smallest winch for self recovery in snow

i need a winch for self recovery in snow ie. bellied out.

rearward facing on detachable mount to pull myself back to where i had traction

i need somthing small and light, i was thinking a supawinch UTV4000 as the jimny doesnt weigh much more that a fullsize kubota UTV.

how would be the best way to accomplish a detachable system?

my firt thought was remove the flange on the tow bar and have a thick plate L shape made to mount the winch on...but i want to keep my towbar useable...

and ideas? or practical advise?

Hi Lift ? ... if your just winching from snow, then you only really need to beable to move the weight of the vehicle and contents rather than 1/2 tonne of sticky mud!!!...

If you know how, you can winch using a Hi-Lift as a winch ... takes a while but for £50 plus roap... its good value.

Failing that, assuming your only winching out of snow when grounded, get the smallest one you can .... say a 750kg one .. just enough to get you rolling .. again, it wouldnt be sufficient for recovery from a muddy hole, but for simple hauling you off becoming beached in snow, it will probably work.

decisions decisions .....

even better than a Hi-Lift are the Tirfor style winch
reall portable and a lot easier to set up than a Hi-lift.....

However the Tirfor only does one job and the Hi-Lift is more versatile,
Saying that i've a Hi-lift and only used it once in four years and that was
for a tree stump!!! If you want one let me know, i could be persuaded to
sell it on,

Tirfor cgi.ebay.co.uk/Tirfor-Winch-Landrover-Of...&hash=item19c1001256

thanks for the replies, its good to know my logic is not ill logical.

a tirfor would be ideal for the time being, although i will definatly go electrical next year.

any ideas for a rear mounted tray on a vehicle fitted with a towbar?

i keep having them but it always requires me to have the winch offset to one side or even under the vehice, which is rather impractical

I'm sure on e blag,there are small electric winches that loop over your tow bar. A simple power socket would make it de mountable in seconds.

cgi.ebay.co.uk/Toolzone-12-v-6-000Lbs-Bo...&hash=item2c5200d4d1

Or a bolt on plate like this...

cgi.ebay.co.uk/Winch-Universal-Tow-Ball-...&hash=item4142a1b04d

the little winch is intriguing, the mount is exactly what i had in mind.

perhaps i should mount it in the boot and fit a fairlead in the rear door.

we'll see ho that little unit works i think though.

keep the ideas coming!...

mkay wrote: the little winch is intriguing, the mount is exactly what i had in mind.

perhaps i should mount it in the boot and fit a fairlead in the rear door.

we'll see ho that little unit works i think though.

keep the ideas coming!...

We fitted a rear winch by cutting hole in boot floor,welding some plate to underside of chassis and winch rope exits through the heavy duty bumper.

There are a couple of things to remember about winches.

The pulling power (750kg) is the maximum pull. The pull DECREASES with each layer of rope on the winch, therefore the pull of a winch when only a short piece of rope is wound out is a LOT LESS than the quoted pull.

However, using a snatch block and creating a double pull DOUBLES the pulling power (but halves the winch speed). Also as a double pull spools more rope off the drum you are likely to have fewer layers of rope on the drum which also increases the pulling power.

Therefore it is possible with a little care to make the smallest of winches more powerful by spooling out as much rope as possible and doubling (or tripling!) the pull.

A few years ago a Landrover magazine recovered a Landrover with a "rope" made out of Duct Tape by creating a multiple pull ( I think it was in the region of 15 loops of duct tape (I don't know the word for 15 in the sequence double, triple, quadruple...)

Martin

I have access to a Turfor winch .. but to be honest, the winch needs setting up correctly or it can be very dangerous.
Lots of copies and poorly maintained ones on ebay.
Plus you have to carry around a length of cable that isnt easily stored, sometimes oily cable.
on the flip side, a well maintained turfor will last a lifetime and you can easily pull massive weights with them due to the double clutch mechanism inside.