winching techniques

hey so i know how to operate a winch if theres a nice big oak or pine near by, but what about those times when theres nothing but dirt, sand, mud and rocks around? any ideas? Im refering to homemade type stuff not like stuff you buy. Im thinking a big enough spike into the ground? idk...

Some folks seem to like these.
http://www.pullpal.com/

If all else fails, a Dead-man Anchor can be used.

You beat me to it.....

Pullpal's are neat tools.

Ive used a buried spare tire with marginal success. trick is to bury it deep enough in hard enough ground to act as the anchor point, worst part is the digging and the tire not staying where ya put it.

I have used a pull pal and it was ok kinda the same issue though you have to get it set really well for it to do you any good.

My best results came from a 1.5 inch thick piece of re bar bent to a shepherds krook type of shape pounded in to the ground but then we couldn't get it back out.

yea I was going to recommend getting some rebar...maybe weld a section of chain to the top of the rebar so you can use your hi-lift to pop it out of the ground.

I'll be looking into fabbing up a homemade land anchor from rebar soon.I have been stuck in the middle of an open field overnight because I didn't have a land anchor!Kept thinking to myself "you dumbass!you got a winch hanging of the front bumper and can't even use it"

Ended up using all 100feet of winch cable combined with my 20foot tow strap and some tow rope from a farmer down the road.It was the suck.I first asked him if he would pull me out with his tractor and he said the field was too muddy that his tractor would get stuck!!!

Gerr:The burried spare brings back memories..lol....I tried that the night I got stuck in the open field.You'd damn near need a backhoe to bury a spare enough to use it as a winch point..hahaha.

emr1101 said:

hey so i know how to operate a winch if theres a nice big oak or pine near by, but what about those times when theres nothing but dirt, sand, mud and rocks around? any ideas? Im refering to homemade type stuff not like stuff you buy. Im thinking a big enough spike into the ground? idk...

Click to expand...

Yah, but do you know enough to use a "Tree Saver" or "Tow strap" around that tree instead of simply cinching your line around it?
I hate seeing winch line marks around trees, and once saw a full sized cut it's way 1/2 way through a pine before his buds told him to stop.

Those times when there are no trees around is when it really pays to be out there with another vehicle. If they lead, they can pull you forward, or if they follow, they can pull you back for another try. It's cheap, and you have someone to share your experiences with

EVERYTHING you ever wanted to know about vehicle recovery, and then some:
http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/Recovery/index.html

worth a read if you think you know or you dont know anything. excellent article.

:cheers:

whew...alot to digest.
Good article.

Not to jack this thread, but does anyone have any real world experience with a pull pal? I had considered one but it looked pretty gimmicky

Zuki-Ron said:

Yah, but do you know enough to use a "Tree Saver" or "Tow strap" around that tree instead of simply cinching your line around it?
I hate seeing winch line marks around trees, and once saw a full sized cut it's way 1/2 way through a pine before his buds told him to stop.

Those times when there are no trees around is when it really pays to be out there with another vehicle. If they lead, they can pull you forward, or if they follow, they can pull you back for another try. It's cheap, and you have someone to share your experiences with

Click to expand...

as long as it doesnt make a full circular cut around it then your straight...

emr1101 said:

as long as it doesnt make a full circular cut around it then your straight...

Click to expand...

no. the point is to not damage the trails and hurt the trees. :doh:
it all adds up to being a part of land use/abuse

awesome article. beats that topic to death. no experience with a pull pall, never even heard of one till this thread to be honest.

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=101835&highlight=land+anchor
This thread discusses the rebar land anchor......