Recovery Gear Options Without a Winch.

[EatonKyleH]

Soooo... I've been typing everything I can think of into the search bar and haven't found many threads with ideas/options for recovery gear without an electric winch. I'm starting to put together some odds and ends to get myself unstuck when the need arises and just wanted to see what some of you more experienced folk recommend.

Basically I have been hitting the trails often times alone and do not yet have a winch. Although I do plan to get one at some point I've been looking into straps, hand winches, ground anchors, and so on.... I'm in Colorado and there are typically many trees within several feet from where I would potentially be stuck.

thanks for the help in advance!

 

[GhostRing]

The biggest Hi-Lift you can fit/afford should be very high on the list.

 

[hrt4me]

Google "Kochanski flip flop winch"

 

[EatonKyleH]

Google "Kochanski flip flop winch"

Interesting technique. Always like seeing/learning that kind of stuff thanks for sharing. I must admit it took me awhile to figure out Kochanski wasn't some brand selling a winch type product!

 

[EatonKyleH]

The biggest Hi-Lift you can fit/afford should be very high on the list.

I've been researching these for awhile. I do have some sliders on order and will be able to lift on those but I have also been seeing the Hi-Lift used as a come along/hand winch. Is this advisable or kind of a last ditch thing?

 

[GhostRing]

Last ditch IMO - can be extremely dangerous if not done right - since you are in the path of everything involved. It DOES work however, using correct techniques.

 

[slomatt]

If you don't want to spend the money for an electric winch a come along manual winch is another option.

Otherwise it depends on what kind of trails you are on and who is with you. In my mind a good recovery (not tow) strap is essential, but it does require another vehicle. You can winch with a high lift, but you can also use the "lift and kick the jack over" method when you are high centered on an obstacle. As with anything involving a high lift this can be dangerous, but it is very effective.

If you go on trails alone most of the time I think your best bet is to save up and buy an electric winch, it is the most effective and safest self recovery option.

- Matt

 

[KidVermicious]

I don't have a winch. I carry a high lift, a come-along, and an assortment of chains and straps and shackles and stuff. I also have a Bushranger exhaust jack, which I like much better than the high lift for lifting the truck. If you're going to carry a high lift or hand winch and plan on using it to extricate yourself, please practice ahead of time so you know what the proper procedure is and how to be safe about it. On a muddy trail in the middle of a rainstorm at 7pm is not the time to try and learn how to winch with a high lift.

I've been known to head out alone, but I much prefer to hit the trails with at least one other truck. There's really no substitute for a winch if you get in a spot where you really need one - if you plan on wheeling alone or wheeling hard, you really should invest in an electric winch. It's on my list for sure.

 

[BrianSD_42]

There are a lot of threads on this topic. Perhaps you are not searching right...

Suggest you read my how to search thread. Also check out some build threads.

 

[DesertCanyons]

Recovery gear

There are a lot of threads on this topic. Perhaps you are not searching right...

Suggest you read my how to search thread. Also check out some build threads.

I'm looking for recovery gear ideas before I plunk down $800 in gear that I've found so far. I am planning trips to the SW desert this winter and need to get this lined up.

There really are not a lot of threads on recovery gear using either method of search. I found just 3 and one of them was more about a tool kit than recovery.

A new bumper or hidden winch mounting plate and winch is not in the plan. One problem with a winch is it won't do anything for pulling you out backwards.

I have looked at come along winches by Wyeth-Scott. Rated at 3 tons double pull or 3000 pounds single pull, they come with 20' of 5/16" cable or 35 feet of synthetic line and sell for $260 to $370.
https://www.wyeth-scott.com/index.asp

I've looked at the ARB snatch straps. There are other good brands too. Not sure if I need a 2"x30' or a 3"x30' strap. There's the Smittybuilt 3"x30' tow strap for half the price, made in China and not sure if it's got any stretch for "kinetic energy". Recovery gear only gets used occasionally so I'm not sure about spending the max when cheap will do.

There's the usual D-Rings. I'm looking at two pair for starters. A pin can be inserted in the tow hitch to form a simple end for a snatch strap.

I've been using a 30' tow strap with steel hooks on both ends but my good friends tell me to throw that away and not use it. I think it would make a decent tree saver or big boulder wrap if it's wrapped several times around and tied together to keep the hooks from flying.

An air compressor is in the plan too.

What do you think? ANy suggestions or comments on what you're using. TIA

 

[Friedom]

I carry a hand come along, 30' tow strap, some meaty unfolding grating (think krampons that you lay under your tire) that a friend gave me. We don't have that many winchable trees in the AZ desert here, though, and I'm not interested in changes to my bumper (although hide a winch is tempting).
Have you seen the 2x4 method for getting unstuck? Ultimate cheap solution..

https://youtu.be/_noiFPBv398

 

[Ryderblackbird]

I have a hi jack lift. Folding shovel. Some heavy duty ratchet straps from mcmaster carr. No winch yet but bumper and wiring is prepped for it. Portable flooring, search kiwi tile, race deck, garage flooring, swisstrax, or just the 12" x 12" squares you can find at most "aftermarket" shops. There are also some aluminum extrusions I have that slip inside each other to help out and cut down on space. Another odd one I started lugging about is a big costco box of kitty litter to help soak up moisture and provide a more stable footing. I am in the process of swapping out the folding shovel with something sturdier and longer. Plan on adding some sort of disconnect on the end to attach a sledge head to help pound in anchoring stakes. All told you can get this and more for less than a winch but I still plan on getting one sooner than later.

 

[csp]

Recovery methods aren't T4R specific, so don't just search this site or this forum on this site.

Those Wyeth Scott come-alongs are the real deal. I have three of them and was lucky to get all of them for less than $50 at a farm auction.

 

[griffiine]

It DOES work however, using correct techniques.

 

[DesertCanyons]

Recovery come-along winch

Recovery methods aren't T4R specific, so don't just search this site or this forum on this site.

Those Wyeth Scott come-alongs are the real deal. I have three of them and was lucky to get all of them for less than $50 at a farm auction.

Thanks for all of the responses. They're all good ideas.

That's a great deal on the Wyeth-Scott come-alongs. Lucky you. Here in So Cal we don't have a lot of farmer's auctions. I may have to buy it new.

I think a come along is much easier to use than the high lift jack used as a winch. The come along will pull 10 to 20 feet before you have to reset the gear, depending on whether you're using a single line or the pulley and dual line. The two line max length is about 10 feet for the cable line, or 17 feet for the 35 foot synthetic rope option from Wyeth-Scott ($370).

And the high lift is hard to use on the 5th generation 4Runners. There's nowhere to lift the truck unless you install a tire strap anchor or have rock sliders. A bottle jack is the best and easiest to carry.

In the local So Cal deserts we don't have trees to winch from but a big boulder will work if it's close enough and heavier than the vehicle. That's what I'll use the strap with steel hooks for, to wrap around a boulder. We don't often deal with mud here either. It's too dry here for that.

We get stuck in sand more often than mud. A sand anchor may be essential gear. A spare tire buried in the sand can work as an anchor too.

 

[Jdog]

Have you looked into maxxtraxx or its competitors self extraction device?

 

[SLO_Rob]

recovery

I watched a youtube video using a hi-lift as a hand winch. Yeah, looks kinda dicey! A little Spanish Inquisition! Maybe practice in the yard a few times first...

I picked up some maxsa tracks and am using them in snow this weekend in what should be some hard stuff. I'll write a review. I heard Treds break and thought the maxtrax was a bit too much. So we'll see!

 

[solsnowbarger]

I know this is close to thread high jacking, but I'm just a poor old 2wd 3.4, would extraction ramps like the maxtracs or TREDs be of any use to me? I know good tires are my best protection against snow, but I'm still always worried about getting stuck.

 

[Mighty Buffalo]

I went wheeling once with some coworkers, both had modified JKs. We were in some pretty deep snow, and the only thing that saved us was one of the guys had recovery tracks (maxx tracks, I think).

 

[MTD]

A strap. tie it tight to a tree and step on it. It actually works better with a chain or cable that doesn't stretch, but it is a slow but effective way to get unstuck and very minimalistic.