HTT to pull a silly XJ sideways to clear him of some rocks but I've never used my winch to pull myself out of anything.

 

[frieed]

Specifications and Part Numbers: MHWU, MHWTH and MHWRR required for complete winch kit. Pulling Capacity: 5300lbs. Rated Lifting Capacity: 3500lbs. Unit Dimensions: 21 x 11 x 4 inch. Cable Length: 65' cable. Handle length, closed diameter 31", extended 47".

 

[sixstringsteve]

do they make a bigger model? I thought you're supposed to get a winch that's rated for 1.5x your vehicle weight. I would assume the same applies to hand-winches.

 

[Spork]

The ARB looks interesting, Does it spool it or just walk along the cable? I looked for some videos on it and didn't see much.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wqt6CPXqeS0

Found something similar with one that uses amsteel blue synthetic cable:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJdwVSOWtbM
another forum had this link on the one in the above video:
http://www.wyeth-scott.com/
price with Amsteel blue ~ $300
(the 3ton capacity is supposed to be dead lift weight)

 

[sixstringsteve]

http://www.wyeth-scott.com/
price with Amsteel blue ~ $300
(the 3ton capacity is supposed to be dead lift weight)

sweet. I dig it.

 

[LT.]

Sixstringsteve- I know you are not all that excited about using an electric winch or maybe even a hydraulic winch but, when you are stuck, and you need to get out, a winch will be paid for the first time you use it. I have found it is really handy to have a winch around to do a lot of other things as well. Pulling a dead vehicle onto a trailer, pulling a trailer onto a trailer, loading animals into a truck, moving dead cars around, that kind of thing. I guess what I am saying is that you won't know what you are missing until you have one laying around.

Also, I have found that it is often times better to go out backwards than to continue moving forwards. With that in mind I would suggest (if you do get a winch) that you get one that can be moved from front to back. If you do that (and you have other vehicles) it would be easy to wire up other rigs to use the same winch on. Some years ago I was also stuck thinking about getting a winch. Now that I have one I don't know how I got along with out it.

LT.

 

[Caleb]

Personally, Warn is the only winch I'll own. They may be a little more money, but they are proven. When you really need a winch, you don't want to second guess if it will really work or if it's up to the task. As for capacity, I would think 1.5x is the bare minimum you'd want. Think about, if you're stuck in some nasty mud, you'll be pulling much more than just 1x the weight of your vehicle. I also think having the hand winch is a nice compliment to an electric winch. Something you could anchor your vehicle to keep it from sliding one direction while the electric winch does the real work of pulling you out of the situation you're in.

 

[Cherokeester]

I would not wheel my Jeeps without a winch period. I have needed it too many times. My friends tip a rental Jeep over on the wedgie and I am there to upright them, axle locating when control arms break, stump pulling, rock moving and pulling myself out of a mess. I had to pull a 4 wheeler out of the river near just above Tibble and there is no way a strap on a vehicle would have worked. There are times when a strap is way more dangerous and not as controlled. That little hand crank thing might be cool but when it is hot and I want to get out it is just not going to cut it. I don't think they are super expensive, $500.00 buys a pretty good one these days. I think lockers and a winch are the best and first mods for a vehicle.

Winches don't kill your approach angle, they are mounted behind your bumper and that would hit first in most cases the way I see it. Yes they add weight but that is generally not too bad because it is in the front.

Some things that are must haves are 1- free spool out. 2- Power out and in both. 3 - 1.5 to 2 times your vehicles weight. 4- a good and large hook that has a gate. 5 - a good recovery kit with d rings, gloves, snatch block, short chains and tree straps.

3 companies have risen to the top of winches

Warn
Ramsey
Superwinch

I have used an older Mile Marker 9500 many times and it has never failed me (knock, knock)
I have a Warn on the Tj.

The Warn Powerplant is cool because it gives you air but it is expensive, Smittybuilt makes a cheaper version I believe. I have a walked by the Sams Club 9500 a few times and wondered if it is any good because it goes for $350.00 the last time I checked.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

If Steve doesn't mind, I'd like to hear more. I carry a comealong as a "just-in-case" sort of thing, and I kinda agree with Steve about the weight and hassle of a winch on the bumper. What does the Magnum bring that the comealong doesn't?

Linear pull, it walks along the length of the cable thus giving you full use of the entire cable. A come along folks cable onto a drum which severly limits its range, often to 10-15 feet.

 

[frieed]

When I started out with my JKU last year, the first mods were recovery gear. It just seems rude to me to not even have a strap if you get stuck and need assistance from someone else. I figured getting the proper gear to get unstuck takes priority over gear that gets you deeper into the doo doo before getting stuck.

I started with the ARB recovery kit that includes the elastic strap, winch extension, tree saver, snatch block, shackles, damper, gloves, and bag. A bit spendy, but good stuff and one-stop-shopping.
Then I moved on to a new front bumper and the Warn M8000 winch. I went to drop a red-top optima in but Jeep changed from a group 34 to a group 94 battery with swapped +/- terminals and Optima doesn't seem to make one yet. I do think a 34R will fit though.

I have used the winch once, in of all places, on one of the itty-bitty tailing piles in that crossroads area below the big tailing pile near the start of constrictor. There was just a little snow and I didn't get enough momentum. The way up the pile is crowned a little and I slid off the side and into bunch of cedars. I must say, the 3/4" rebar that safeguards the top of the hole makes a great anchor point. Not exactly life threatening and with the traffic around there I would not have had to wait long for help, but I was nice to be able to help myself. That and the non-jeeper riding with me that day exclaimed "that was so cool!"

 

[cruiseroutfit]

can that handle the weight of my vehicle? I'm guessing I"m p
ushing 4500-4800 lbs.

Yes, it has a 5300 lb capacity throughout whereas an spool only has its rated on wrap #1 hence the need to add a safety factor. On top of that, you can always multiply by using a snatchblock.

 

[sixstringsteve]

Winches don't kill your approach angle, they are mounted behind your bumper and that would hit first in most cases the way I see it. Yes they add weight but that is generally not too bad because it is in the front.

This is true if you drive a jeep. It's really cool that jeeps designed their engines to leave room behind the bumper. If you drive a toyota, add 6" at least to the front of your stock bumper. A lot of my buddies have winches on their toyotas and they hit their front bumpers ALL the time, sometimes to the point of them not being able to make it up the obstacle. With a radiator 3" behind my bumper, I don't see a realistic way to permanently mount a winch behind my bumper.