Cheap self recovery ideas?

[vanguard_anon]

Because I pretty much never wheel alone I didn't place a lot of emphasis on self recover until last weekend when 2 out of the 3 of us got stuck. One more and we'd be out of ideas.

While ideally somebody would have had a winch I was wondering if there was a cheaper setup that would do the trick. The black rat manual winch looks great but it's expensive enough that you could almost afford an electric winch. I could go with the hi-lift and wire rope route but I thought I'd ask the forum before I bought anything.

What's your recommendation for self recovery on a budget?

PS The search functionality is broken right now.

[Benzz0]

I think for $450.00 you can get a Tmax 9K winch from one of the vendors here

PM RudeZuk

[vanguard_anon]

I should have mentioned a winch is in my long term plans but I was hoping for something under $150 (or under $100) for the short term. I just spent a bunch of money on tires, lockers, and gears. My wallet needs a rest.

[Benzz0]

you go cheap on a recovery piece and you will stay stuc

[SamiFlyer]

Originally Posted by vanguard_anon

I should have mentioned a winch is in my long term plans but I was hoping for something under $150 (or under $100) for the short term. I just spent a bunch of money on tires, lockers, and gears. My wallet needs a rest.

How big is your truck? Maybe a good quality come-along and some extra straps would do the trick if it's not too heavy.


Sean

[4x401cj]

Originally Posted by Benzz0

you go cheap on a recovery piece and you will stay stuc

I would also add to that statement that going cheap could cost you an injury in the least, and death worst case. A low cost option would be the Hi-Lift and a couple 20-30 ft. strap`s. If not strap`s go with a couple of the UHMWF rope winch cable extensions. I wouldn`t use chain or wire rope with the Hi-Lift.

[trkklr77]

chain is the easiest to use when you "winch" with a hi-lift, you can just rest the hooks and go again. if you use a winch rope/wire/strap you have to undo everything and rewrap the rope around the anchor the reset and go again. with the chains you can even use a second chain and hook fixed to the jack so you dont lose gain length do to sucking up the slack.

[suepahfly]

I bought a 4 ton come-along from menards for about $40. I havent had a chance to use it yet though because my sammy's on jackstands though.

[trkklr77]

i always laugh when the come-along gets brought out, Ihave yet to see one successfully used. i also run with big trucks too.

[mustanggt92]

Come-alongs have their place in self recovery. I just used mine today to pull a 14' long and 1 1/2' wide log that I was high-centered on out from under me. Of course I had to jack up the truck before I did that, but without the come-along I wouldnt have been able to move it. I dont know how mine is rated as I inhereted it from my grandfather, but i wouldnt say its any more than 2 or 3k. Bigger come-alongs may work better but I wouldnt say they can work as a winch.

I myself dont own a high-lift jack, I'll have one soon once I can afford one. I've gotten out of some hairy situations that ive gotten my FSB in with just the stuff I've found around me and a trusty shovel.

[fenderbmxer86]

My buddies come-along snapped last year when he tried pulling him self out of a hole.

[SamiFlyer]

Originally Posted by trkklr77

chain is the easiest to use when you "winch" with a hi-lift

In fact this is the prefered method. There is a big difference in snatch recovery and winch recovery.

Recovery straps have elastic properties to allow it to stretch and then it uses that stored enery in a controlled maner to pull the stuck vehicle out. If you used a chain for this you would likely cause damage.

The reverse is true for a winch pull. By comparison, a chain has no elastic properties and that is a good thing if you are using a hi-lift to winch a vehicle out. Imagine using a recovery strap and having it stretch on you as you put more tension on it by cranking the hi-lift. You use up half of the hi-lift travel just pre-loading the strap until it stops stretching! Not to mention that you are manualy operating a device that could easily kill a person if it became a flying projectile propelled by the energy stored in the recovery strap if something were to let go! A chain allows you to move the vehicle an equal distance to the travel of the hi-lift which is not only safer, but more efficient.


Sean

[Trailer Rails]

I was in a situation before I got my winch mounted where I think a highlift saved my life(well at least made my day a lot less bad). A buddy and I were out snow wheeling in some deep ass Colorado snow. We were staying on mostly packed down trails, when my buddy was going around a turn and sunk down to his frame rails. Well we pull out the shovels and free his tires and axles a bit and attach a strap between our rigs. I am positioned to pull him backward down hill. I go to give him a yank, the strap pulls tight and I just sink also. So there we are, 2 rigs stuck with a tight strap between the two. What I would have paied for a video camera and a beer at that point. Well, we barely had enough chain to connect the high lift between the two vehicles. After about 10 minutes of cranking and reseting the chain my rig was free. I told my buddy that I was sorry but I was not trying that again. We ended up attaching the chain and a strap around some trees and using that to get him out. It sucked because the strap would have to strech before the rig would start moving. So about half of the highlift was wasted each time in taking up slack and strap strech. That took about 45 minutes.

I will never go wheeling without a high lift, a strap, some chain with hooks, and some decent d rings. That will get you out of most situations. Even with a dead battery and engine. But a decent setup of all that stuff will cost you nearly what a winch will cost, but you WILL need it all even when you have a winch.

[SamiFlyer]

Originally Posted by trkklr77

i always laugh when the come-along gets brought out, Ihave yet to see one successfully used. i also run with big trucks too.

Been there, used it and it WORKED! That is the only time I have seen it used successfully!


Sean

[trkklr77]

alot of people think they will only ever need a 48" jack cause there rig is not the tall, i love the 60", more "winching" pull without reseting, lift things higher, and it makes it easier to A frame and pull a post out.

[MuddyV8YJ]

Originally Posted by trkklr77

alot of people think they will only ever need a 48" jack cause there rig is not the tall, i love the 60", more "winching" pull without reseting, lift things higher, and it makes it easier to A frame and pull a post out.

it is a little harder to store, but i love my 60" HL as well. for 2-3 years i wheeled alone (i have a BIG backyard so i was fairly close to home) but i ended up using the hi-lift quite a few times. yes it was boring and tiresome, but i wasn't going anywhere fast anyways. have good recovery points on your rig, especially in the back. even with a winch on front, sometimes you need to pull yourself backwards.

carry a big block of wood or stop so your rig doesn't roll or slide when you have to reset the jack

don't use any metal rings between 2 straps

[jesster]

A winch and a cage should be the first two upgrades that one adds to their vehicle.

[Nigel]

I have gotten out of a lot of really bad stuck situation with a 5' jack-all and a shovel. It can be done but it is slow and hard. A vehicle mounted winch is worth every penny. If you have a bunch of guys that always go out together buy a multi mount winch to share.

There is a lot less chance of getting really hurt when you are not the power source for the winch.

[youngyota]

just get make some explosives that will get you out and fun to use

[OffRoad]

i have a lot of experience getting stuck with no budget and no gear.

put really low gears in truck. put truck in gear. truck will turn tires at idle. get out and rock truck back and forth. when truck starts going, get back in quickly.

hi-lift and chains are your friend.

bring a shovel, lots don't.

stick anything you can find under the tires.

cell phone to call friends.

come-a-longs are awesome. winches are better in every way, but come-a-longs are cheap.

have stong recovery points at each end of the truck. i've seen a lot of sway bars come off XJs.

if you drive a sammy, get friends to push you out.

[tennessee rockhumper]

i still have flashback about breaking a come-a-long and having it whiz towards me, every time i see one.

my insurance deductable for knee surgery would have bought me a bad ass winch- with a remote- preferably a wireless one.

fawk a come-a-long.


edit: the cheapest useful tool when your stuck is communication, whether it be cell or CB, and knowing your location.

that being said, the real deal is 8274's front and rear.

[camo-kazi]

I fried my winch once and had to get out with about 200 ft of rope and a 2x4. did a 4 ply from the bumper to a tree and started twisting it took a while but beet the crap out of walking 40 miles back to the main road

[Pook]

costco winch for $300

[CanuckJeeper]

A good come-along WILL work. Buy it, learn how to use it properly AND SAFELY, and use it as a last measure only. If it's rated 4-ton or so, buy 2 of them, and use them side by side to ease the tension.

JP

[GubNi]

You can get a cheap chain fall for less thant $100 and it won't break like a come along.