A Life Worth Living: Tried Winch For 1st Time. I Am Alive

[air]

This is truly a fantastic invention. Advice on how to use it?

[1983FJ60]

Congrats, you just killed a tree.

If you want to 'tread lightly' you need a snatch strap.

[FJMEDIC]

snatch it baby.

[Kansas Law Dog]

First picture looks like the rope bit into the tree trunk. If that was your doing, you might want to invest in a 3" wide tree strap to minimize the environmental impact. I know that you would want to do the right thing.

[JohnGalt]

I didn't think I wanted one ($$, inconvenience, etc.) until last week when a group of us were out wheeling and one of our FJ's got caught in a precarious spot.

I now know it's a must have on my rig. That or no wheeling. That winch saved a guy's rig from getting some serious battle scars, dents, and who knows what on its passenger side as he surely would have. And that was a mild use of the winch. I think it's a must have.

For your use, it looks like a real losing proposition to try and yank that tree out of the ground. I'd suggest that's what your chainsaw and oxtail might be better at. Just kidding about killing the tree! Tread lightly.

[1983FJ60]

Kansas Law Dog previously said:

First picture looks like the rope bit into the tree trunk. If that was your doing, you might want to invest in a 3" wide tree strap to minimize the environmental impact. I know that you would want to do the right thing.

That begs the question: who would mount a winch on a 4WD without knowing how one works?

[JohnGalt]

1983FJ60 previously said:

That begs the question: who would mount a winch on a 4WD without knowing how one works?

Lots of people. I know I don't know how to use one, but when it's on my rig, I'll get lessons from those I wheel with and the person I'm planning to purchase it from.

Before anyone is presumptuous, it's a new toy for Air and maybe he just wanted to play with it and post a photo.

I'm quite sure Air got the point a few people made. And I'm also quite sure KLD was just trying to help. For all I know, the tree was already dead, on his own property, etc. No need to flame on, IMO.

[TitaniumBird]

Easy on the guy, it's obvious to me that the marks on that tree or old scars, it probably had a wire fence wrapped around it 10 years ago, nothing he did...

[1983FJ60]

JohnGalt previously said:

Lots of people. I know I don't know how to use one, but when it's on my rig, I'll get lessons from those I wheel with and the person I'm planning to purchase it from.

Before anyone is presumptuous, it's a new toy for Air and maybe he just wanted to play with it and post a photo.

I'm quite sure Air got the point a few people made. And I'm also quite sure I KLD was just trying to help. No need to flame on, IMO.

Fine then.

Winch tips:
1) you need an IN TRUCK winch controller. You don't want to be anywhere near the thing when it is in use
2) you need to raise the hood when using the winch. Better have your truck's body take a hit, instead of your skull
3) make sure NO ONE is in the path of the winch or vehicle
4) I ****ing HATE hidden winches, they make it hard to see if it's spooling and potentially wedging against the bumper and ultimately jamming
5) Use a snatch strap for trees
6) Anything capable of yanking a truck out of a hole is a vicious bad thing that can cut you in half, mangle your fingers, or just punch through your skull
7) Take care of your winch, make sure it is clean, the cable is not frayed, the connections, kill switches, etc. are in working order
8) Final tip: if the winch ain't working, don't keep jazzing it. You're stuck and just straining the motor.

Remember boys and girls, off roading is dangerous.

[1983FJ60]

JohnGalt previously said:

Before anyone is presumptuous, it's a new toy for Air and maybe he just wanted to play with it and post a photo.

In the photo he ain't using it right.

It's not a toy.

It's a dangerous vehicle recovery device.