Has anyone used any of the small 2000-4500 lb winches for recovery? I have some farmer friends who use small portable winches for all sorts of stuff. None of them have the large bumper mounted winches that the 4X4 guys seem to prefer, yet they're always getting stuff stuck and manage to get things pulled out.

They're cheap, don't weigh much, and don't need to be attached permanently. Anyone have any experience with these things?

 

If you double-up the line on a 4500 with a snatch block you would be able to get by but it won't be fun if you're serious about using it often. Those winches are for ATVs and for pulling loads onto trailers.

 

With the right rigging you can get 10,000lbs of pull out of a 2,000lb winch, but the cable is still only rated for 2,000lbs. There is a safety factor figured into the cable rating, but the cable can only be stressed so many times before it breaks. Get the right equipment for the job.

 

yes, with the proper rigging you can get more pulling power. But the cable rating on those small winches is also smaller so if you were doing that you would need a stronger cable (thicker) which you won't be able to fit much of on the smaller drums that most of those winches have. Not to mention if you pulled anything sub 8000 pounds out on any trip I was on I would freaking laugh at you. You drive a $30,000+ truck, I think you can shell out 600 bones for a half decent winch...

 

get it, get synth line(so it won't kill you when it snaps), and a pulley... or just get a real winch

 

I hadn't planned on buying one, I was just curious if anyone here had done any of it since it seems to be common around her.

No matter how you rig it, if the cable adequate for the winch rating you won't need to replace it with anything larger. Longer yes, larger, no.

I'll be sure and let my friends know they're morons next time I see them using a $300 winch on a $200,000 piece of equipment. They consider $30K trucks to be disposables...

 

I don't plan on buying one. I have access to a couple of them though so I wondered if one would even be worth taking along, or if it would be more trouble than it's worth.

I guess I should have specifed this...

 

PM me the next time they're disposing of a 30K vehicle. I'll come right over.

 

Besides, aren't winch ratings based on flat ground pulling? What if a small winch had to pull something out of a hole going uphill? I would imagine the incline would change things a bit. The strap could become a scud missile very quickly.

 

Good idea. You'll need a flat bed. When they're done with stuff there's little left. I've never seen anyone so hard on vehicles in my life.

I've watched them work on things a lot. Somehow telling a guy to "tap" this pin in sounds good until you notice he's using a 3lb hammer to do the tapping...

 

Then you'd be completely screwed I'd guess. All the ratings I've seen are for the maximum load and the first cable layer on the drum.

PoBoy had to winch me out a couple times at the Badlands and his setup was really nice. One time I was hung on the top edge of a muddy hill and it was no problem at all. Obviously that's the way to go if I want to buy something...

 

Have 'em, use 'em, like 'em. My place is sloped and wet. Bad enough I can get my tractor stuck down there, let alone the truck, riding mower, trailer, etc.

I use the little winches to help bring me up the hill. Works like a charm. All by itself my little 110V unit will bring the truck right up the hill and into the driveway.

Sure, it (or the other 12v model) will not ever get me up a cliff or pull me out of axle deep mud. But then, I try to avoid that. I've found them to be great at what they do. The portability of the units is really nice.