Winch worth it or not? lets see the results.

[Eurylokhos]

Same as others have said, I've had a winch and not had a winch on multiple rigs, and since having one I won't go without it. I'm sure it is location dependent, here in New England all the trails are in the woods, so there is always something to anchor it to. Having a winch allows me to explore on my own, and recover others who have gotten stuck. It's also come in handy to move fallen trees after a storm.

 

[Cole T]

My 4 runner is my daily, is largely stock, and I still have found myself happy to have a winch many times. I go off road maybe once per month and I’ve found myself at the bottom of very steep and slick trails that otherwise would have been impossible to get up. I also find it to be useful around the house. Whether it’s pulling a car out of a snow bank, or moving the parts truck around. For $500 and a bit of inginuity, seems like a no brainer to me.

 

[Mudeprived]

Totally.

My first was a milemarker 9k. I used it enough to go through a motor and two winch cables. My second was a XRC8 and I used that one enough to have to rebuild it twice.

If you go where no rig has gone, or should go, then it is a very critical tool to have.

I will not wheel without one.

 

[nissanh]

I was contemplating an ARB in front of the 4R and cruiser but looking at the weight, I feel not to.
Eric in Venture 4WD drives solo around the country and 95% off road and he do not have a winch, not even a metal bumper. Plan well not to get bogged down before it happens and that is it.

 

[apohl17]

This is all very good info. I'm right on the fence for whether I should pick one up, since I have a decent amount of adventure trips planned where I will be by myself. If you guys saw my recent TR here you'll know I had a battle with the mighty Mississippi, and it goes to show that even if you don't plan on getting a bit over your head, you never know what will get thrown at you. I think a winch, for security and the like, is in my near future...

 

[spartacus]

I wish I had one because there are times when on a trail I've had to go around hard parts because I didn't have a winch and didn't want to get stuck and have frequently seen guys with winches helping others that didn't have one.

 

[TonyB66]

I had to give this some thought as it has been 25+ years since I had an off-road vehicle, a couple FJ-40 LCs. The last one had a winch, and I used it three times, once because I was stuck in some deep mud. As I recall, I think I did it on purpose, so I could use the damn thing.

But, I most remember using it at my dad's property atop the Santa Cruz mountains where he wanted some trees cleared. I dropped several, and used the winch a lot to pull them out so I could cut them up. Super helpful to have.

Installing this one pretty soon...

 

[rkntoy]

Worth it?

Like others have said, it depends on what you use your rig for and how frequently. "Depends" wasn't a response for the poll.

Need it?

I would say no - regardless of what you use your rig for. When I was too poor for a winch I wheeled a ton with various rigs and went by myself quite a bit. I used a come-along and had straps and cables that got me out of some really bad spots, including one where my 71 Blazer was sliding sideways in the snow with one tire hanging over an 80 foot drop. Whole setup cost me about $80 at the time.

 

[Bijan]

YEP

winch2 by bij mirk, on Flickr

 

[JayRolla]

It's worth its weight in gold if you get in a bind. $350 winch might have saved me a $1500 recovery bill or an overnight stay in my rig.

I've only used it maybe 3 times but on one of those 3 I was on a loose hill with very steep drops that I ended up sideways. It saved my rig.

With the winch I wheel solo a lot more and way more comfortable when tackling major obstacles.

The most fun part is pulling stuck jeeps. Haha.

 

[CRB Racing]

I had my runner since it was new in 1998. Used to wheel with my brother to our fishing spots and never thought I would need a winch.
Fast forward to 2017 and wheeling with my friends at Peacock Flats...
I had just installed a Allpro Apex bumper and a smittybuilt winch.
On the last hill climb I broke the rear ring and pinion. The winch and bumper more than saved the day!
Better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

 

[Road Bull]

Well, I would say it is. But, not knowing where you wheel, it is hard to say. It could easily pay for itself or, someone else's recovery the first time you use it.

It shouldn't be the only tool in your recovery tool kit, but it is a valuable asset.

Everyone should have an ADULT sized shovel. You aren't on a college archeological dig looking for trinkets when you get stuck, so leave that cute little pocket shovel at home. LOL.

A good snatch rope and or traction pads can be VERY useful and or much faster recovery in certain situations.

 

[WRWhit93]

I've only used mine 3 times, but all of those times it was just me and a friend in my 4Runner. Don't know what would have happened without one..

 

[ToyotaMacGyver]

Resurrecting from the grave.

My brother and I got stuck on a forest service road last night in some deep mud. Wasn’t my intention to go mudding per se, but it teaches you what you should have with you real quick. A front winch wouldn’t have gotten me out (would have pulled me in deep mud and water up to my doors).

A portable winch would have been awesome or a hi-lift. Traction boards probably would have helped as well. The only thing I had that helped me was having a snatch strap and shackles on hand when help arrived to pull me out.

I’m ordering a hi-lift today along with a snatch block and tree saver. Always good to have as much recovery gear on hand at all times imo. Time to put my shovel back in also. We were lucky help showed up. Don’t want to repeat that scenario again.

 

[Devbot]

I've been in situations more than once where a winch saved the vehicle.
Would you rather be in a position where you have zero chance of recovery, or some chance of recovery?
I recommend one for anybody that offroads to any degree. As stated winches are merely tools, and like most tools you'll be screwed if you need it but are caught without it - and you almost never see yourself needing a winch, until you do. It's also nice having the option to help recover other people too.
Plus, Red Green showed us how to turn your truck into a forklift using one :lol:

 

[3bears]

my new rig does not have a winch....yet. I have an arb bumper and a winch, both new, that will go on this spring. ( but will need new springs etc to handle the weight, and a warm garage to do all the work. Now to figure out what springs and shocks I want to run this time).
Also , off road tow trucks can be real expensive, and some insurance companies wont cover towing when more than 100 feet off a paved major road. I ran into this often in Oregon when I was a park ranger. I could not tow people out ( laws and rules) and nearly every single one it was out of pocket to get pulled. Ive see back road tow bills go over 1500. Typical was about 300, and they would not touch it without having your credit card first, and a waiver so they were not responsible for any damage.

 

[Devbot]

my new rig does not have a winch....yet. I have an arb bumper and a winch, both new, that will go on this spring. ( but will need new springs etc to handle the weight, and a warm garage to do all the work. Now to figure out what springs and shocks I want to run this time).
Also , off road tow trucks can be real expensive, and some insurance companies wont cover towing when more than 100 feet off a paved major road. I ran into this often in Oregon when I was a park ranger. I could not tow people out ( laws and rules) and nearly every single one it was out of pocket to get pulled. Ive see back road tow bills go over 1500. Typical was about 300, and they would not touch it without having your credit card first, and a waiver so they were not responsible for any damage.

Some synth rope will GREATLY cut down the weight of a winch, if you don't have one already. ARB bumpers are pretty heavy as is

 

[3bears]

Some synth rope will GREATLY cut down the weight of a winch, if you don't have one already. ARB bumpers are pretty heavy as is

thanks
mine is the Smitty H2O 10k with synthetic. Yes ARB are heavy. Was gonna go with AMPed Ups hidden winch mount ( on facebook), but I have so many creatures out here that I wanted a bit more protection.