Question about winch

[85_Ranger4x4]

There is a point at which most of us need to admit that we are not tow/recovery professionals, that some jobs are better left up to them. One of the members once suggested (on another thread) that we should practice first.

I would never have thought this needs to be said, but avoid using that hitch ball, especially for difficult pulls.

The hitch ball isn't what gave, it was the huge drop hitch that snapped. Pulling off the ball is still a bad idea don't get me wrong.

 

[bobbywalter]

you'd love some of the comp winches that are out there now - they're even faster than that superwinch, but very expensive. Only 50 ft lines as well

giggle pin comes to mind.







i have been present for some fatalities. one was particularly horiffic as the children and wife were closing in on the scene and had to be held back. these all involved straps and shackles....i have narrowly averted death as well myself....and may very well die from doing recoveries as i still do this regularly....my ranger is currently wounded at the steering box from the last big one.

what happens most often is point failure....frame sections ripping right out. and i ripped a piece of frame right out of a brand new jeep and came down on a concrete barrier...took out one section of back window from shrapnel and my center box.

and have had some mishaps at work as well....kinetic energy crush/fire related and one heat stroke.... so work and play....you never know.

i regularly test cable and have it certified in my profession. so i get to watch certain things...

the video posted with the dozer is really well done to show the potential....POTENTIAL that could happen.... but if you do not understand the context of that style of failure vs what a ranger battery system pulling does... your going to be mislead.

you ask what the winch may rub on?.....

in off roading....where you need a winch....this question will never be thought about again once you have some experience....

because it rubs on everything .... your usually pulling blind over hills and on rocks and trees...like Will mentioned...


....i tried rope because it is just awesome to work with... and i do use it for certain applications...but for what i am doing generally it just gets shredded.... cable is much better for my general use....but is sucks to handle.


project farm just did a winch test..... my next winch will be a ZEAK. 300 bux and perfect for your ranger.....buy 120 dollar rope and have both.


but practice and drilling safety protocals is time well spent. many 4x4 associations have lots of data on this. its the nice thing about club activities.


i use winches daily....i work in the oil field....and do exterior work commercially and residentially when that is slow....and wheel a heavy ranger. suspended loads and ladders are all i know....i am literally a professional winch operator....running cranes and rigs...

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Wow! Tho now that I see the 12" drop I'm not as surprised.
I can't see any real reason to not tow off the ball...
Tho I usually stuff the rope into the receiver and use the hitch pin because I don't have a ball hitch in there...
Even a 3/4" ball shank is thicker than a 5/8" hitch pin. As long as nothing is loose and it's a straight pull...unlike the drop hitch shown above.

Edit: but I don't have a lot of experience like Bobby.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Edit: but I don't have a lot of experience like Bobby.

Its an area I am weak in too.

My typical solution is to just walk back to the house and get the tractor. It doesn't play fair.

 

[bobbywalter]

yeah.....the tractor. its a killer.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

yeah.....the tractor. its a killer.

For sure can be, if anything breaks you don't even have a windshield between you and whatever is going on behind you.

I just bump it with the hand clutch (wet clutch) and usually it pops whatever out without much fuss though.

 

[Josh B]

We must be stuck in the past here because those were common when I was growing up and I am not nearly that old.

Same principle tho, it grabs on. Take that busted cable that's zipping at lightning speed towards you and drop a blanket across it and it basically dies right there.
What I suggested was a built in container, a cable running through an outer skin of woven wire made like those were.
that would zap the speed out of the busting cable
Course it would only work once, then need to be replaced, but, at least nobody died

 

[Josh B]

The hitch ball isn't what gave, it was the huge drop hitch that snapped. Pulling off the ball is still a bad idea don't get me wrong.

Who would use such a contraption and expect it not to break! I hope they weren't hauling horses :/
These guys get these huge trucks and think they are somehow qualified to drive them on a road with other living human beings, when seeing how they park it using 4 spaces, many times reserved for handicap.
Too often they also hand the keys over to their kid, hell it's insured, well insurance doesn't always fix what they've broken

 

[rusty ol ranger]

If im pulling off a strap ill usually shove the loop end into the hitch reciever and then run the hitch pin through it.

Only close call i had was when i buried my 750-800lb polaris sportsman doing ground work (dont ask) frame deep in nasty, heavy, mud then used a cheap 15 dollar amazon tow strap hooked to a fully ballasted farmall cub to pull it out. The strap snapped in the middle but it coulda been bad as on a quad theres zero protection.

That strap is now used to tie my AC cover on for the winter at my house. Bout all i trust it for.

 

[Snoranger]

Fun fact:
You can rip a brand new 25T tow strap in half trying to tow a loaded tri-axle dump truck (80k lbs) through a parking lot with a 10k lb forklift. Then you can tie it back together, never let that guy drive the forklift again, and use the same strap for 5+ more years.

 

[Lefty]

Fun fact:
You can rip a brand new 25T tow strap in half trying to tow a loaded tri-axle dump truck (80k lbs) through a parking lot with a 10k lb forklift. Then you can tie it back together, never let that guy drive the forklift again, and use the same strap for 5+ more years.

Both straps and winches have weaknesses and advantages. Both are practical and safe in the right hands. Both outright dangerous in the wrong.

 

[James Morse]

I'm thinking, I might for the time being forego a winch. For a few reasons:
1. I wouldn't be as cautious, because I'd be thinking "If I get stuck, it's ok, I have a winch". But there might be nothing to tie to, (ok, there's anchors) and there's some danger involved if you don't do it just right.
2. By the time I put in hitches front/back, and get a winch, and wire in power, probably have a second battery, I bet I got close to 2k in it easy, plus the work, (include charger disconnect, etc), especially if there's bumper upgrades (not necessary, but might be part of it). For that, surely, no matter where I'm stuck, I can pay somebody to get me out and flatbed me home. Not as nice as doing it yourself, but, it's a solution of sorts.
3. I don't want to get stuck, period. It means probably I have mucked something up under the truck, even if it's just denting skid plates, it's not good. So if I never get stuck, I've wasted a ton of money on something I never use. True you can pull other people, but that's not a high priority.

I did not consider the 'cool' factor as meaningful. I guess I'm just playing devil advocate here and asking myself, is this something I really need and would use, or, is it just something I -think- I want/need.

Considering I recognize there are limits no matter what I have. And sooner or later there could well be a time when I look at the 'road' and say to myself, I think it's ok (and it's not). And I get stuck, and have no winch... then I'd be kicking myself.

 

[Lefty]

I'm thinking, I might for the time being forego a winch. For a few reasons:
1. I wouldn't be as cautious, because I'd be thinking "If I get stuck, it's ok, I have a winch". But there might be nothing to tie to, (ok, there's anchors) and there's some danger involved if you don't do it just right.
2. By the time I put in hitches front/back, and get a winch, and wire in power, probably have a second battery, I bet I got close to 2k in it easy, plus the work, (include charger disconnect, etc), especially if there's bumper upgrades (not necessary, but might be part of it). For that, surely, no matter where I'm stuck, I can pay somebody to get me out and flatbed me home. Not as nice as doing it yourself, but, it's a solution of sorts.
3. I don't want to get stuck, period. It means probably I have mucked something up under the truck, even if it's just denting skid plates, it's not good. So if I never get stuck, I've wasted a ton of money on something I never use. True you can pull other people, but that's not a high priority.

I did not consider the 'cool' factor as meaningful. I guess I'm just playing devil advocate here and asking myself, is this something I really need and would use, or, is it just something I -think- I want/need.

Considering I recognize there are limits no matter what I have. And sooner or later there could well be a time when I look at the 'road' and say to myself, I think it's ok (and it's not). And I get stuck, and have no winch... then I'd be kicking myself.

Most trucks don't have winches, probably for all the reasons you mentioned.

But there is a certain "cool factor." Maybe someone should make a fake one out of plastic. It would certainly cost a lot less.

 

[Lefty]

Most trucks don't have winches, probably for all the reasons you mentioned.

But there is a certain "cool factor." Maybe someone should make a fake one out of plastic. It would certainly cost a lot less.

I had a winch on the back of my first truck. I used it to pull my boat up onto the trailer. Once, twice, sometimes three times, each winter my wife would get stuck in our driveway when the snow plow would plow us in or out. That's why I like a small hidden winch. 2 1/2 tons of pulling power is more than enough for jobs like this. You don't need to get a special bumper either.

 

[James Morse]

No... I know... bumpers are just cool is all, and kind of ties in with, if I had a rear tire carrier (get 5th alloy wheel), because I think some bumpers rear hitch integral to the bumper. But I guess the oem spare isn't in the way of a hitch.
I think, maybe, I can get a bolt-on front hitch, just have to check does it clear valence, but that's real high.
My thinking was, winch and etc can fit in the tool box, out of sight and out of the way. But hidden winches are definitely cool as can be, I just want the option to use either front or rear. If I got one.