Offroad-Express

Hey everyone.

I recently got into 4wd, i am thinking of the recovery gear i am going to buy in the near future, im going to buy some shackles, tow hook for the rear, recovery ropes etc. I dont have a winch on my truck and was thinking of just buying a little hand winch(those ones that pull about a metre at a time) just to get me out of sticky bits. Then i found out that a high lift jack can be used also for winching a metre at a time, along with many other uses. I eventually would like to buy an electric winch for the truck, but for now do you think i should go for a high lift jack for its 1 metre winching ability and many other uses or just a lil hand winch.

Sam.

Welcome to the wide wild nutty world of 4WDing. First up get a hand winch. The high-lift jack idea is ok, but its hard work to use on your own and hard work to use.

Also - its ok to have a high-lift jack, but practice with it before you use it - theres no point pulling it out of its wrapper in a deep hole and not knowing how to use it. Also make sure there are places on the truck you can high-lift from (I've seen someone use theirs on their sill because thats the only place they could use it - mega-damage).

Get recovery hooks front and rear, a snatch strop, a spade and a hand winch with some extra strops (NOT bungy ones) and/or rope for longer runs to trees - invariably when you get stuck there is nothing close to tie off to. Get one or two shackles if you think you need them, but they are a bit dangerous for use in recovery when snatching as they can break and become missiles. Use them only for winching with the hand winch or other low-stress aplications.

Also take a thermos of coffee with you because getting unstuck is usually a lengthy process which requires lots of sweating, swearing and removal of skin from places like knuckles and knees

The other big thing is only go somewhere you know you won't get stuck unless you have other vehicles with you - although make sure THEY have recovery gear / recovery points on them as well...

Just a few thoughts - have fun with the toy

Steve

Hi

Just a word of warning on those small winch's.
I've seen one let go big time when being used to take up the strain to hold a truck during a difficult recovery (holding truck on a side slope while elec winch being repositioned)
Now myself and the usual fellas I go out with won't go near them.
Better to spend a bit more money and get a turfer type winch, even when you get a power winch (whatever type) it's always good to have.

Rat

I'd agree with rat on this, I've killed hand winches at work (falling trees) and I won't use them anymore, they just aren't reliable.

This is probably going to get me some shit, but here goes.

If you want a real cheap alternative and your not doing anything too serious get a few truck tie downs... hang on hear me out, they are rated to 2.4ton's, they are flat webbing so no need for tree protectors, most are about 8-10m long, they don't have a great winch distance... but if you throw 3 together in line(always tie shirt etc over the metal parts when you do this!).
And the best part $24.95 each

I carry 4 in the truck for work, as they are rated to only 2.4ton I wouldn't use them in a situation where I delibritly got stuck thats where I rely on mates and a heap of other gear

Cheers Reece

Yep - fair call. I was working with the items he talked about rather than alternatives - and the best alternative is a decent turfor or a good electric / pto / hydraulic winch.

I too have used ratchet tie-downs to get me out of the poo - so I agree, they can be a godsend and I keep a few in the truck. The hand winches should only be used within their capabilities...

regards

Steve

Yea gotta say the little hand winch things do look a bit dodgy.

Make sure you don't get caught out with the difference between the strechy strops and the ones that don't strech. It could be an interesting pull if you tried to do a snatch recovery with a strop that doesn't strech.

Buy yourself a good winch (electric,pto,hydraulic) and that should help you get out of most situations.

Kent

And Supralux the loosing skin thing is very true. Cruiser Beast a pair of gloves are also a very good thing to carry for this reason.

Hey Sam I just remembered something that might save ya a bit of coin, about 6 months ago I picked up a couple of 60" high lift jacks from Paykels Engineering Supply's (they are nation wide) but I got them for $170 each it might even have been cheaper, the deal is they call them a "farm jack" and they are identicle to the Black Rat ones just painted red, they also had a shorter one 48" ... I think it was $140

Hope this helps

Cheers Reece

Just a note about recovery points... I was an unfortuante witness to a tow hook breaking last year (the bolt heads sheared off) so I would reccommend you take your truck to an Engineer and get them to make sure all Tow Points/Hooks/Bolts etc are rated at a minimum of 10Tons... why 10Tons, well the snatch straps I use have a breaking strain of 12.... but I'll be damned if I can find an engineer here who would rate tow hooks higher than 10 tons...

On my truck I had a whole load of strengthening done to the rear end to make sure the chassis would break before the tow hooks... the front was easy as all I needed to do was replace the bolts with 10T HT ones

Thanks for all the advice guys!

Yea, I've got myself a rear towhook to mount now, (ill make sure i got some HT bolts;) ) and looked at the front tow hook and saw that, the tow hook was mounted with HT bolts, but the bracket that the tow hook is bolted onto doesnt look like its bolted to the chasis with HT bolts. So ill do some investigating there.

Also i prob wont buy a turfer becos they do seem to cost a bit, and if i wait a bit, and save a bit more ill be able to score me an electric winch:)

So in the meantime, i guess ill stick with going out with other people:) using kents winch;) haha and maybe look at those truck tie downs, or sumin just to pull me out of some lil stuff.

cheers 4 the advice on the high lift jack:) that could save a bit of coinage action;)

oh thanks for the advice kent, ill be sure to use the stretchy strope, lol, who do you think i am, lol.

Cheers all for the advice! Go check out the photo album Fearce(page 4 of user pictures) to see my truck in action!!! And kents!!!

Siu

Sam

i dont care what others say ,u wont beat a tirfor, heaps of spare cable and a offroad block!!!!!!!!!!