Pull-Pal Earth Anchor

[SAR_Squid79]

http://www.4x4wire.com/reviews/pullpal00/assembled.jpg
http://www.pullpal.com/

Who has one? Have you ever had to use it?

Pull-Pal's are great. I've seen many videos, and demonstrations, and they seem to trully work as advertised. On another forum, a guy was selling one that was pretty much brand new for pretty cheap (because he had never used it). I thought to myself - I'd like to buy that... But before I reached for my wallet, I really started thinking about it...

Pull-Pal's definitely fall into the category of "would rather have it, and not need it, than need it and not have it".

BUT

I can't say that I know a single person that:
A: Has been in a situation where the Pull-Pal would have saved them, if only they'd had one.
B: Has a Pull-Pal and has been in a situation that really called for it.

I would like to have one "just in case", but they're so expensive ($400), big, heavy, and bulky, and everyone I know that has one hasn't ever needed to use it.

Discuss.

[hunter4runner]

I saw a review on 4x4 wire maybe and the guy said honestly it would pull back to the truck rather than vice versa

EDIT

It wasn't on 4x4wire

[Miguel]

Has anyone ever thought about trying to make one themselves? Seems like a simple enough device with a simple concept...needs some STRONG welds and thick material, but it doesn't seem too material intensive...at least not $400 worth.

~Miguel

[hunter4runner]

thats an amazingly good point that never occurred to me...seriously

[silvertoy]

I saw a review on 4x4 wire maybe and the guy said honestly it would pull back to the truck rather than vice versa

EDIT

It wasn't on 4x4wire

Is this the review you were talking about?

http://www.4x4wire.com/reviews/pullpal97/

Here is some good reading on the subject:

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=24641

[WATRD]

I had one for a season. Everywhere I thought it would be useful, there were other ways to get out. It was bulky and heavy and I kept thinking it was a solution looking for a problem, so I sold it the next spring.

I understand the guy who bought it from me did the very same thing. It's destined to become the wheelers equivalent of that fruitcake that people have been passing around at christmas time for generations.

[Timber5086]

I was lucky enough to pick up a unused 11000# Pull pal less than a month ago, Really cheap! "pretty much the price of scrap steel" I hope I never need it! but will be glad to have it if I do. I generally am out solo and in the past I have turned around when it gets Iffy. I can think of at least two or three times in the past when I would have gone for it if I had the pull pal as a backup. I probably would have made it without, but if something went bad at least I have one more thing in the arsenal to work with.
I plan on doing some tests with it just to see how much I really can rely on it. I think at the worst I would rather reposition the pull pal several times looking for a good hold that burying my spare tire
Just another small piece of mind I guess.

[afwrestler1986]

Don't know if anybody else has done this, but one of those t type fence posts with a post driver and puller driven in at about a 30 degree angle provides a very good anchor point when none are available. Figure the post being 10 bucks, the puller is like 60 bucks, and the driver if you don't want to use a sledgehammer is like 25 bucks. Little more of a pain to pull out, but it still is a viable option when nothing else is available. And still cheaper than this thing.

[SAR_Squid79]

Has anyone ever thought about trying to make one themselves?

There was a guy on eBay a while back that was making and selling home-made versions. I don't know if he got in trouble, or what, but he stopped. His knock-off are still floating around, though. The problem is that making one yourself out of steel - the damn thing is even HEAVIER!

Here's one of the home made jobs:

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=32839&stc=1&d=1253944894

I kept thinking it was a solution looking for a problem...

I think you just hit the nail right on the head.

If I was actually going on a solo, extremely remote expedition in a foreign country (like Morocco, Algeria, or Australia), then I probably would buy one. Just for that extra little peace of mind, and that 1 additional tool in the tool box - JUST IN CASE.

But if these things do keep going around like stale fruit-cakes, maybe I can hold out for 5 more years, and pick one up for $50. :)

[manhunter]

I wish I had one when I was stuck on a sand dune in the middle of nowhere this summer at the South Padre beach. I would have saved about 2 hours of digging, and the money I paid this guy to pull me out. I like the idea of making a home-made one out of a T post, even though it may be harder to pull out, that still beats trying to get your vehicle out with no assistance or anchor point.

[SAR_Squid79]

Do you have a winch, Manhunter? I don't know if the Pull-Pal will work without a winch.

You could have always used the "Poor Man's Pull-Pal" and just bury your spare tire, and winch off of that... You have to dig a hole that's about 33" in diameter, and about 18" - 24" deep. That wouldn't be too hard on a Sand Dune.

http://www.offroaders.com/tech/Deadman-Anchor.htm

[afwrestler1986]

Yeah, the t-post works very well, and it is a pita to pull out, unless you have the puller. But, it works, and doesn't cost the coin of the other.

[SAR_Squid79]

Yeah - that's the bitch part about the stake-type anchors . . . you have to dig them out.

Of course - if you bury your spare tire, you gotta dig that up too!

[manhunter]

Do you have a winch, Manhunter? I don't know if the Pull-Pal will work without a winch.

You could have always used the "Poor Man's Pull-Pal" and just bury your spare tire, and winch off of that... You have to dig a hole that's about 33" in diameter, and about 18" - 24" deep. That wouldn't be too hard on a Sand Dune.

http://www.offroaders.com/tech/Deadman-Anchor.htm

No I don't have a winch, I have what I guess you call the "poor man's winch" - a come-along with extra cable, recovery strap, etc.... Much more work physically and takes longer, but I have used it to pull a tractor out of a hole buried up to the axles, so I guess it would work for my runner buried in sand as well. I am trying to convince the boss I need a winch, so until she gives me persmission to spend the money, I am carrying the come-along as backup just in case. The spare tire idea is a good one, I will remeber that. I also have a Hi-lift which can also be used like a come-along as a last resort.

[SAR_Squid79]

Using the Hi-Lift as a come-along is a great tool. ...But you have to be proficient, and brush up (practice) regularly. That's what I had until I got my winch.

My wife usually comes with me wheeling / camping. Since the first time my winch got us out, I've never heard another cross word about mods for my truck! :D

[manhunter]

Using the Hi-Lift as a come-along is a great tool. ...But you have to be proficient, and brush up (practice) regularly. That's what I had until I got my winch.

My wife usually comes with me wheeling / camping. Since the first time my winch got us out, I've never heard another cross word about mods for my truck! :D

Maybe that is what I need to do, take her somewhere and get really stuck - and have someone come along and pull us out with a winch, ...., hummm, that would really take some planning though. Easier just to spend the money and explain things later.

[gsmsnuffy]

Jamie
Did you get ahold of Wil (FlyingWil). I believe he uses one? There's a write up somewhere? I'll try and locate for you.

Here it is:

http://www.ttora.com/forum/showthread.php?t=126514

[SAR_Squid79]

Yeah - I've seen and read that article before - it's a great read.

I started this thread pretty much to see how many people have or had a Pull-Pal and if they've ever been in a real world situation where they HAD to use the Pull-Pal, and to see what people have to say about them.

[fire931]

personally i like the t post idea.. maybe even use two of them for added strength... and as far as pulling them out.. if they are driven in the ground at an angle... \ ... then why not just drive past them and pull them out with the truck and a rope??? just a thought. rarely do we have issues like that over here though as most wheeling on the east coast is in the woods with plenty of nice trees :D

[NorcalPR]

Some good reading on picket holdfast systems.

Picket Holdfast (http://www.usar.org.nz/usarwebsite.nsf/Files/GRManualSections13-15/$file/GRManualSections13-15.pdf)

Good video on how to tie into the system so it is self equalizing:
Self equalizing anchors (http://www.trails.com/video_676_anchors-top-rope-rock-climbing.html)

[manhunter]

personally i like the t post idea.. maybe even use two of them for added strength... and as far as pulling them out.. if they are driven in the ground at an angle... \ ... then why not just drive past them and pull them out with the truck and a rope??? just a thought. rarely do we have issues like that over here though as most wheeling on the east coast is in the woods with plenty of nice trees :D

See, that is why we do this, get all these ideas together and come up with a plan, ....., use the truck to pull the T post out, great idea and alot easier than jerking it back and forth until it loosens. So you could probably get by with one T post cut in half, use both halves for extra stength, and either a mall or sledge, or T post driver to sink it in the ground at an angle away from the pull. Think I'll go to the local fence company this weekend and see what I can come up with.

[Taco Eric]

Using the Hi-Lift as a come-along is a great tool. ...But you have to be proficient, and brush up (practice) regularly. That's what I had until I got my winch.

My wife usually comes with me wheeling / camping. Since the first time my winch got us out, I've never heard another cross word about mods for my truck! :D

See, that's what I was gonna say. Take the old lady out, get stuck, bitch about how, "If I only had a winch" and see what she says the next time you ask. :2cents:

[Taco Eric]

personally i like the t post idea.. maybe even use two of them for added strength... and as far as pulling them out.. if they are driven in the ground at an angle... \ ... then why not just drive past them and pull them out with the truck and a rope??? just a thought. rarely do we have issues like that over here though as most wheeling on the east coast is in the woods with plenty of nice trees :D

hehe, unless your going up Switzer Lake towards flag pole in the middle of winter with Ice all over the trail and when you get stuck the damn tree is
132' away. 100' cable + 30' tow strap + 2' left till the next available tree = shoveling for half an hour to get 3' further. This reminds me... ICE SUCKS!!

[afwrestler1986]

Now here is another thought, if you didn't want to buy the puller, and you have a hi-lift, you could make the hi-lift operate as a puller.

[fire931]

Some good reading on picket holdfast systems.

Picket Holdfast (http://www.usar.org.nz/usarwebsite.nsf/Files/GRManualSections13-15/$file/GRManualSections13-15.pdf)

Good video on how to tie into the system so it is self equalizing:
Self equalizing anchors (http://www.trails.com/video_676_anchors-top-rope-rock-climbing.html)

we used the picket system for vehicle stabilization on wrecks as well as other times.. when setup properly they can be EXTREMELY strong and will take more load than you would have ever thought. now that being said when i was taking rope rescue classes our instructor was going over anchor points and did a demonstration of making an anchor using small shrubs. we hooked into three small shrubs growing on the side of the lot we were at... now previous to this i wouldn't have trusted any of them to take my weight when repelling. however after hooking them up we ran a rope out and hooked it to our f350 utility truck and in 4lo it couldn't budge them... it totally blew my mind..... of course there is a right and wrong way to do that also which he demonstrated after that by hooking it up wrong and 2 of us were able to pull all three shrubs out at the same time by hand....... crazy stuff...

[manhunter]

I was tinkering in the garage this weekend, changing out the fluids in my diff's and TC getting ready for 4wheeling this coming weekend, and saw something in my garage that made me think of the topic on the Pull-Pal. I have a 40" long 1" diameter solid steel bar that is pointed on one end, and hooked on the other like a cane. I thought to myself, if that was driven in the ground at a 30 deg angle with the hook away from the vehicle, it may be strong enough to maintain anchor and pull my 4runner out. I am thinking drive it down, slip the strap over so that it is secured where the hooked end is, then drive it down further until the hooked end is also driven intot he ground. This is something that I inherited from my dad, along with a home-made sledge. I just had never thought of anything to use them for.

I will take them with me this coming weekend to Barnwell Mountain RA in Gilmer, Texas, and try it out to see how it works, then report back.

[SAR_Squid79]

Interesting.

[No Power]

My wife and l often go to very remote places in our 4runner and l can say that l think i'm going to buy a pul-pal. I took my wife,my mom,my 2 children,and my dog out west this past July and got VERY stuck in some snow in Breck CO and it seems that l would have done about 3less hrs of digging if l would have had a pul-pal:( There were also several spots we did not go after getting the 4runner stuck that l think we could have made but did NOT want to put the family through that again:D

[Crazy Geologist]

I would be pretty surprised if you were able to recover a vehicle stuck in snow by using a pull-pall anchored in snow of the same consistency.

You don't have much surface area on the anchor, and the shear strength of snow (even hard snow) is nothing compared to the shear strength of dirt, rocks, clay, etc. Check out the pics taken for the magazine test (link earlier in the thread).

[manhunter]

Theoretically, the plow is supposed to dig down into the ground, I guess beneath the surface of the snow. But I can see where this could be an issue depending on how deep the snow, and not know exactly what surface is beneath the snow, ...., either way, I have no experience with snow here in Texas. But, I think my home-made option of driving a solid metal rod 36" into the ground at a angle as an anchor, and winching out from it would work in most situations.

[fixins]

The Pull-Pal does not work well in snow and frozen ground. We got my buddies F-150 with 35's locked front and rear pretty stuck. Tried to use the pull-pal 6 or 8 times and it worked once. It would dig down through the snow and ice and just scrape along the frozen ground. I imagine when the soil conditions are right it would work.
With that said I am getting one made right now by a local welding shop, customized to my specifications. I will be saving about $100. not to include shipping. Not a great savings but having seen this shops work it will be built like an Abrams Tank, I just hope I can lift it without sprouting a third testicle.
Justification #1: Living in farm country you can find yourself without any place to anchor to quite often. A winch is just extra weight without a place to anchor to.
Justification #2: I'm a glutton for punishment.

[john101477]

umm never used the pull pal and would never spend the coin on one, but like the T post I have a spear headed bar (think long pointed horse shoe peg) that I can use my sluggo (8lb sledge with short handle) to hammer down at an angle, winch out and tap it a few times and pull it up by hand. simple, easy and effeciant. oh and it cost $15.

[Saphteemon]

i recently had some bullpricks/steel pickets made at work......drive them into the ground and you daisy chain them together to increase anchor strength

depending on the type of soil.....single rated at 700 lbs 2 = 1400lbs and 3 = 2100 lbs.....

cost me 10 bucks plus another 10 bucks for a harbor freight sledge hammer

http://i638.photobucket.com/albums/uu103/saphteemon2/IMG00632.jpg
http://i638.photobucket.com/albums/uu103/saphteemon2/IMG00634.jpg

[Timber5086]

Bullpricks, Ha Ha!

[terryj5]

Build one for < $50 with a drill and a saw.
http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5207