Winch or no winch

Sinbad, While we haven't done that trip, you have almost answered your own question - if you are on a formed road why would you need a winch?

We have had a winch on our Troopy for about 20 years and +/- 400,000kms including in some pretty rough places and have only once used the winch "for real". The rest of the time its just ballast!

Cheers,

Val

I have been up and down those roads several times and never had to use a winch. As the roads are closed in wet weather one only gets to drive them when the roads are passable.
Even if you get caught out there when it rains one just stays put until the roads dry out.
I have done this and had to sit on the Darling banks for over a week, we had enough food due to planning and just enjoyed the wait amusing ourselves catching fish.
As we are short we enjoyed the extra height from the mud build up on the boots. LOL.

G'day Sinbad1.
We plan to do the same trip Apr-May with much the same rig as you.
We will be traveling up river Wentworth to Bourke.
Will keep an eye out for you.
Weather permitting.

Cheers
Barry

ps: have winch installed, never used in anger !

Hi sinbad,

It appears you don't really need a winch, however, if you really WANT to get a winch, then maybe (just maybe) the road might just be so muddy, rocky, steep and littered with deep river crossings, to convince SWMBO to let you part with the money. :)

Cheers
Gerry

G`day sinbad1,
The winch has been on my 60 series 25 years and has never fired a shot in anger.
Except for one occasion to rewind the cable after replacing the motor (which became very badly corroded due to ingress of water), it has never been used.

I have often thought of removing it ...... but you know Murphy`s law .... ?

Back to your question ....... NO a winch is not necessary if you travel when the road is dry.

It is a great part of the country to travel, just don`t travel if it is wet.

Regards,

Scrubby

Sinbad you don't a winch on the Darling River run all roads are good gravel , clay and dirt. Just have good tyres we all did a tyre on that trip we were unlucky I think.

I had a Nissan patrol with a winch only used it once to pull a car back onto the road.

I don't think I would ever waste my money on a winch again a lot of weight to carry around when your not likely to ever use it, also not that easy to remove if you don't want to carry it around.

Cheers Scoot. :-)

First time I did that run was in a Falcon ute and it had rained the week before, about an inch of rain.

We never got stuck even though we had to drive around some of the mud holes. Have done it since in a soft roader with no drama.

Just need to be carefull of washouts if there has been rain, but its a great trip.

Their were three vehicles in our convoy for that trip.

My GQ towing a Trak Shak.

A Commodore wagon with an Indian family. They had never been west of Penrith before they came on that trip.

Third was a family in a Tarago towing an old on road Jayco Dove.

We had two flat tyres. One on my Trak Shak and the other was a buckled wheel on the Commodore. It was caused when he hit a concrete bridge which had a washout on the approach.

The only thing I could possibly see you needing a winch for on that trip would be to haul your tinny back up the river bank after a day out fishing.

Duncs

Remember too Sinbad, if you have a winch.........ya gotta have something to hook it on to!