Winch Options

Yes I was....12 years, half of which was on choppers....was modifications engineer for the Breeze winch, manufactured in Newark, NJ, and featured in all the aforementioned models....had hundreds of test hours in each and every one, and was devastated when RAF Search and Rescue was given over to contract earlier this year, the mighty Sea King being replaced by Sikorsky S-92's and operated by Bristow.
I still live by the sea, and every time the SK came to someone's aid, I had a tear in my eye :silly:
The Sea Hawk is a beast, although already 30-odd years old, but has a significant future ahead of it...considerably different from the Lynx, you'll enjoy the experience I'm sure...

Happy New Year , Tom

Totally agree Rich. I did not want the extra weight + cost for something that i will hardly ever use.
Hence the cheap portable one in the boot. Just in case.

Thanks for your experiences, Rich.

For me at least, I am looking for some "just-in-case" backup. I have only been off-roading for a few months, and all our recoveries have been via strap and a mate. The one time we used a winch it didn't help any more than the failed tow. Usually, I just drop a wheel in to slightly too big a rut, and beach it, needing the lightest of tows to get us out.

But, another car may not always be there. If I was going for a proper play, then I would want at least one other car there, so I could try something beyond my abilities! But, as an example, I drove an unclassified road the other day (about 3 miles worth) with 2 other Jimny's and it was great fun. Nothing hard, and I actually did the whole thing in 2WD (just because ). As it is almost just down the road, I want to go back with my daughter, but our friend Murphy says I will just get caught on something if I go alone! A winch would hopefully never be needed, but would just give that escape route. Of course, I am still reliant on something I can winch off, or end up with ground anchors etc, but that is where common sense hopefully kicks in

I am hoping that a simple portable winch is just the safety net I need.

Nick

The additional weight of a winch/bumper/battery has been mentioned a couple of time's. Is this additional weight generally considered to be a compromise in some way?

I'd say a small winch is the cheaper option than buying compressor, jack, waffle boards and what not

I agree that lowering tyre pressure will have an impact on driving off-road, same goes for a lockright and waffle boards. But all have their limitations. A winch is a much more reliable option for recovery. Provided you have an anchor point, you're pretty sure to get out of most situations.

So I'd probably start out with a winch, and the a lockright.