Mud Mauler winch

My wife and I plan to travel to the Cape in June. We have a 100 series turbo diesel Land Cruiser. We do not have an electric winch however a couple of years ago we purchased a Mud Mauler from a reputable store as it was rated higher than any of the other hand winches and was compact not taking up much room.

To date we have not had to use it but understand there may be a need up the Cape. A friend, who is a fitter and has had extensive experience with a Turfor, had serious doubts about the Mud Mauler. He dug up some of the info written on this site in particular 'geordie4x4 Hand Winch Test Report' (postid 32036). After reading this report and other reports we tested the Mud Mauler and his Turfor Winch.

To simulate a bogged vehicle we set the Land Cruiser on a slight incline with the hand brake on. First tried the Mud Mauler with no success. The shear bolt snapped and ended up about 6 metres from the winch. This I believe is a safety hazard in it self. The car didn't move. Then we hooked up the Turfor which shifted the car about a metre before we stopped.

I have read reports where people have used them successfully but they don't seem to describe the situation. I would be interested to hear from anybody who has successfully used the Mud Mauler and the circumstances in which they were used.