What is the winch?
A winch is a mechanical machine that is used for winding of any object. Winches have many different applications, whether it’s getting yourself out of a sticky situation in your vehicle, moving materials, retrieval of an object or out on the water. There are two types of winches available, the electric and hand winch. Both hand and electric winches are durable and very handy to have.
An electric winch is driven by an external power supply with a rotating crank. If you are looking for dynamic and efficient winching, you must pick the electric winch. If you are willing to do small load work, you should choose the hand winch. Whichever you select, you must ensure the security.
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Manual Winches
Hand winches are a great option where electrical power is not easy to access or cost effective to install. Most hand winches require some of your own strength to operate the mechanism. Don’t worry as most types of hand winches have brake and mechanical assists to make them easier to operate. Brake mechanisms are often fully automatic and the load remains in position anytime the handle is released.
There are lots of types of hand winch for off-road recovery that you can purchase on the market. Some of them are light duty and made only for low to medium jobs. On the other hand, you can buy commercial use with high towing capacity so that you can finish the most demanding situations.
Pro’s:
- Can be used any where;
- Can pull from any direction (that’s the big one);
- Can be used for more applications eg (if you roll it you can put yourself back over);
- You can put it in any car;
- Last longer;
- D
ont need a special front bar.
Con’s:
- Their hard work (realy hard);
- You have to remember to take it;
- Very slow movements when using it;
- Hard to use by yourself;
- Takes up room in the car (not much but some);
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Electric Winch
Electric Winches are a much quicker and a simpler option for moving loads. Although you will require a power source which is not always an option in some areas that you might use the hoist. An electric winch enables you to stand back from the operation, which ensures a safer working environment. The electric winch takes the pressure off having to rely on manpower. If you keep your car’s engine on, it will prevent the battery drainage. Of course, your vehicles battery life will decrease after frequent use.
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Pro’s:
- They look nice;
- Are quick to use;
- Always ready to go (on the car);
- Easy to use with 1 person.
Con’s:
- Extra wieght on the front;
- Only recover yourself forward;
- Dont work if battery dies;
- Don’t work if the car is under water;
- Spend more time helping others than helping yourself;
- Need a winch compatible front bar;
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What to Consider When Buying Best Winch for Vehicle Recovery
- Alternator and Battery – Of course, everything depends whether you want to purchase electric system or not. But if you choose the electronic type, you should check the kind of battery. Therefore, we recommend you to upgrade battery such as marine battery or deep-cycle. They come with more significant capacity, and that will not cause too many harmful effects on your vehicle powering.
- Capacity – This particular specification is relevant because it will provide you enough power to finish all your work. You should calculate size by adding 1.5 times more than gross weight of your vehicle. That way if you are driving 2.500 KG truck, you will need a winch with at least 3.750 KG capacity.
- Rope – The standard type of cable is steel cable, but recently synthetic materials became more popular because they are lightweight and with the same power and capacity as steel ones. Of course, artificial materials are more expensive, so you should determine which one you should use based on the work you want to with it. As a guide for each layer of wire rope on the drum deduct 10% off the rated line pull. e.g. A winch with a line pull of say 6,000 lbs.. will have a line pull of 5,400lbs.. on the second layer, 4,860 lbs.. on the third layer and 4,374 lbs.. on the fourth layer, etc. So if you need to pull 6,000 lbs.. for any distance, you will need a winch with a greater rated line pull to start with.
Both of this device is suitable for its purpose. If you are looking for a cheap, simple and a medium capacity winch, I will suggest you pick the best hand winch of the market.
If you want your work more efficient with less time, you need to choose the electric one from the market. Always keep in mind that, safety first. It’s because winching is a dangerous task.
For the Duster, which has an aproximate weight of 1.5 tones, the best choice would be an 4500 lbs electric winch. This one in the pictures belongs to a fellow Duster owner. Check its Facebook Profile for more pictures.
Con la troliul manual – cablul foarte scurt, spatiu de manevra foarte limitat.