Thanks, I definitely avoid certain things when I'm out by myself because I fear getting stuck without a winch and also I've run across people stuck before and this would have made helping much easier.
I now am kind of afraid I'll just get myself in bad situations because I'll be under the impression of "oh ya I can just winch out". Guess I'll have to keep my nearest attachment points in mind before driving into bottomless pits and such.
you know on all of my vehicles that i have had winches on, i find that the winch is like mosquito repellant... if i dont have it, they come around and im screwed, but if i have it nothing ever bothers me and its like i never needed it....
i have never had the mind set that oh hey its ok if i get stuck ill just winch out... idk maybe its cause im lazy and dont want to have to to drag winch line if i dont have to, or id rather not get into hary spots by myself(i think thats more like it).
there have only been three times i have ever needed a winch or could have used a winch to get out. one i had to leave my rig and hike and then come back to the truck later on with a winch, the other i called some friends and they came and just hooked a strap on me and pulled me out, and the other time i was really just having fun and wanting to test out my winch(first winch owned). the first two times though were not hard core wheeling times, they were simply instance of conditions being much worse than they looked. first one was on a old access road to a logging landing... the road was overgrown at the begining and got "better" the further i got into it. i got into trouble when the road went down the hill to the landing and it was slimy mud(only about 1-2" thick) but enough that i couldnt get traction to climb back up it... needed a winch to pull me up the hill. the other time was in the snow, and same kinda thing, driving a forest service road i know and knew very well, got to a point where the fog was too thick to safely pass (on the side of the mountian with a drop off on one side that was clear cut) -and found out later that there was a good 4' snow drift that would of made it impassible anyways. so i turned back, well a combination of thick fog and enough snow on the road kept me from having enough momentum to climb the hill and i broke the back end lose and it slid right up to the edge of the road and the drop off(i had my two kids with me, -9months and 2.5 years old) so i didnt feel like pushing my luck anymore and just called. -if i had had a winch i could of just hooked to a near by tree and pulled myself out and to freedom. and saved a lot of hassle... -by the end of that day we had burned up a power steering pump, broken a yukon D44 chromoly shaft, snaped winch line, busted fender on an LJ and a broken tail light on a trailer... all because i didnt have a winch... it was a fun day.
anyhow i tend to think of my winch as an insurance policy. i have used it more times to pull other people out than i have myself. that being said, i know i have it if i need it, i just chose not to use it if i can avoid it. for me if i have to use it, there is a chance i will have broken something and truly need to use it. and i dont like breaking parts so i tend to liken the winch to mosquito repellant.
out:
