Winches

[The Annoyed Man]

Anybody know anything about them?  What works and what doesn't?  I keep getting my fo by fo stuck and have to call AAA.  They only give me 4 freebies a year, then start charging.  Last time, I backed down a steep hill to load the truck with firewood from a downed oak tree I'd cut up.  Wheels dug into the soft ground, but I let nearly all the air out and chugged up the hill.  Before that, I backed down a (too) steep hill to dump some slash and got stuck.  Letting the air out of the tires didn't help, and AAA came to the rescue.  Before that, I dropped a wheel off a dirt road in the rain and the whole truck sank up to the axles.

The GVW of the truck is about 4500 lbs, so an 8000 lb winch ought to be enough.  But what about the mount?   How about the class III hitch mounts?  One on front and there's already one on back.  And what about the 'fairlead'?  Roller or hawse?

Any help from your experience is appreciated.

Thanks. 

[Matthew Carberry]

Are you sure you couldn't solve most of your problem just by not backing down hills? 

Don't forget to carry a shovel and deadman, and some spare tow straps if you need to rig attachment points.

[charby]

Hi Lift jack works wonders also. You can use them like a Come-A-Long.

They do make a front receiver mount for a wench and you can also use the rear hitch receiver. Plan for lots of cable and pulley devices to enable you get out of any situation.

You may just look into a small 4x4 tractor or even a Gator/Mule for firewood.

[Bogie]

A privateer vessel needs wenches. Lots of them. And rum.
 
I'd see if you could score a frame-mount front hitch dealie (makes parking trailers somewhat easier too...).
 
Overkill on the winch is a good thing. You want to be careful about how you attach the hook too - I have a friend who had one that went THROUGH his tailgate... And the tailgate is attached to an F150...
 

[Matthew Carberry]

Throw a floormat on the cable a little more than halfway to the hook, move as necessary.

[Mabs2]

Bleh, this thread is disappointing.
AVAST, WENCHES

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

i like the front and rear hitch mounts with the winch on a mount so you can use it either end or hide it in your tool box when you don't need it. also kinda handy to have a wiring harness adaptor so you can use it with jumper cables on someone elses truck. if the water around your truck is too deep or cold, don't ask  how i found that out.over kill is nice but i used one of those 99 dollar specials that you just drop over your ball hitch for 5 years with great sucess  it was on my 4 x 4 ranger and with the pulley snatch block and a tow strap pulled me outa some bad spots. and it won't rip your bumper off or tear an axle off your truck. another painful lesson

[The Annoyed Man]

It's actually a serious question.  Thank you cassandrasdaddy for a serious answer.  Apparently, the rest of you never leave the pavement.

[MechAg94]

I like the tractor/gator idea, but the hills where I grew up are nothing to speak of.

My Dad has a 4X4 that always got the job done.  My cousin didn't, but he would use my grandfather's tractor to pull himself out.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

i was too cheap to buy a high dollar winch   and the cheap one never let me down with the small truck  even when i had it loaded. its slower  but often when you have screwed up going slower is a good thing.heck i've used a pair of comealongs to pull out big equipment.  lil by lil

the hitch on the front is great for parking trailers in tite spots and getting em out from tight spots

[Boomhauer]

Apparently, the rest of you never leave the pavement.

I use a tractor for the offroad stuff. Our lil John Deere/Yanmar 955 is narrower than a pickup truck. The front end loader and box blade on the rear will get me out of just about anything, and it will pull trees off of steep slopes easily. We cut trees, then tow two to three back to a clearing behind the house, where we cut them up, split them, and take them to the deck.

I'd go with the front mount. Get a few tow straps, and you are set. Be careful, of course. Might want to seek advice from someone who has logging or rigging experience- my father was a rigger and heavy equipment operator back when he was working construction.

[charby]

Apparently, the rest of you never leave the pavement.

Did you even read my reply? 

[Tallpine]

Well, my suggestion would be to keep your truck on top of the hill and use the winch to pull the log up to your truck (don't cut it into firewood blocks until you have winched it up near the truck).

That way you could use a much smaller winch, and not be so hard on your pickup.

[mtnbkr]

Riley could get this: http://www.tankchair.com/

Kill two birds with one stone.  Don't get stuck in the mud and avoid that annoying transition from the Rascal to the truck and back again.

Chris

[The Annoyed Man]

Riley could get this: http://www.tankchair.com/

Kill two birds with one stone.  Don't get stuck in the mud and avoid that annoying transition from the Rascal to the truck and back again.

Chris

Way kewl.  I can see myself sitting up there wearing the BluBlockers.  Eat yer heart out.

[Boomhauer]

Riley could get this: http://www.tankchair.com/

Kill two birds with one stone.  Don't get stuck in the mud and avoid that annoying transition from the Rascal to the truck and back again.

Chris

HOLY *expletive deleted*it! I've been saying for years that if I ever had to go into a wheelchair, I wanted it to have tracks. THIS IS A DREAM COME TRUE!