ok so the only way i can go 4 wheeling is alone or atleast with just one vehicle i used to mud all the time but thats all anybody has around here in not lookin to do anything crazy i have a buddy with a 40 acres of land thats way over grown that im free to use. my prob. is i cant aford a winch and i dont have another truck to pulll me if/when i get stuck. i found a 5 ton comealong on linr for like 75 bucks. can this be a reliable recovery tool or u think im just gonna get my self in worse?

 

ive used a comealong to get me unstuck a few times...just not when im off roading. i do keep 2 of them in my jeep when i do go but i have never had to use them. they seem like they would work it just takes a while longer and the chain is shorter, but hey its better than nothing!

 

Be very careful with those come-alongs. The only one i would trust use chain. But spendy. Id just use the highlift jack. Good luck.

Travis

 

better solution...dont wheel alone

 

Ive used them several times,and they suck to use.They tend to bind up with that much pressure and Ive broke one about half the times ive used one.I would suggest a hi-lift jack over a come along any day,and i picked mine up for about 65.00 bucks.and have used the hell out of it for over 4 years now.i have a winch now but still carry the hi lift cause of its many uses.you can winch,clamp stuff,jack you vehicle up out of pretty big holes,so you can put stuff under the tire for traction,look to see what is broke and ive even jacked jeeps up just knock them over out of a rut.
I would highly recomend for recovery on a budget,they can get you out of just about any thing with a couple of chains and some time and effort.

 

Tractor supply has hi lifts,andharbor freight has chains on sale all the time. by the way

 

stay away from chains, especially with the hi-lift method. you are standing in harms way if that chain ever breaks.

i'd just use a strap, it won't hurt as much.

 

I totally agree about chains being dangerous. But a little bit of safety goes a long way. Always use a weighted buffer in at least the middle. What it does is change the direction if/when any part of the chain breaks.

I think Harbor Freight has the straps on sale, but as usual with there stuff, buy several cheap ones an use em all for added safety. Good luck.


Travis

 

I always have a couple comealongs onboard. Basically the cheap cable kind. I just make sure I don't overstress them too much, and use my head about angles and such, and they work fine, for me.

But some folks could break an anvil and I wouldn't advise them to use a comealong.

 

I'd go Hi-lift over come-along as well

 

Use what what ever form of strap or chain you are comfortable with,just always go over kill on the rating.People can say what they want about chains,but I work with heavy equipment every day on a pipe laying crew,and you will not see a strap picking up a 10.000lb catch basin or a 500 lb one,there simply not used.Ive seen many straps break and once a clevis went flying.What ever use,just make sure you use comin sense and dont get in a rush.

 

looks like its time 4 me to get a highlift jack thanks guys

 

cable come alongs are crap and never work right once they get in the gunk. i big chain one will work great. they are only like 50-100 bucks

 

You are absolutely DEAD wrong here.... "whatever" form of strap, and chains... ouch... both are completely incorrect for the way we do recoveries. Also your example comparing static loadings of lifting to the dynamic loadings of recovery work will get someone hurt badly.... A dynamic(or shock) loading strap is a different kind of strap than a static loading strap used in lifting, or a strap used to secure things.

A come-a-long is fine for recovering a Jeep and works the same as a Hi-lift. BUT... you need to follow some basic safety rules. First, make sure your anchor point is secure. Second, since someone has to be in the line of the recovery ABSOLUTELY no assist from the vehicle being extracted. A driver should be in it, to only apply the brakes if necessary. Third, some type of weighted protection should be used on the recovery line to help control any release of energy incase of breakage. A come-a-long or Hi-lift recovery is one of the few times where using chains is acceptable because of their ability of adjustable size. But you need to make absolute sure the chain has the correct load rating.

NEVER, NEVER use chains in a dynamic recovery situation. That is not what they are designed for. And make sure you gear is in good maintained condition. More accidents are caused by poorly cared for gear than any other thing.

 

PLEASE, PLEASE, for the love of God NEVER use the cheesey cable come alongs to recover a vehicle. I had a friend that dang near lost his right leg from a cable failure. Granted, he was being a complete IDIOT, but the fact of the matter is that they can and will hurt you!!! FWIW, the cable was not what injured him, but the come along itself. When the cable failed, it slammed into his shin, and BANG, compound fracture of both the tib and fib. Trust me, you do NOT want this to happen to you!!