Do you have a winch? How often do you use it?

[KingCarGuyZ]

I've used my shittybuilt x20 quite a few times on myself - much more often to recover whoever I am wheeling with. feels like it gets used every wheeling trip now, but I also do a lot of scouting and helping stock rigs through where they shouldn't be. I've used it a few times to pull people out of ditches on the roads or to jerry rig stuff that I shouldn't be moving.

I would put it akin to a pocket knife. Can get by without one, but once you have it anyway you use it all the time. Also helps that the added weight on the front end really helps her at 75+ (she's a daily in TX, it happens a lot)

 

[g.hayduke]

Never used mine to rescue me. Used it to rescue others, move trees blocking the trail, move boulders in my yard. It does get used occasionally. And, someday, I have no doubt, I'll rescue myself with it.

 

[Strizzo]

on my old rig, my winch saved the day when a buddy and I were messing around and went down a bunch of ledges on a rainy day and then couldn't get back up. Winched myself up and then pulled my buddy up the ledge. I used it to pull plenty of cars out of ditches after storms, and also once to pull the tractor out of a mud hole at the deer lease.

The winch on my TJ my grandfather put on it when he had it, and it saved his bacon when he rolled it off the trail on Imogene pass. He hooked it to a tree and winched back onto the trail. would have been a long walk or long wait without it.

The key isn't that you need a winch, but its a good idea to have something you can use like one - hi lift jack and some rope (a winch extension and a hitch pin are a great way to improvise if you don't want to carry chain around), a come along, and various other improvised methods. Just know what you can get done with what you have on hand.

 

[AdventurePig]

Thanks for all the input, y’all, really appreciate it.

Wife and i read through the replies and talked it over. Gonna save weight elsewhere.

 

[Camdenst]

Ive used my winch maybe five times on the trails but closer to 30 times pulling bushes, scrubs and trees. I was able to winch those prefab concrete steps away from my brother inlaws house when they redid their porch. We figured dragging in into the woods was easier than demo and a wheelbarrow.

It has been instrumental in reducing time landscaping.

 

[macleanflood]

Weekly if not daily. Used my 9.5 xp snow wheeling last Sunday on my Jeep.

Used my M12000 on Monday on my 2001 F250 to pull my scissor lift through the mud trying to get some siding on the barn.

Wednesday I used a 2k winch to stand up one 2 post lift post, and then I used the 9.5 XP to pull up the second.

Tomorrow we're pulling apart an RV. I have two Harbor Freight 9500s on the dump trailer. One fixed on the front to pull things in, a second on a reciever hitch cradle we can move around three sides on the back.

We also bought a Vevor truck crane...I took the aircraft cable off the crank hoist and replaced it with some synthetic rope off Amazon. We need to hoist a frozen septic tank into the dump trailer... we've been calling it a poocycle.

And Thursday I used a come along to fix a broken hinge pin on the dump trailer.

So that's pretty much daily winch/hoist usage for me this week.

-Mac

 

[bucky]

I’ve used mine for persuading trees to fall where I want them and to move 2 large sheds. I use my straps and kinetic rope for extractions because I find it much faster. I think the biggest asset of a which is that you have better control over the force applied.

 

[Irun]

I have one TJ and 2 warn winches.

Well will have the second one in a week or so, just have to go pick it up.

I don't have one mounted yet, but that's next on my list.

I am passing the 8274 to a good friend and will only have a HS9.5.

Edit forgot to add.

I haven't used one in several years, but had to get winched out of this mess...

View attachment 590150

Lovely East Coast slop!

 

[MBDIAGMAN]

To the OP’s question, I don’t think asking how often people need their winch provides much meaningful data. Everyone’s driving conditions, off-road frequency and many other things vary widely.

A winch’s usage for an off-roader is not meaningfully measured by “daily, weekly, monthly.” The need is much more meaningfully like the need for a pistol. You don’t need a pistol until you need one BADLY.

 

[MBDIAGMAN]

It's like insurance... Just cos you didn't get hit this year, doesn't make it a waste next year

Absolutely! We don’t know the future. At least I don’t. The way my luck goes, the sure way to need it is to not have it. It’s sort of like the stuff in my hangar that I don’t really need, but don’t want to get rid of. If I get rid of it, a need for it will appear soon.

 

[Larry L TJ]

This reminds me of something that was said on our last trip as we we were winching me up through the ruts.

"We wouldn't have done this trail if there wasn't a possibility that we would be winching"

Easy doesn't make good stories

If there isn't a story to tell it was just a trip. Sometimes you may be the story. sometimes you get to help out.

 

[Larry L TJ]

Installed this one 2 weeks ago. Have not been off road yet to see how well it works. Hopefully soon.

 

[DETOUR]

Hmmm…..depending on the terrain and how often one goes wheeling
• I’m packing a land-anchor as well , plus a small TIRFOR ~ 1.5 ton ,including 50’ cable
•winch maintenance is the key imho

~•|||||||•~

 

[DETOUR]

Installed this one 2 weeks ago. Have not been off road yet to see how well it works. Hopefully soon.
View attachment 623749

Try it out at home, familiar yourself with it BEFORE you need it

 

[CMBD]

I use mine 1-2 times a year on the trail.

Im not too proud to pull rope. Sometimes I am hopelessly hung up. Sometimes I could probably bash my way through something, but would rather not.

All the times I have used it I have been solo in big rocks. Exactly the reason I bought it

 

[DavidBT]

I'm on my 6th Jeep. My TJR is the first that has a winch. I mean wow, I finally have a Rubicon, who needs a winch? My first time out in the desert with my new to me TJR, guess what? I needed to pull cable, by myself, and fortunately, there was a tree to pull my dumb ass out, in the desert. I've since helped a fellow jeeper get up a steep hill, and got myself out of the same creek on my own. To me, a winch is a necessity on a jeep. Thinking about putting one on my 2500 Ram.

 

[NashvilleTJ]

I'm on my 6th Jeep. My TJR is the first that has a winch. I mean wow, I finally have a Rubicon, who needs a winch? My first time out in the desert with my new to me TJR, guess what? I needed to pull cable, by myself, and fortunately, there was a tree to pull my dumb ass out, in the desert. I've since helped a fellow jeeper get up a steep hill, and got myself out of the same creek on my own. To me, a winch is a necessity on a jeep. Thinking about putting one on my 2500 Ram.

If ya ain't winchin', ya ain't wheelin'...

 

[gasiorv]

I am not going if there isn't a chance that we will be winching. Try to not winch, but pull cable about every time I head out.

There are definitely scenic trails that we cruise on to see a view or some history. But for the most part when we go out there is a high likelihood of winching at some point during the day.

 

[MBDIAGMAN]

I’d rather be winchin’ than wrenchin’!

 

[tworley]

Maybe 3-5 times a year.