Why not a come-along?

https://www.wyeth-scott.com/index.asp

$260 for a "3 Ton More Power Puller®" w/35' of 5/16" Amsteel Blue Rope and safety latches on all 3 hooks.

After reading Dan's through WINCHES post, I find myself wondering if a winch is really for me. Here are my concerns:

-Location: A winch of appropriate size for these Raptors is going to weigh in the 100lbs range. That's a lot of weight to hang way out off the front of a truck who's suspension is so finely tuned. In contrast, the come-along above weighs in at 27lbs and can live in the bed of the truck.

-Location: An electric winch is realistic for my purposes. Now that I've got a handful of off-roading events under my belt with this thing, its obvious that any winch up front will be constantly drenched 2 out of the 4 seasons (in water/mud/silt). Water and electricity don't mix. A hydraulic winch would solve that issue, but for my purposes that's a seriously cost prohibitive option. On the other hand, the come-along above is $260 and has no electrics to fail.

-Frequency of use: I hope to never need a winch. If I have to use one half a dozen times over the life of this truck, I'm not doing something right. The cost per usage benefit doesn't make sense, given the other negatives and associated maintenance that would be required. The come-along above, when coupled with the synthetic rope, should almost never need to be touched until its use is needed.

So what am I missing here? I hope to never need a winch, but I also dont want to be an idiot and assume I'll never need one. Is a come-along a viable solution? Why? Why not?

Great points. Absolutely! I agree. It does depend on where you live and where you are driving but in my experiences winches are not that useful while "come-a-longs" are very useful.

I've seen several instances where someone had a winch and couldn't use it... a lot of the times when someone is stuck it's because they've gone off the trail sideways. it's really hard to use a bumper mounted winch effectively under those conditions... or any condition except a straight ahead pull.

But again, under extreme conditions and maybe if you are traveling alone a winch would be a good idea... I just don't see myself getting into those situations with my Raptor. I know a lot of people with winches on their FJ's and not one that has really *needed* to use it. For most people a winch is just a lot of added weight that they'll never need to use.

I guess one question I have is related to the rating. Wyeth-Scott says

Wyeth-Scott said:

Ratings are based on "dead lift" (lifting an object straight up, not dragging or pulling) The commonly used drag/pull rating ratio is 2:1 (double the dead lift rating).

Click to expand...

They also say that winches are rated at drag/pull numbers.

If I understand this correctly, the 3 Ton More Power Puller has a dead lift rating of 6000 pounds, and a 12000 pound drag/pull rating; 12k is the number I'd be spec'ing for a winch.

So is Wyeth-Scott right? Will this 3ton come-along pull as strong as a 12k winch? And, given the small spool size, will it actually out pull a 12k winch, as that winch's cable spools up?

Yes, I think they are correct. An electric winch rating loses a considerable amount of pulling power as the cable spools up... I saw one 10,000 lb winch that was only rated at 5,400 lbs with a few wraps of cable on the drum. Plus the versatility of the More Power Puller can't be matched by a regular bumper mounted winch... (excellent find BTW! I might be buying one of those More Power Pullers myself!)

Good deal. I'm really liking this idea. Especially when combined with that synthetic rope. Seems ideal for my intended use.

It's an excellent idea. Many of the 4X4 enthusiasts out here carry one to three of these and more often used than their winches (not wenches.....those are for hooking up the winch!:mrgreen

To me winches are like 75% of the tools that are available in hardware stores. I'd like to have them but I don't need them (simply because if I needed it I'd buy it - that ONE tool).

If you go offroading by yourself where there are trees (something to tie to) then I suppose it makes more sense to have one. Of course winches can be used when there are two or more vehicles too since the vehicles can be used as anchors. In all the offroading I've done I've never seen a winch used (except in magazines). That's not saying much but I haven't seen a need for one - kind of like 75% of the tools in stores.

That's a great point Dan. I have also seen guys carry a half dozen concrete forming stakes and drive them into the ground in a line creating a "dead man" when trees are not available. Works quite well. But I agree with the tool analogy, I think you are spot on.

Agreed Dan. Good point.

I guess that's why I'm considering this come-along. Given how often I think I'll need the 'tool', I'm not willing to spend a ton on it, maintain it, and take risks at altering the handling of the truck just to support it.

On the other hand, I do like to "go that way" sometimes, often on my own. I guess I'm looking at this as an insurance policy.

With a come-along you also have the added versatility of using it in multiple vehicles. Since I also own a Landcruiser it would be nice to have a tool that I can use in both vehicles and not have to go through two costly additions.