Interesting posts... I believe that winching is a little like cheating. But if your stuck in the mud, and it comes down to either winching, or digging out, or worse yet: getting towed out by a F*RD or a Jeep
. If I had one, I'd probably use it a couple times rather than get body damage on my rig(it is my Daily driver, too afterall). Winching is, In my opinion, NOT cheating if you use it to help other fellow wheelers, or to winch stuff off the trail. If you winch a fallen tree off the trail(if you don't carry a chainsaw) or help winch a boulder out of the way, that's not cheating in my opinion. Winches are the ultimate in self recovery, but they should be used in moderation, and only when you really need them, esp if your safety, or other's safety may be compromised by NOT using the winch.
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1994 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4X4
213,000 miles and counting
3.0 V6, 5 speed
10/15 MPG city/hwy(with 33's)
Current Mods
Headers, 2.5" Flowmaster custom exhaust, K&N FIPK
KC Daylighter 100 Watt lights
Ranchos x4, 2" Lift Downey coils
33-12.50 M/T's, 1" t-bar lift, 1" body lift
Tow pkg w/ lighthookups
Silverstar Headlights, Pioneer Deck w/XM
Brushguard
250Watt JLAudio 8" W3 Sub
Future Mods
12V Aux outlet-400/800peak inverter
roof basket/lights
Air locker
4.88 gears
H.O. Alternator