So I was browsing through a harbor freight add and I saw these. Considering that I'm not ready to spend a couple hundred on an actual winch. What do you guys think? I'm not talking about frame deep in mud stuck but just an inconvenient "prerunner" stuck.
My 4-tonne cost me $100, looks way beefier than that, and I'm still super nervous standing beside it cranking the cable tight trying to pull my truck with it. All I can imagine is the cable snapping and coming straight at my face. It's way way last resort and I can't wait to get my winch on so I don't have to use my hand puller anymore.
All I can see this one being useful for is something like pulling a trailer up a gentle slope, you know something with very little resistance...
Ya I wouldn't be getting this one. I've found one for 5 tons. And when me and my buddy use his winch we throw a sweatshirt over it so if it brakes it takes all the tension away. so it actually works for you when you really need it?
Meh I'm not a big fan of come alongs, you'll use it once and after that first time you'll be going to purchase an electric winch, they are painfully slow to operate and can be really hard to actuate if you're really stuck/wedged.
I like to use a Hi-Lift type jack and some chains and/or towstraps. Sure it takes a long time, but they are cheap, last a lot longer than el cheapo come-along and all the individual components have practical uses on their own. Plus, while you're pulling your truck out in two foot increments you have time to really evaluate the physics of the extraction and how you got stuck in the first place.
I've had mine for 30 years, and it has seen a lot of hard use. These things have one huge disadvantage compared to a real winch. You can't steer and or drive while you winch. They are very useful for stabilizing a vehicle while you winch if you are off camber.
This is the most legit come-a-long I've seen. If I was going to buy a come-a-long to help get me unstuck and possibly save my ass, it would be that one.
well thank you everyone. i had never thought about using a hi lift considering i need one. so i guess ill shop around. probably throw one of these in my truck along with a high lift. and also save up for a winch
i carry a hi lift, 2 cheap come-a-longs, and a few straps. it's saved my butt plenty of times. but when there's a buddy with a winch close by i'll def just bum a tug from them!
I agree. What a pain in the ass to move 3 feet! Since you are not spooling up cable as you go, you'll need a way to take up the slack and reset the jack too. Think through it! You can dig yourself out of a snow bank with a teaspoon. It's a good trick to know, but I sure wouldn't head out with that plan in mind.
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