Winch: do I need one?

[Yo no soy un pajero Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Yo no soy un pajero]

Planning a big outback trip next year and I'm debating whether the security of having a winch justifies the cost, weight and need to learn how use it properly & safely. Obviously the answer is "depends where you want to go" but I'm trying to get a sense of whether its worth it for the kind of trip we are planning. I don't go out of my way to seek out challenging 4wd tracks but I do want the kind of setup that lets us get off the beaten track a bit - thinking of routes like Gary Junction Rd, Mitchell Plateau, Coburg Peninsula, CYP. We have a 120 series petrol with ARB deluxe bar (+ dual batteries so already a bit of weight on the front) and we tow a camper trailer. Also carry some basic recovery gear - maxtrax, airbag jack, shovel. We also travel with 4 kids which puts more imperative on not getting stuck for too long in remote areas...

Obviously you try not to get yourself into situations you're not equipped for, but then again you never know what conditions you might encounter. So is it worth investing in a winch? Have you had one for years and never used it? Or have there been times you really wished you had one?

cheers
YNSUP

[FWD17 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close FWD17]

My advise is to have a winch, we travel alone so it is good cheap insurance to have yourself covered if you get stuck, unless your in the middle of Lake Poepplel

[Mule Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mule]

Probably not necessary as there are always others about to give you a tug out of trouble and you already have matrax. Nice to be independent with a winch if you can afford though.

[Gudgeon_pin Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Gudgeon_pin]

This may start an argument, but a winch will generally get you further than lockers and for a fraction of the cost.

[Yo no soy un pajero Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Yo no soy un pajero]

Thanks for the advice. We travel alone too so a winch it might be a wise investment.

[404pug Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close 404pug]

OR.... a second set of maxtracks and a hi lift jack with the attatchments to use it as a winch [ if you are really desperate]. I have done all of those tracks plus CSR, Simpson, Cape etc and have never used the above or saw the need for a winch. If you spend time in the high country or the mountains a lot it may be a different story. Most of what you do will be on dirt roads not mountain goat tracks. eg the gary junction road is a fine graded dirt road over which I towed my camper last year in my 120 petrol. If it rains anywhere in the inland you aren't going anywhere and the winch wont help! Set up camp for a day or 2.

[Corigator Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Corigator]

A winch is also a great way to shift large fallen logs. I have used mine for that purpose once on Fraser and once near Coffs. In both cases the track was blocked.

[r4ndll Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close r4ndll]

My advise is to have a winch, we travel alone so it is good cheap insurance to have yourself covered if you get stuck, unless your in the middle of Lake Poepplel

Worked with a guy in my late teens out on the Kafue plains in Zambia which can get very boggy and is treeless. He had a 6 foot steel spike about as thick as your arm for those situations.

[Hogey66 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hogey66]

Worked with a guy in my late teens out on the Kafue plains in Zambia which can get very boggy and is treeless. He had a 6 foot steel spike about as thick as your arm for those situations.

Or you can dig in your spare wheel for an anchor point. I've never had one on my vehicles and done extensive remote work and play. Have used a portable tirfor ( https://www.allwinches.com.au/produc...FYGavAod1lME_Q ) occasionally when going somewhere dodgy but you don't need to carry the weight all the time, only when you think you may need it. It does require a bit of manual labour though!

[Borec Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Borec]

You need Pull Pal for that!!!

[Scruffy Member Find all posts View Profile Close Scruffy]

Or you can dig in your spare wheel for an anchor point. I've never had one on my vehicles and done extensive remote work and play. Have used a portable tirfor ( https://www.allwinches.com.au/produc...FYGavAod1lME_Q ) occasionally when going somewhere dodgy but you don't need to carry the weight all the time, only when you think you may need it. It does require a bit of manual labour though!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_2C8aFt9Uo

[Borec Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Borec]

Or you can dig in your spare wheel for an anchor point.

I tried that several times, and only with a small VW, and it is not fun, cannot imagine how much fun it would be with loaded prado, and especially if there might be more then sand

[Brett1979 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Brett1979]

I got a winch fitted prior to my first Cape York trip in 2012 for the "just in case factor." I used it on the right exit track out of Ducie Ck, and again 3 yrs later in the exact same place.
I've had to use it 3 other times when off-roading, once at Glass House on a steep jump up that I tried repeatedly to drive up but couldn't, and another time was on a track at Sundown NP. It was a long winding rocky inclined track that after a little bit got steeper and steeper. Me and a friend in another 4wd were committed to the point that we couldnt back down it safely if we needed to. I was the poor mug going first, and all of a sudden the track went up vertically steep. With the winch I had the confidence to try and tackle it but got stuck and with a shaky right foot I kept the car in place while my friend spooled my winch out. We both winched up to the top and carried on. Without the winch we were in serious trouble at that point. Especially me as trying to back down the rocky incline I was on would've been deadly with a big drop off a tad to my right. I would've been screwed without it.

The 5th time was at Byfield NP. The long inclined (10 psi) sand track had me going nowhere 60 odd meters into it one morning after the 4th attempt. It was bogging everyone that day. After the 4th failed attempt, I was reversing back down and my rear wheels left the ruts. My left wheel breached the outside sand gutter where there was a 3 ft steep drop. The back left wheel went a bit too far before I stopped the car. It all happened so quickly. It was unrecoverable without a winch. With how boggy the track was nobody was going to be able to tug me out with a snatch. I quickly wrigged up the winch cable to a tree conveniently placed on the other side of the track and I was out within a few minutes. The next attempt I got up the hill. But I haven't had to use it any other times for driving that I can remember.
But I have found that a winch is a great gardening tool. I've used it a few times to pull down tall dead "termite murdered" trees in a controlled manner on my in-laws property, some of which were close to the house. You'd be amazed how easily it can pull a dead tree down. As soon as the cable tightens down she comes with little effort most of the time. I did have one tree once though that took repeated attempts and dragged the car forward with the brakes locked, but it came down eventually. I had to pre-notch it with a chain saw after a bit to help. I used extension straps where necessary so there was no risk of the tree falling on my car.

I've also had to clear a fallen tree from a track once as well to get through.

It sounds like the roads you'll be driving won't require a winch.
You have your max trax so that should be fine for your requirements. If you're not driving in wooded areas with very steep tracks than youd probably never use a winch if you had one to be honest.
A couple of months after fitting a winch you stop noticing the extra weight up front that you're carrying. By this I mean swapping an original alloy bar for a steel one and winch. Initially you feel the extra weight when driving over everyday bumps and man hole covers on the road. Winches as very easy to use. Not much to learn with using them. But on top of the winch purchase it's also highly recommended to buy a 10 meter winch extension strap, a tree trunk protector is a must, a large 4.7t bow shackle to fit strap ends on as well as the winch hook, and a snatch block is handy to have to once you've got the winch. These extras add up in cost. You can do without the cable dampener in my opinion as the chance of snapping a winch line is as slim as winning gold lotto. Well a steel cable anyway. The dyneema rope can handle heavier weights but breaks down over time with heat, uv and moisture and gets weaker as the years go on. I've got a cable dampener (Velcro jacket) but only put it on the cable once when there were heaps of bystanders and didn't want to be lectured by captain safety at the time.

I just remembered I had to use my winch a few years back to rescue a Jeep having major troubles getting off the car swallowing beach at Woodgate late in the day with the tide coming in.

[Mule Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mule]

Sundown NP. It was a long winding rocky inclined track that after a little bit got steeper and steeper. Me and a friend in another 4wd were committed to the point that we couldnt back down it safely if we needed to. I was the poor mug going first, and all of a sudden the track went up vertically steep. With the winch I had the confidence to try and tackle it but got stuck and with a shaky right foot I kept the car in place while my friend spooled my winch out. We both winched up to the top with our winches and carried on. Without the winch we were in serious trouble at that point. Especially me as trying to back down the rocky incline I was on would've been deadly with a big drop off a tad to my right. I would've been screwed without it.

.

Which track in Sundown were you at. Sounds more interesting than what we found.

[Brett1979 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Brett1979]

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