I've been contemplating the decision between purchasing a winch or a lift for my Jeep.

I was in Harbor Freight today looking at their winches when I came across this!

.harborfreight.com/8000-lb-cable-winch-puller-543.html[/url]

I also found this one of homedepot.com

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1...atalogId=10053

So, given the fact that I RARELY off road, maybe a few times a year and the fact that I will never go alone and the other fact that I will never go on any really rough trails my wife actually made sense for a brief second or two......

Why do I need an electric winch? Its $299 for a half-decent winch, $39 for a winch plate (if I go cheap). Then I need to butcher my front bumper and rebar, possibly contemplating the structural intregrity of these two pieces, then on top of that I need to run a cable to the battery and blah, blah, blah....All so I can have a winch that I will possibly and rarely use.

***please do not get offended of the above-this is all specifically aimed at me...for those of you who actually USE you jeep, God bless you****


Anyways. getting back on topic.

What's up with just using the hand winch that is rated to 8,000 capacity just like the electric winch?

It looks like a pretty solid IDEA, no?

I am considering the following:
-a hand winch will fit nicely inside my jeep tuffy security box
-a hand winch doesnt require electricity to work
-a hand winch can be used in the front or rear of the jeep
-a hand winch can be loaned to a friend to use-I am a nice guy!
-a hand winch will allow me to also purchase my 2.5 teraflex lift that I have been wanting.

Let me hear your thoughts!

 

A come-along can certainly work in a pinch. It may be rated for 8k pounds, but unless you have a cheater pipe to give you more leverage, you won't ever actually get that much pull from it.

But if you don't go out often, and its used as a just-in-case scenario, you may very well be fine with it.

 

unless your a silverback gorilla,
you're gonna get one hell of a workout with that thing.
just imagine how hard it's gonna be to pull yoursef up a hill or deep mud.

I don't use my winch much but, it's a lifesaver when it comes into play.

 

if u have someone wth u all the time, i wouldmt even bother buying anything

i have used a hi lift jack to winch wth before and we did it for 6 hrs before we got the jeep out, u could only pull maybe 3-4 ft at a time, it was good for that just in case event but they are very dangerous as is the come along

i have not had a winch for 3 years now, there have been many times i wish i did, but ulitimately have survived just fine as long as i am wth someone.

if u want toi buy something for "just in case" the hand thing or the hi lift jack is fine,

personal prefernce, id rather spend the $100 or maybe little less for a hilift jack than the $25 on the come along, im just not sure if i would trust a $25 comealong pulling me out, yes it might be rated for 8,000 lb, but im strong beleiver in u get what u pay for.

 

If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't buy a winch over a lift. A lift will do alot more for you, give you more enjoyment and drastically improve the capability and appearance of your Jeep way more than a winch would. Especially if you always wheel in groups or more than one (which you should anyway) a winch would almost be worthless.

In offroading for more than 10 years, through all the sticky situations I've been on (and there's been a TON), I've always been able to get out with the help of a buddy... no winch required. And all this has been done in some pretty tough trails and situations- talking multiple Jeeps with 37s+ and lockers, etc getting stuck.

 

Get you lift and consider the Hi-Lift Jack with the offroad kit.

 

A wrangler should have a winch no matter what That's just my narcisistic side talking but a wrangler looks bare without a winch IMO And even if you only use it once ( pull someone out of the snow,, pull yourself out, friend, move a tree, you'll be stolked you had one

 

I would def get the lift bfore the winch. If you dont want to spend a lot of money on a winch when you get one, I recomend the smittybuilt XRC8. I have it and it has worked fine the 4 times I have to use it since I bought it a couple of months ago. I paid only 299 for it.

 

I would do the lift and maybe the come a long but you should never wheel alone anyway. So I would go with a strap as well.

 

Buddy and I were wheeling alone in a non-wheeling 2wd GMC pick-up. Got stuck at the bottom of a sand hill. Had a come along and chain, all the trees (anchors) were behind us. Day and a half later we were at the top of the hill and unstuck. Ah college 30 years ago, those were the days. Get the lift, get the come along, get a strap and save up for the winch. Oh, and don't wheel alone.