Hand winch

You haven't been too far off the beaten track with me yet but I can always arrange a trip than may need the Big Haul ....lol

You have a winch my friend, I will be pushing the button before i make you push my hand winch...lol

Dunno bout the Hi lift I reckon there a pretty important recovery tool. I have used one about 5 times for bogs and hangups - certainly got me out the poo when the winch wasnt up to the job. i do only take it when going remote though as it isnt a convenient or light item

"The other thing is my attitude is that if it looks like I could get seriously bogged do I really need to be there???"

Great words of advice but sometimes you could be set up on a really great camping spot and during the night the heavens open up and turns what is easy driving in the dry to red glue in the wet. Glad we had the electric winch as had to winch car out of bog when driving back to hook up to trailer . Then had to winch the trailer up to car. Made an interesting experience.

I agree on hilifts, I have NEVER seen anyone use one yet in yrs of wheelin!

!MPG:14!

I bought a hand winch a few years back working on the theory if I got sick of the time and effort involved in using it I would upgrade to elec. Got well and truly stuck in very soft sticky sand/mud and after SEVEN HOURS of digging jacking etc I had managed to move the car about 1 foot with another ten to go. Admittedly, the winch was a bottom end Bushranger, but still it was supposed to be good for 1,600 kilograms, which I gather is as much as most hand winches. The point was that it was just impossible to get enough pull to actually move a heavy vehicle bogged to the axles.

The following day I ordered a Warn 9.5xp in anger at something over $2,000. The following weekend I went out and deliberately got stuck in the same spot. It was almost frightening how easily and quickly this winch plucked the car out of (or more accurately, ploughed it through) the bog.

Point is that a theoretical 77 hours by hand winch equated to one minute by electric.

Disadvantages of course are need for an appropriate bullbar or other mounting, ongoing need for service, the effect of the weight on handling and demands on elec system (e.g. dual batteries or risk alternator burn out). If these issues are not a concern I had $600 to spend I would spend the money on the best elec winch I could afford any day over a hand winch.

Very valid point , however , you have also picked up on the other valuable piece.

In very rare circumstances can you just go and buy a lecky winch and have nothing more to pay.

In most cases, New Bullbar, Dual Batteries etc , need to be added.

Not much , if ANY change out of $2k , BIG difference to $600.

Or , do as you did.

Buy the hand winch , see if it meets your needs , if it does , great , if it doesn't sell the thing for almost what you pay for it , and THEN buy a lecky one.

In MY case , $2000 is better spent on other things. a $500 hand winch will do fine . . . for know.

The only flaw with the "wait and see" approach is that I drove through some very remote, muddy country blissfully ignorant of how useless my set up was. I was lucky that the experience above was 30km from home. I would say that if you have a hand winch explore its performance and limitations before you really need to use it.