It may be later March - but still got stuck in snow...

[AndyCook]

yes its mid march, but overnight drifting snow very deep on our lane which is only way out to main roads.
spent a few minutes making progress forwards and back, then stuck
weather awfull with the wind, so got my handwinch out, but couldnt get wire rope fed through...

so got wife to drive her Subaru forester out, and she towed the landcrusier out - which she loved doing...

wonder if i put the taller/wider tyres/wheel comob on if i will get further

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

stand the winch on it's end as you push the lever to bang it into 'neutral' is the best way, if that was the problem?

 

[froggy Steve]

Crumbs, sorry guys - I have just finished cutting the hedge and the grass!

Still only about 15 degrees though, but at least its stopped raining!

Steve

 

[Shayne]

Look on the bright side given where you live your probably one of the very few of us that can tell the wife you have to modify your truck for a GENUINE reason . Throughout the world there are women living in the middle of sprawling concrete metropolis's who have been convinced by husbands and boyfriends that it could all turn to swamp at any minute so bigger tyres etc are absolutely necessary

 

[clivehorridge]

I've been clearing winter debris from the garden and generally tidying up. No grass cutting yet but I've re profiled the borders ready for planting since the snow disappeared last week.

Looking forward to some planting and especially grass seeding areas of the grass where I've deposited topsoil to regulate some of the hollows that make grass cutting difficult. It's natural orchard land so it never been a garden as such until I took it over 7 years ago.

We had temperatures up to 19 C last week so 'spring' was looking promising, the trees and bushes got that impression anyway, with new buds showing and the daffs are half way up.

Now the forecast is for cold weather again, -5 predicted in my area and an 80% chance of more snow. So spring is on hold and gardening takes second precedence over continuing with the house extension and working on the 80!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[AndyCook]

stand the winch on it's end as you push the lever to bang it into 'neutral' is the best way, if that was the problem?

i got the big lever into the neutral, but wire just wasn't going through very far. i tried putting it into "gear" and it pulled through a few inches, then stuck on something.
i will have a look over weekend. as annoying that i couldnt get it to work when i needed it...

 

[Shayne]

I think if i had a tow strap that long i'd have found something to tie it to and wrapped it around a wheel before choosing to bear the wifes delight at having to rescue me !

 

[clivehorridge]

No winch on the cruiser Andy? How remiss of you! I also noticed from the photo, not a lot to winch from. I can't see any trees or handy local power line posts either.

nice dump of snow anyway, I'm looking forward to the same this weekend, kiss of death saying that, it will probably just be cold and wet, knowing my luck!

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

i got the big lever into the neutral, but wire just wasn't going through very far. i tried putting it into "gear" and it pulled through a few inches, then stuck on something.
i will have a look over weekend. as annoying that i couldnt get it to work when i needed it...

Not properly in 'neutral' I think, tip it up on end so the lever needs to go downwards then gently bash the end on the ground as you give the lever a good shove and it should go a bit further and be properly in 'neutral' and wire push / pull through quite easily.

 

[clivehorridge]

Not properly in 'neutral' I think, tip it up on end so the lever needs to go downwards then gently bash the end on the ground as you give the lever a good shove and it should go a bit further and be properly in 'neutral' and wire push / pull through quite easily.

I like the term "gentle bash" John! I think you mean thump it as hard as you bloody can! I can see Andy in the freezing cold, hardly able to hold it straight in the biting 50 mph icy wind... The winch is probably at -5C and frozen solid!

Anyway useful words of wisdom as usual John, good luck Andy!

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

just needs a bit of gentle persuasion

 

[AndyCook]

re-winch the bugger was filling with snow!
i will try later on a firm surface

i do have a front winch - but it was easier to go backwards 30m, than forwards 350m through 3ft level snow! - and not many strainer posts to winch off going forwards, it would have been a slow process winching and spooling out again to get forwards - couldnt be bothered!

there was a strainer post 30m behind me in perfect position for the handwinch
and a telegraph pole

I only needed to move the LC a few inches to get front wheels on my waffleboards as it was anyway and i was ok

 

[clivehorridge]

re-winch the bugger was filling with snow!
i will try later on a firm surface

i do have a front winch - but it was easier to go backwards 30m, than forwards 350m through 3ft level snow! - and not many strainer posts to winch off going forwards, it would have been a slow process winching and spooling out again to get forwards - couldnt be bothered!

there was a strainer post 30m behind me in perfect position for the handwinch
and a telegraph pole

I only needed to move the LC a few inches to get front wheels on my waffleboards as it was anyway and i was ok

So close and yet so far away!

There's a lot of debate about front-mounted winches and their effectiveness.Its easy to automatically bolt on a winch to the front "like all the otheroff-roader's do" without really thinking about how effective it is. Many takethe view that a winch should pull you out of trouble as opposed to pulling youin deeper. For this a rear winch may be more effective as in your case.

I showed an interest in a rear winch project and Chris kindly posted somephotos of his rig using a removable receiver mounted winch. You may beinterested just to have a look. It's in the thread Winch hand me down - repairable or ? if you want to see it.

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

A hand winch is a pretty good solution for the occasional oops and useful for many non 4x4 related tasks as well, wish I had kept mine, have to buy another now, and a ground anchor, for occasional oops only of course

 

[Chris]

There are some severe limitations to the demountable winch though. When you need it, you need to be able to deploy it. You don't want it on all the time as it limits departure angle obviously. It's fine on flat stuff but off road, getting to it can be impossible. When I am playing, my rope is always out and ready, coiled over the mirror or spare wheel etc, freespool engaged, isolator on and a shackle and stop to hand. I buried the front winch once in a forest all by myself. It took me an hour to dig out the front of the vehicle to be able to find the hook.

If the winch is in the boot and you can't get the door open, you're stuffed. It doesn't suit all eventualities.

 

[AndyCook]

yeah i know - thats why i have the handwinch - but setting it up in blizzard conditions wasn't pleasant.....
i have used that a few times for recovery before i got the front winch off Chris
beauty of handwinch is you can use it to pull vehicle out forwards or backwards and use it to stabilize vehicle by attaching it to sides too e.g. rocksliders

yes i saw that thread

 

[Chris]

Another reason for an 80 Andy.....

Well better I say it than anyone else, eh? I can see you on your travels in a nice big 80.

C

 

[Shayne]

Does nobody ever use a wheel like a capstan to winch themselves out of trouble then ?

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

not easily done I don't think Shane, using any old rope or strop the tyre will just slip on it even if you get it round in the first place and are going in a perfectly straight line but feel free to demonstrate I'm wrong save me buying a hand winch

 

[clivehorridge]

I have seen it demonstrated on u-toob but not in the flesh. Properly mounted winches with tidy plasma lines are dangerous enough, what I saw of the 'wheel winch' demonstration looked rather precarious to say the least, and that was under ideal conditions.

Admittedly, in emergencies, we all might be tempted to take more risks than we might otherwise take, but I view "kit" in general as an insurance policy, which should reduce the risk in the event that you bury your nose in the forest, or slide backwards down a slippery slope ending up with the back door against a tree.

I have a typically mounted front winch, which of course can be rigged to pull me backwards using snatch blocks and other kit, but the rear receiver mounted winch looks too tempting to pass by, even if it does have limitations. Lets face it, all kit has its limitations, but it shouldn't stop you from being prepared.

Drive your car into 4m deep water and nothing you have on board will get you out!

I carry strops, rope, chain and snatch ropes and blocks and a ground anchor for when there are no trees, poles or fences available. So a reasonably comprehensive insurance policy there. If they fail in the conventional use manner, then I'll think of a plan B that may include the wheel winch, but I wouldn't want to rely on that as my first or only policy in emergencies.

Once I was stuck on the open mountain on a very slippery track running along a very steep contour. The track was almost level following the horizontal contour of the hill but it was so slippery that I couldn't move in either direction under my own steam, despite using various combinations of lockers and gears.

there wasn't a tree in sight and I eventually managed to winch myself out using of all things, two pieces of rotten wood that I found, wrapping the winch rope around them and burying them in a hole I dug with a tiny shovel. It took ages and I had to be very 'gentle' with the winch to get some traction without unearthing my makeshift ground anchor. That prompted me into buying a set of BFG MUD tyres (which are ace!) and a ground anchor device, which of course I've never used since! That's life, but my "insurance policy" is getting more and more comprehensive step by step.