Electric winches

For what purpose exactly ???

I'm sure they'll be fine for moving boat trailers around or caravan use.

For use as a recovery winch they're a none starter I'm afraid. Absolute minimum for a recovery winch is 8000lbs straight line pull, 2000lb wouldn't pull the skin of a rice pudding let alone get your landie out of even the smallest hole.

cheers

Dave W.

I had a Superwinch OX (i.e. massive) and all it did was give me flat batteries!!

Richard

Hi Dave, I have NO experience of winches at all, but have seen some fitted to LR's.

Have no application in mind just wondered what people thought of these. From your reply I shant bother.

Thanks again

Z

Each to his own Richard, I run a Land Rover, weighing in at 5000lb and, unless I get stuck in Sainsbury's car park, a 2000lb winch which will only pull 6000lb if it's already rolling on a flat surface isn't going to help much IMHO.

With regard to your comment about the use of a kinetic rope being more effective than a good winch, you need help before you kill someone. Consider getting some training on recovery techniques as, like it or not, a comment like that suggests you have no idea what you are doing and you are a danger to yourself and those around you.

cheers

Dave W.

That's fine if you have another vehicle to use the rope with, or did you mean a Plasma rope? (Kinetic ropes don't work well with a winch).

In either case, a 2000lb winch is fine for all recovery purposes where 'pushing it yourself' is also feasible - because that's about the max any hefty chap could manage - for about 15 seconds, provided you are on nice flat, firm ground, with no obstructions.

For 'Recovery', I wouldn't think of using a kinetic rope for "dead motors up steep inclines" - unless it were absolutely unavoidable to do so by any other means, and even then, only if it were to make the scene safe from other potential harm. I'd also make anyone involved sign a non-disclosure agreement and full waiver too! (and change my name).

I would claim the 200 quid from the TV prog that does the mishaps, though, provided nobody was hurt :-)

A 2000lb winch is very good for slow recovery of a boat (floating, not grounded) onto a trailer. This is what the original post referred to, I think.

Martyn

Pillock.

I never said anything about using a kinetic with a winch!!!! Or any other type of rope!!!

The Brand New Leopardskin Pillbox Hat had such a winch on for some time, (88") and the winch was perfectly adequate, if not very rapid.

I'd best give up marshalling RTV, CCV and Comp then!!! Thats the way things are always done - its called snatching. I've only ever seen a winch used once at a trial - (thats not say they are not used, just not a lot, and I've done a *lot* of marshalling, and that was my "innefective" one at the Nationals, the year before foot and mouth, pulling a Comp motor out from between two trees (and 2ft off the ground!).

Richard

I never marshall :-)

On a dead motor?

Martyn

Yep - but obviously you keep going!

Richard

Not sure if this is going to help, but what the hell. I have a superwinch S4500, which, as the name suggests pulls 4500lbs. If i understand this correctly thats dead lift, but you don't dead lift a vehicle, unless you are trying to lift it up a cliff!

I have not used it for self recovery, mainly for pulling out trees and the like, but i can tell you it will drag my landy across dry tarmac will all the wheels locked, and i have to tie the other end of the landy to something to stop it being draged.

If you only have 2000lbs why not use a snatch block so you get 4000lbs?

like i say probebly won't help.

cheers

Gary

Zen wrote:

In article , richard. watson writes

Are you Mad ?

2000lb winch would absolutely useless for recovering any LR product except perhaps the three wheel baby buggy that they make.

Have you ever been stuck?

I would much rather winch than use a KERR any day.

My winch has a rating of 10,500lb which is about right for pulling LR's out of mud safely.

Think about the duty cycle of a 2000lb winch it would not last five seconds before the motor died anyway.

Complete tosh.

Silly question, oh right, your being amusing.

The choice is yours

bully for you

I dont have a winch any more - I use ropes, after faffing round with winches for a good number of years, it has become apparent that in the vast majority of cases an approptiate rope is far easier and quicker to use.

What a bizzare comment!!!! Because it's small it's going to burn out? Interesting logic.

Richard

While it is rare that you need to recover a vehicle up a cliff it is also rare that you end up pulling it along a solid surface with it's wheels rolling. The fact it needs recovering at all suggests quite the opposite. Deep mud or peat adds dramatically to the recovery force required and will stall out an 8000lb winch in some cases let alone

4000 or 2000. Often you get a situation where the wheals and axles of the vehicle act as an anchor in the mud. Steering guards usually add to the effect especially when trying to pull a vehicle out backwards.

It's also worth bearing in mind that the rating of the winch given is the maximum pull and most (if not all) electric winches are rated on the first layer of the drum and reduce quite dramatically in the latter layers.

On a relatively solid surface, such as wet grass, you can get away with a much smaller winch though, as you suggest. For recovery purposes it is rare you get to choose the terrain you get stuck on and if/when you do get stuck it's best to have a winch that can cope with it :-)

Messing around with small, underpowered winches and insuffucient wiring/ batteries will just lead to dissapointment when you really need to self recover. In a lot of installations the winch gets nowhere near it's rated capacity because the battery and or wiring/solenoids restrict the available current.

I, like most who take part in competitive winch challenges, use a Warn

8274 winch with dual high output batteries (Optima in my case) and upgraded wiring and solenoids.

cheers

Dave W.

Out of interest, are you still using cable or have you moved to Plasma?

Martyn

Martyn Hi,

if you need input for the plasma, I have been using it on one of my Discos for more than 3 years now. Absolutely brilliant item to have instead of wire winch line.

Only thing you have to be careful is open fire, very hot air, cigarettes and abrassive surfaces. Where steel wire line would pass without any problems with the plasma (or similar rope) you will have to use small pieces of tubing to act as rollers or better still a self made roller fairlead (a ladder frame with rolling tubes instead of steps) so as to avoid rubbing of the rope to the damaging surface.

Apart from that the plasma (and the other ones) are far easier to use since their weight is negligable, are floating in water therefore create no dragging problems on deep water wading winching, are easy to throw away at long distances and are extremely easy to carry with you even if you need to carry almost the full length of the rope far away.

As an indication I am ready to replace the steel wire winch line of my second Disco also.

BTW both Discos are factory fitted with the upgraded (CT specs are 10.000 lbs and waterproofed) Superwinch Husky winches. Therefore no drum brake related problems leading to potential melt down of the rope.

Take care Pantelis

I've been using Plasma for a couple of years now and wouldn't use anything else by choice. The rear winch on my lastest competition motor ( also an 8274) has to use wire as it runs under the floor and is vulnerable to abrasion and heat under there. I'm considering fabricating a tunnel for it to run in though so I can use Plasma there too.

IMV Plasma is far from perfect BUT it is the best currently available and you can't really complain at 2 years of challenge competitions with just one breakage.

These days it seems most of the challenge competitors are using plasma rather than wire. So much so that I can't, off the top of my head, think of anyone of the regulars who isn't using a synthetic rope for their front winch.

cheers

Dave W.

I would never use cable again - ever, full stop!

I only asked out of an interest (vested) in Plasma.

I can usually be found at Billing promoting Plasma :-)

Martyn

This is one of the issues when using Plasma on a Nokken (101 standard) winch.

A few of us are still intending to look at fabricating a similar shield / tunnel.

Martyn

I guess using plasma rope instead of steel wire is something like using wooden clogs and then upgrading to modern sports shoes.

You just never go back to the cumbersome old style shoe but occasionaly you may miss its sturdy nature.

Take care Pantelis