Budget Winch
 

For my next trip I think I will get a winch - travelling solo and not always hitting countries during the best seasons etc.

My esteemed outfitter has suggested a "Superwinch 9000LB £475 inc vat! But you need a fancy bumper to mount it on. Or, we could make something using your existing military bumper - I've done it before"

Does anybody have any comments on this? I wouldn't want to spend too much more than that - and am hoping to mount it on my existing bumper rather than go to the extra cost of a new bumper etc.

I'm not going to enter any winching compitions, I just know there will be some mud to get through on the next trip and if I'm by myself it might well be helpful.

Is Superwinch ok? Any better bang for my bucks? Koni shocks and HD LR Springs on the front of the 110 should be ok? any suggestions welcomed...

I've got a superwinch on my shooting vehicle (SJ410)

I made the bumper and mount and it works great.

I wouldn't expect it to last forever but it's been on there about four years and got me out of trouble a few times. I keep a selection of straps, shackles and a snatch block in an ammo box bolted in the back of the jeep. I also have some lengths of 2" angle that I use as a ground anchor.

It was cheap (£200 from memory) and has done it's job admirably.

It gives me piece of mind when I go out on my own. When we are out in a couple of vehicles, I just use a kinetic strap (quite scary but fun)

Cheaper option would be a handwinch - if you are travelling as a solo vehicle it can be more flexible because you can attach it to different points on the vehicle rather than being constrained to having it mounted on the front. They are a bit cumbersome but useful in the context that you mention. I had one in Aus and it saved my old nissan patrol plus a 75 series landcruiser that were badly bogged and getting close to being swamped by an incoming tide.

Darrin,

I have a Superwinch and Superwinch bumper, which I have been meaning to put on Ebay for ages. I can't remember the weight rating offhand, but it's "enough to abseil a Defender down a cliff".

Interested?

Get a tirfor , hard work but never fail pull from any angle and can move to different vehicles .
Twodogs

If you're on your own, you can't drive and winch, but for what they cost, I'd chuck a tirfor in for good measure. Certainly would get your vehicle rubbersidedown again if you had a little roll and won't kill your batteries.

Electric winches are so much quicker & easier for a straight pull out of a hole though.

Please get into the habit of using a sail. I've seen some really close shaves with snatch-blocks or shackles though windscreens:eek3:

Always use rated and tested shackles & hooks; they cost more but it's just not worth the risk to skimp.

A private message sent to you Richard. Why did you take it off?

I'm pretty ignorant about winching, so please avoid wincing as I ask this dumb question:

1. "If you're on your own, you can't drive and winch" Really? I can't reach the controls around into the drivers area and try and slowly winch and drive at the same time. It does sound like youtube material in the making I suppose. Surely this applies to hand winches as well? I've always dug before but that isn't always so much fun...
Tom and Barry hand winching through the Amazon

I'm not against the idea of a hand winch but storing one and the steel rope in a 110 is hard. Either way I will get some training before attempting the afore mentioned abseil.

Tom and Barry noted "Hand winch - next time there'll be an electric or mechanical winch fitted to the landy. A hand winch is just not efficient enough for heavy use. The time taken to set it up (pulling an incredibly stiff lever to free the cable jaws), unwind the cable, pull it through the winch etc. is around 20 minutes if you're fast - then you have to put it away! After five or six times tiredness sets in and its just a total pain. An electric winch would have us through an obstacle in 5 minutes with minimal effort instead of 45 minutes hard slog." Link to more...

Sorry, should have made it clear. I meant with a hand winch (tirfor) you can't winch and drive.

Darrin, if you are coming to the HUBB meet in Ripley I will show you my Tirfor which is the big 532 model and Twodogs has the smaller one for comparison. I also have an electric winch which has a simple mount to the bumper.
If you do go with an electric then I would seriously consider making it demountable so that you can put it on the back - it's often easier to get out of trouble that way.

I needed the carrying capacity and there's sod all to winch off in the dunes!
The controls do reach to the drivers seat (at least they do on a SW).

A method for winching when there's sod all to winch off.
I use 2" angle iron with holes drilled for shackles. It works well and you get some warning as they start to pull out.
I don't know if it would work in sand. I think the method there is to bury an anchor of some kind.

T-Max
 

We didn't want to spend '000s as well, but wanted the 'luxury' of a winch because we will be travelling on our own as well. In the end, we decided on a T-Max 10,000lbs winch with 6.6hp motor. They are cheaper than Warn etc, but not a real budget winch. They have a very good reputation here in Oz amongst the 4 wheel drive community.

We paid AU$ 1,500 including fitment.

Have a look at our website for a photo of it. It fits on a normal winch bullbar, no problem.

Nothing to winch from...
 

If you are stuck in the middle of the dessert and need to winch, try the following (depending on how bad you are bogged will obviously dictate your level of success)

This is fairly hard work...

Use your shovel (assuming you carry one) and dig a hole which will be big enough to bury your spare tyre in. If you carry 2 spare tyres, dig 2 holes about 3-4 meters apart. The holes should be big enopugh to cover the tyres with about 1 foot of sand.

Attach cable and winch...

And you'd probably move more sand digging one hole than you would digging yourself out in the first place.

If you are stuck in soft sand in the desert... forget the winch.
Dig to clear the axles, and use sand ladders/boards in fact anything -even a chunk of heavy cardboard would help.

I spent 3 hours trying with a winch, pulled out 3 x 4foot angle iron ground anchors, so added a burried spare... pulled that out too. We had cleared all the sand prior to trying.

A friend with sand ladders arrived, and we simply drove out.

Just my recent experience. Winches are great, but NOT in deserts.