im sick of breaking chains and straps pulling people out so i've decided it's time for a winch. im deffinately going warn , but i dont know whether i want the hidden winch or a trans4mer type deal. opinions and pics would be great.

 

I have a 50,000 lb strap and a 33,000 lb strap both with loops, and 3 1/4 in. shackels. Pulled some big ****, never had a problem. I'm sure something on my truck will break ie. u joints, or hitch welds, before the strap does! cheap too. The 33 lb only cost like 50 bucks at predator 4wheel! But a winch you can never go wrong with!

 

Yeah get you a 6inch wide strap I doubt you will break it. A winch is nice for those longer pulls or when a snacth block is needed. I would rather just use a strap you just have to throw it in the bed not set there and reel your winch cable back on. Since you want a winch I would go for the 12k warn winch and since the hidden winch only handles 9k get the bumper mount or get some other type of bumper IE road armor, ranch hand, custom made, etc.....

 

yeah i'll probably get a big *** strap too. but i also want the winch for when i bog myself down...most of my friends have tacomas and i figure it would take two or three of them to pull me out when i bottom out

 

First thing, learn the various types of extraction equipment for vehicles.


You are breaking chains/straps pulling people out? You should never use a chain to pull someone out. The shock load that can be transmitted when a failure occurs is great. In the same respect... you want the energy working with you, not against you.

If someone is stuck in deep mud, you want a "yanker" strap that will stretch around 30% and actually help you get the person out. You would use the same strap when towing a broke down vehicle. The stretch will take up for any hits the rope takes with various vehicle speeds.

You can easily go "overkill" on the strap size, but end up making things harder than they should be. Use the right size strap and the correct strap thats designed for the exact job needing done.

If you get a winch, go with the synthetic rope if want something easy to work with. While your doing that, be sure and get a synthetic tree strap that will not stretch.

And the winch is the easiest on both the stuck and extraction vehicles.

 

After reading this post it sounds like your going about it wrong. Skip the winch and buy something like this http://www.masterpull.com/item.cfm?itemid=39020 . We've used these with 1 ton trucks putting out 1000 ft lbs of torque and have not snapped them. I use this on my 1/2 chevy and have yet to have a problem getting someone out. These straps are designed to expand and use the force of the vehicle to pull the stuck vehicle without jerking or sntaching.

 

...

 

phillip you're right and i agree with you...i dont pull people out with chains anymore, i've already learned my lesson the hard way.

Montecarlo, i appreciate your opinon and input, however i've been in situations where my 5.4 couldnt get trucks out even with snatching them as hard as possibile. and if for some reason i get stuck by myself one day in the woods a badass strap isnt going to do me a whole lot of good. which is why i think im still going to get a winch.

 

Nice line. Most people recommend a strength rating of 5 to 7 times the vehicle's weight. Too light, you run the chance of it breaking. Too heavy and you won't get the benefits of the line's "stretchy" factor.


http://www.winchline.com/towlines.htm has some nice lines also.

 

i tried to upload a photo but it did not work. you can check my gallery for photos but i did have a '03 with a Warn XD9000I mounted semi-hidden.