I'm still pretty new to this off-roading business, and am looking into some self recovery equiptment. I recently bought a 2 inch x 20 foot recovery strap rated at 10,000lbs. It was only $15 and I figure it's a good starter, right? Well, I've only been stuck once so far... (2 feet of mud where my rear bumper was submerged in mud) but I think a winch sounded like a cool idea. I'm not ready to fork out the money for a WARN and a new bumper, but I've seen manual winches for about $30. The one I was looking at was rated at 4,000lbs so I didn't think that was too bad? My question is, would this really work? It's just a hand crank with 10 feet of cable and a long extention for leverage. It says its reccommended for use with pulling cars/trucks out of ditches, etc. I'm not looking for anything to fancy, just something to help me and my buddies out a little when the pushing isn't working too well. Any input would be awesome!!! Thanks!!!!

Are you talking about a come along? If so, I wouldn't recommend it unless it was for emergency use. I have a 4 ton come along that I use once & awhile.

Are you talking about a come along? If so, I wouldn't recommend it unless it was for emergency use. I have a 4 ton come along that I use once & awhile.

Yep what Blee said. Sounds like a come along and those aren't that great. But in a time of crisis it can help. Save your money and buy a locker!

Are you talking about a come along? If so, I wouldn't recommend it unless it was for emergency use. I have a 4 ton come along that I use once & awhile.

You mean you use it quite a bit :p

hey thanks guys for the information! I still havent decided on what im going to do yet... i dont plan on anything too extreme... so i didnt think id need a huge winch or ne thing... im just looking for a little help once in awhile... if a come along isnt the answer... what are some cost effective ways of self-extraction? i know the obvious answer is dont get stuck in the first place...lol... but for minor things... any suggestion????? thanks in advance!!!

Sorry!!!! one more quick question... what are the pro's and con's of a come along? Is the major setback just the fact that they arent rated very high as far as working loads?

4 ton come along:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=42916&item=3879087798&rd=1

tow hooks:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=4532922330&category=46093

tell me what you think... these are just some things i found... allllllso... what is a good way to attatch around a tree??? is there a special strap??? thanks again!

4 ton come along:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=42916&item=3879087798&rd=1

tow hooks:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=4532922330&category=46093

tell me what you think... these are just some things i found... allllllso... what is a good way to attatch around a tree??? is there a special strap??? thanks again!

I would buy some good tow straps (30,000lbs at least 20,000lbs). Tow hooks front and back are very important.

They call them tree savers. Those are very good to have in your recovery bad also.

One down fall to the come along is the cable isn't very long.

Hope this helps.

I think the come along is a good emergency method for getting out of a stuck. Wrap a good tow strap around a tree if you don't have a tree saver strap. Hi-lift jacks also work in a pinch as a recovery tool.

I think the come along is a good emergency method for getting out of a stuck. Wrap a good tow strap around a tree if you don't have a tree saver strap. Hi-lift jacks also work in a pinch as a recovery tool.

Good point Ben!!! I would spend my money on a 48" hilift jack before I bought a come along. The Hi lift is more versatile and can also be used as a manual winch.

Thanks for all your input! The thing about a hi-lift is... ive heard you can only use them with rocksliders or still bumpers, etc. and im not dealing with anything like that... so... if i bought a hi-lift... how would i use it? im not sure what i would use to jack against... any thoughts???

Hi-lifts are alright as a come along, but if you're going to use it as an actual jack/lift, I wouldn't recommend it. I would think that you'd need a full metal bumper and rock sliders to prevent damage to the body work. the lift lip is only an inch or two wide and just a few inches long; so you couldn't get into the chassis rails to lift properly.

And unless you are on flat, stable, hard ground, I wouldn't recommend using it to lift your vehicle. the hi-lift base is only about 4" by 8". So if you've got it lifted in the air and you're applying pressure to the vehicle you're likely to push the vehicle off balance and off the lift, potentially damaging the vehicle or more importantly hurting you or another person.

As a comealong it'd be pretty nice becauseof how long it is and how long the jack bar is. But the release mechanism is quite damgerous to use and if your finger is in the wrong place you might get it pinched off, not to mention the bar goes flying up at you...

As a comealong it'd be pretty nice becauseof how long it is and how long the jack bar is. But the release mechanism is quite damgerous to use and if your finger is in the wrong place you might get it pinched off, not to mention the bar goes flying up at you...

A correctly used hi-lift will not have the bar come flying at you. You're supposed to lock the bar in the vertical position, THEN move the lever that changes the direction of the lift's operation. The only thing I don't like about using a hi-lift as a come along is it is heavy to hold up as you position it. Especially a 60 inch.

They also make attachments for certain style of bumpers and an attachment that hooks up to your tire.

And unless you are on flat, stable, hard ground, I wouldn't recommend using it to lift your vehicle. the hi-lift base is only about 4" by 8". So if you've got it lifted in the air and you're applying pressure to the vehicle you're likely to push the vehicle off balance and off the lift, potentially damaging the vehicle or more importantly hurting you or another person.

so.... what exactly are hi-lifts for? i mean.. if you can't use them to lift your vehicle that is... sorry for the newb. ?'s... im just really new to all of this and am trying to learn... :rolleyes: thanks for all your input!!!

It's a great idea for a lift, but less than ideal for on the trail. A few of my co-workers have many years of experience on the trail and if one of your 36" tires needs repair in order to move, the hi-lift doesn't do well in soft or uneven ground and will never buy a second hi-lift for real off road work.

Picture this:
You get stuck in a mud puddle (ok mud lake) because the farmer who owns the land put sharp metallic objects in the 2 feet of mud to give guys like you a flat tire. You can't move and need to repair the tire/replace it. So you whip out your hi-lift to lift you truck: guess what, the narrow base just sinks into the mud. You end up come-along[ing] until you get out of the mud lake. You have to get to at least semi-solid ground that's more or less level.

I lifted a jeep wrangler in my driveway with a hi-lift to re-attach the sway bar to the rest of the suspention. (sky-jacker suspention) and wil just moving some of the parts around, the jeep still felt a little shakey so high up on that tiny lift. But it did look really cool on the back of the jeep with the rest of the off-roading equipment.

i guess i just cant see how much/how id use a hi-lift... plus for the money.. i could buy 2 come along's which could equal 8 tons of power! well.. im undecided for now... or until someone proves a point that cant be argued... thanks again for all the ideas though!!!

Have you looked on eBay for power winches and bumpers? I'll bet that you can find one for pretty cheap there.

Manual come-alongs are alright if you only get stuck once in a while, but once you start having to get out in feet of mud, while it's raining or any other bad condition at the end of the day, I'd also bet you wish you shucked out the change for a winch.

thats true... but for right now... i dont intend on trying anything that intense... just some mild mud,puddles, etc. so for now... im thinking a cheap come-along is the way to go... later on down the road ill probably look at investing in a real winch.. but for the time being... i gotta save up for my body lift and my 32" bfg m/t's!!!

FYI, basic recovery and off road equipment should include a jack base. It can be a 12"x12" piece of plywood or a comercially available piece like for a hilift jack. You will need a base for use in soft soil no matter what kind of jack you have.

Like unclemeat said, you should have/use a base under the jack. If you look in the whoops forum, you can see that I got my Explorer pretty stuck in the mud. There was a ton of plywood laying around b/c it was a place that many others have gotten stuck. If I didn't already know that my buddy was coming to pull me out, I would have been able to put the plywood under the hi-lift and lift my truck enough to put stuff under the tires for better traction.

I think that I might buy one of those come alongs b/c I don't have the $$ yet for the winch bumper or the winch. Plus, they cost next to nothing and it'll help in emergency situation.

It is not a bad idea to have both a come along and a hilift jack. Sometime when you get stuck you will need to pull from more than one angle or pull with both.

If you listen to the people that wheel, a hi-lift is a must have on the trail. Can be used as a come along, a vice, a jack and as stated before when your stuck you can lift the vehicle up and stack rocks and stuff under the tires to get unstuck. I've had a come along for over 5 years and have yet to use it. I've used the hilift more times than I can count. I would buy a good long strong tow strap and never wheel alone.

I think you are missing one of the most useful tools in existence to get you out of just about anything, and everyone should already have this when heading off-road.

A BUDDY!

Don't go out there by yourself. If you have another vehicle with you, you also get the advantage of getting HIS strap muddy, not yours.

i guess i just cant see how much/how id use a hi-lift... plus for the money.. i could buy 2 come along's which could equal 8 tons of power! well.. im undecided for now... or until someone proves a point that cant be argued... thanks again for all the ideas though!!!

Read Positive Vibes' comments two posts above. I've used a comealong more than once, but I cannot count the times I've used a HiLift, and the few times I did use a comealong I could have used the HiLift instead.

You said you were new at this and you asked for advice. If you ask 100 experienced fourwheelers which piece of equipment to buy first, 100 of them would list the HiLift jack before the comealong. If you cannot afford an essential $50 piece of equipment, you do not belong off the pavement in the first place. To get a better idea of what you need, read this link:Trail Equipment (http://www.explorer4x4.com/trail_equip.html)

You guys are nuts, the come-a-long is one of the best recovery tools you can get, the HI lift of course is great but the come-a-long works alot faster and safer then the HI lift for pulling IMO, they have both saved my ass, and you will likely use the hi lift more often then the come-a-long but if you dont have a winch the come-a-long is essential.

LOL, keep your shorts on Jamie.....I'm not disagreeing with that - since I've never invested in a power winch, I usually pack a comealong too. I was responding to the idea of buying 2 comealongs instead of a HiLift. As you just stated, you will use the HiLift more often..... if this guy is so broke he has to choose between a $20 item that has one function or a $50 item that has several functions including the sole function of the $20 item, he's better off buying the thing that can do it all instead of the thing that only does one. You are right that the comealong is easier to use as a winch than a HiLift, but the HiLift still works, and he can use it for lots of other stuff too.

My opinion is he needs both (in addition to several other items in the Trail Equipment article).... like I said, if $50 is gonna break you, this is the wrong sport to be trying out in the first place. To clarify: I think you need both, not just one of them, and I also think you need lots of other stuff too that is mentioned in the article. This thread started turning into an "either/or" discussion and my opinion is it is not an "either/or" question, but a "what is needed" question.

ahhhhhhhhhh thanks for the calrification, thats what happens when you skim the posts.....

So, if you were just starting and could only buy one thing first, would it be the HiLift or the comealong? :D

Now that I think about it, I allowed myself to go on a tangent too..... the single best thing to get first and the absolute best recovery equipment is another buddy to wheel with!

thanks for all of your input guys! and no im not that broke.. lol.. yes i can afford both... but my pockets do have an end... :rolleyes: so i was simply wondering what should be my FIRST move.. not my only/last move/buy.. SOoooooo thanks again for clearing that up! im slowly aquiring everything i need to go wheelin.. but my biggest advance lately was finding a guy with a landrover who goes mudding at my school!! this was pretty cool for me just because ive always been the only guy that i know willing to get my truck a little dirty... so hopefully we can plan some trips here and ill get a little more expirience... welllll thanks again for everthing guys! (and girls if present?)

really I would get both a come-along and high-lift, when I did my oops stuck we used 2 high-lifts jacks and a come-along to get the truck out, both are great tools to have on the trail, as someone else said, if you go in mud you will need a base under it, I usualy keep this stuff in my truck at all times
2- 12" 4"x4"
1- 20" 2"x12"
1- highlift jack
stock jack (still best for changing a tire on flat ground)
4- clevis rings
1- recovery strap 20 foot long (no metal hooks)
1- recovery strap, short for use as a "tree saver"

Wolf how do you change a tire with the stock jack? Mine wont even get close to the axles???

Wolf how do you change a tire with the stock jack? Mine wont even get close to the axles???
what ya think the 2 4"x4" and the 2"x12" are for :D works good for the stock jack as well as chocks and for use with the high lift, TBH though when I'm out running around I put my alum race style jack in the back of the truck :p

anyone suggest either the 60" or the 48"? i'm planning on getting the all cast one either way, but does it really make a difference? the 60" seems like it might be a little excessive, not to mention heavier...... but i suppose an extra foot in winching situations could be helpful. anyone make any suggestions?

Get the 60". You will regret the 48".

thanks, and all cast right?

Ok, Lets forget about what you should buy first and understand that YOU WILL GET STUCK. Your 31" mudders are not going to help you out that much, as you don't have lockers. You are a newbie, you should not be wheeling alone.
Let me rephrase that,DO NOT WHEEL ALONE!!!!!. You should always have a buddy with you, who can help you out in your time of need.
The "I'm only going to do easy stuff" is BS. You will keep trying until you get stuck. How do I know? We all have been there, done that.
Take a look at the list Gerald pointed to. This is the very minimum that you should have when ever you go out to wheel. If you don't have this stuff, you do not have any business going out to wheel, as you now become a liability, because you will get stuck. If you can't afford a winch, you shouldn't be wheeling alone. Even if you do have a winch, that is not a guarantee that you can get yourself out of the jam you got yourself into. What if you don't have a place to hook your winch up to? What if the nearest tree is 200 yards away? What if it is 400yards away? Do you know how hard it is to burry your spare deep enough to make sure it won't come up on you while winching. did you even know that this was an option?
I'm not trying to be an a$$. As a newbie I want you to have a good time, and be safe, so you will want to do more. Too many people go wheeling that havenever gone before, and when they run into trouble, end up hating the sport because of bad experiences. Don't be one of them. Do it right the first time, and you will see just how much fun it can be.
I'm just trying to promote good safe wheeling habits.


Newbies should NEVER Wheel alone!
Oh! and buy the high lift Jack.

i bought a come along, $50 at a local part store...had 1 issue with it so far...the wiring got cought up running it back up. but i have used it, several times, best thing i got yet to a winch. if your gonna use one of them make sure to bring some tow straps with you because your not always gonna be close enough to a tree or w/e and that extra length will help you out, helped me out a lot

I use a TIFOR T516 hand winch. Picked it up cheap from a 4wd club where the owner bought an electric winch.

http://www.highgearsales.com/Tirfor21.html

Heres an artical on hand winches

http://www.landroverclub.net/Club/HTML/Recovery_Tirfor1.htm

I do not think a come-along would be very good to use as a hand winch to pull you out. The explorer is pretty heavy ( 2000 + kgs) and dragging a vehicle out of mud etc increases the weight substantially. If your concerned about the energy it takes to use one, there is a simple solution,,, train someone else to do it!!!!

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y267/chris_miller/100_2094.jpg


http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y267/chris_miller/100_2089.jpg