Winch worth it or not? lets see the results.

[calimobber]

So I have been 4wheeling for 15years or so and Ive had multiple vehicles. When I was younger I got sucked into all the slick bumpers and even had a winch or a while.

It is my opinion that a winch is more of a statement or people think its cool factor. I never really had a need for it and when I did I never seemed to have a good anchor point so it was kinda unless.

I bet people that mud bog and play in the snow a lot find it useful, but just how many of you bought and installed them and decided it was just a huge weight load and gas mileage killer that didn't get much use? Or have one and it gets used often?

 

[nc-grayson]

cant comment from experience - but it's a tool just like any other hammer/drill/firearm. Do you need every tool imaginable? No. But when you're in a pinch and need a specific tool to get the job done, it's always better to have it on hand than to make your life harder jerry-rigging something else to try to get results.

my $.02

 

[calimobber]

cant comment from experience - but it's a tool just like any other hammer/drill/firearm. Do you need every tool imaginable? No. But when you're in a pinch and need a specific tool to get the job done, it's always better to have it on hand than to make your life harder jerry-rigging something else to try to get results.

my $.02

very true. There is a bunch of tool id like to have I just can't bring them all so I tend to balance cost and weight vs need.

 

[Cagies]

Definite Upgrade

Living in Colorado, I get out in the forests a LOT, especially in the snow. One of the reasons I'm able to do so is my winch, I know that when at all possible you should wheel with someone else, but the reality is that you cant always take someone. I bought a winch specifically for that reason, its my back up if I ever get into a hairy situation and I feel more secure than without it. I also find that if you bring the right equipment like a snatch block, treesaver, and a couple pulleys or straps you can get yourself just about out of anything. I also carry a hi lift jack which can easily be used as a manual winch for the rear if I need to go backwards.

Now I will say, its very easy to get caught up in brand names, while warn is a very good maker of winches, its really not necessary to have a high dollar winch if you don't use it all that often. I have a Smittybuilt X2o 10K, and ive used it probably 20 times in the past year for various things, and have never had a problem for less than half a comparable warn.

 

[JAXJeremy]

as a daily driver/ part time off roader I don't see a need for one on my 4r..for my offroad rig, I wouldn't go on a trail without it, saved my a** more times than I can count.

 

[WhiteBoomer04]

I think the easiest answer is...it depends upon the type and regularity of the wheeling you do.

I think winches are vital when:
- you're on your own
- in a group where no one else has one
- you wheel in sand, snow, mud where there's good potential to get stuck
- you do trail maintenance
- you get over your head and you get stuck
- your driving ability is less than the technical aspects of the terrain you are in

 

[calnhob]

It's always hard to judge if something is worth it since people value things differently.

I will say from experience it was worth it to me. I got stuck in snow and would've had to pay a tow truck to get me out if I didn't have a winch. It's possible that someone might have come by and towed me out but who knows.

My winch setup cost around 3 bills so it wasn't a lot compared to some of the nicer WARN winches that can cost $1K.

 

[gamefreakgc]

It's very location dependent like someone else said. I don't wheel a ton and when I do it's with someone else. However, here in NorCal all the trails seem to be in the national forests where there's always a good winch point nearby. However for other states or trails, trees can be a bit of a rarity. Just depends on where you go.

 

[mtbtim]

It's worth it if you actually wheel your rig and do trails that actually require 4wd to negotiate. Like somebody mentioned, it's good insurance to have, because when you need it, you need it, especially if you go wheeling on your own and there's nobody there to pull you out.

 

[lockedlex]

I don't have one, but will one day probably will. The one thing I find with winches is that sometimes drivers will use that as an excuse to off-road badly (taking risks, taking poor lines when better ones are available, etc) because "it's OK, I can get myself out."

I think NOT having one after 25 years (and never needing it), has helped me learn good and bad practices. Yes, I've been stuck a couple of times, but that was early on and I learned my lesson and I was able to get out of it without a tow or a pull.

But then again, no one needs a supercharger either. When you're out in the middle of no where, I think it's OK to have as much backup as possible.

 

[gamefreakgc]

But then again, no one needs a supercharger either.

Heresy! All the other drivers just don't know how deprived they are!

J/K

 

[Wedgy]

My current rig doesn't have one so I drive it accordingly. My 4x4 diesel Excursion had a 12k Warn that I made close to $1,000 pulling strangers out who got stuck in the riverbed or surf (due to stupidity). Tow truck was going to be ~$500 and they offered $100-$200 so I did.
Never had to use it on my rig.

 

[theesotericone]

If your mall crawling you don't need one. If your idea of 4 wheeling is cruising FS roads you probably don't need one. If your idea of wheeling involves dual cases, probability of body damage, and very large obstacles you need one and will use it. A lot.

My winch line, or someone in my groups, gets pulled almost every trip.

 

[96RedRunner]

Very handy tool, have used mine many different ways.
For those times where I know there are no anchor points I carry a boat anchor.
Anchor came in handy on the edge of 2000 acre bean field not a tree in site.
You live in snow belt has it's advantages also.
Mall crawlin not so much.

 

[wake_rider]

For 90% of the people that off-road in a 3rd gen, a heavy duty come along and a tree strap will more than suffice. I also carry a bunch of ratchet straps and a pair of short 2x4's when I wheel around; if you get into mud, sand or snow, strapping a board to each rear wheel will drive you out of a lot of bad spots.

Just a few weeks ago I buried myself to the axle in swampy soft sand that had a crusted layer over the top that looked solid at night. I strapped a board to each rear wheel (fronts were buried under the swamp water) and dug a little trench behind each rear wheel. I was out in a snap.

Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention that I was by myself... at 9:30pm... on a riverbed. Lol. Dumb...

 

[Mark_BC]

Depends what kind of wheeling you do and where you go. Also, if you are Australian you need one.

For 90% of the people that off-road in a 3rd gen, a heavy duty come along and a tree strap will more than suffice.

What if it snaps? You are standing right there. Sketchy.

 

[TheDurk]

Depends what kind of wheeling you do and where you go. Also, if you are Australian you need one.



What if it snaps? You are standing right there. Sketchy.

That's the thing about a come-along. They are all designed to be quite a bit stronger than the max. tension a single person can put on them. I have one in the truck but never have used it for recovery, but I have used it in construction and I feel very comfortable with it. I know it won't snap with the max load I can put on it.

Just don't put a cheater or two people on a come-along. That's sketchy.

 

[vipergrhd]

All I can add is "It's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it". In our service truck we have a 16500# winch which we use on occasion for retrieval and secure things when we are working on it.

 

[pluton]

Where I wheel --- desert, mostly, often there's nothing to attach a winch to.
Also, I've never gotten stuck. There were a couple of times when steep uphill sand stopped me from going where I wanted to go, but a winch wouldn't have done anything.

 

[vipergrhd]

Dead man.

[MENTION=89081]pluton[/MENTION] Here you go manhttps://www.deadmanoffroad.com/collections/all