How to know if you can trust winch anchors?

GraniteCrystal

GraniteCrystal

New member
How do you know if a winch anchor is solid enough to pull your Jeep up? You can give it a yank yourself and see how it feels but there's a big difference between you and a Jeep in weight. Ever heard of one failing?
 
Are you talking about metal anchors or natural anchors? Truthfully around here where we are, you will probably never have to use anything except for a tree. I always just keep an eye on the tree and look for any abnormal movement. You could have a spotter off to the side watching it too. Also, most of the time when you winch (where we are at), you only have to winch a few feet to get unstuck. Those are my experiences.
 
WJCO said:
Are you talking about metal anchors or natural anchors? Truthfully around here where we are, you will probably never have to use anything except for a tree. I always just keep an eye on the tree and look for any abnormal movement. You could have a spotter off to the side watching it too. Also, most of the time when you winch (where we are at), you only have to winch a few feet to get unstuck. Those are my experiences.
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Good question. I'm speaking of metal anchors put by man. A tree I think would give some early warning signs if it were going to bust. A metal anchor seems like it might just snap or pop out and become a projectile.
 
Pay no attention to the Jeep driven by Tom (Strainger on the Forum) in this photo. Thinking Mall Crawler! :cheesy: On this obstacle there is a pretty large winch point (top right of photo) that was driven into solid rock. It didn't look like it would give any time soon. Wish I had a close-up pic but, you can see a fairly large shackle attached to it. The folks that installed it had build it to last in mind! :yup:

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I used to wonder the same thing about climbing anchors. About all I think you can do is look at them, yank on them, consider the condition of the metal, and then take a leap of faith. You should also make sure you aren't in the path of the rope.
 
JeepFan said:
Pay no attention to the Jeep driven by Tom (Strainger on the Forum) in this photo. Thinking Mall Crawler! :cheesy: On this obstacle there is a pretty large winch point (top right of photo) that was driven into solid rock. It didn't look like it would give any time soon. Wish I had a close-up pic but, you can see a fairly large shackle attached to it. The folks that installed it had build it to last in mind! :yup:

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Don't forget about the one that was just outside of the photo where your standing. It was an old rear axle shaft buried into the Rock.
 
Yeah+1 on the throwing something on the line.

I don't remember seeing a lot of them around CO, like WJCO said mostly use trees here. For those also try to get the strap as close to the base of the tree, for lessening the amount leverage you are applying to the tree.

On a side note do any of you guys use a portable anchor?
 
X2 on the Pull Pal. had to use it once in deep sand. Really saved the day. It dug down in pretty far. Glad I had tied a rope to the thing.

But yeah at first I was a little afraid to really put a big load on it and just kind of bumped the pressure on the line up a little at a time.
Only needed a little bit to get me free up out of the sand I had sunk down in. When she stops moving forward I need to learn to let off sooner instead of digging in.

I am much more worried about the attachment points some of my friends have on their rigs.
A trailer hitch is not a good attachment point.
 
I've used a Pull Pal, but not to winch my rig...to pull a large rock off a shelf road that blocked the trail during a slide...I'm going to give it a try in the snow this winter just to see how it works...highly recommend attaching a tree saver to the pull pal to get it out when it's buried


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I haven't seen all that many here in CO... Holy Cross has one at Cleveland Rock, and I remember one of the Gulches having one. Never gave it much thought, but you would think with the freeze/thaw cycles they would have a finite life expectancy (sorta like the anchors the sport climbers use).
 
Brute said:
I've used a Pull Pal, but not to winch my rig...to pull a large rock off a shelf road that blocked the trail during a slide...I'm going to give it a try in the snow this winter just to see how it works...highly recommend attaching a tree saver to the pull pal to get it out when it's buried


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It's crazy how well something buried can anchor. When we camp in the winter, a rope from the tent twisted around a stick and buried a foot in the snow is solid even in 40-50 mph winds. Requires digging it out in the morning. Anxious to see how your pull pal does in the snow this winter. Post a video if you can.
 
WJCO said:
It's crazy how well something buried can anchor. When we camp in the winter, a rope from the tent twisted around a stick and buried a foot in the snow is solid even in 40-50 mph winds. Requires digging it out in the morning. Anxious to see how your pull pal does in the snow this winter. Post a video if you can.
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Roger that...we bury sections of pvc pipe in the sand at the beach for our 20x20 tarps when we beach fish...takes a pretty good wind.

I'll video a snow pull with the pull pal...hopefully I'll did deep enough snow in the Cascades


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