Outer Limits 4x4 Board

I have looked over my sierra and it will be to much effort to attach an electric winch to it

What do people think of handwinches and how much money am i looking at?

Cheers

They're great exercise, no good if you're in a hurry, start somewhere around $400 and go up.

I'd start by looking at a "Big Haul" unit. When 4wd Monthly reviewed hand winches it had the longest handle, required lowest effort to winch and required fewer cycles to advance the cable one metre.

My 2c

Scott

I have a tiny 1ton hand winch , the "turfers" are much bigger and pull more but are also more expensive.

Its pulled a few zooks and luxs out when they just need to move up to about 30cm forward to get traction again, good for that and cheap i guess.

Wheres the other ones can pull cars for many meters...

useful for pulling a car in any direction, not just forwards. Can use to pull calves too

zoox don't weigh much.
I use a $40 kmart winch, (fence strainer on steroids) and this is also used as engine lifter, but mostly push or snatch is all a zook needs.
baby sized tirfors exist, they could be a good Sierra size.

christover

Tirfor.
Got the big one which my dad used to use years ago on cruisers etc.
I only have a zook now but hell itll get you out of whatever situation you need to get out of. Doesnt break down like electric winches.
Heavy to lug around and setup though, but after a bit of practise hear and there its not to bad.

As others have said, hand winches are fine if you have some patience, a bit of upper body strength, and often a snatch block and some spare cable handy.

Tirfor winches are very good, there used to be a couple of tirfo copies on the market years back - anchor and elephant looper brand. A mate of mine has the elephant looper model and I have the anchor. Both look the same as a tirfor and the parts are identical. They have both been used for recovery over the years, and have no problem recovering a 2 tonne vehicle (remember what I said about the spare cable and the snatch block though).

I was in super cheap the other day and they had a hand winch for $400. Didnt look to close but it looked to be fairly sturdy.

Remember not to use just any sort of cable for the tirfor, as the original is wound differently to standard cables and may not grip in the internal jaws of the tirfor properly.

Supercheap have one advertised in their catalogue today, $299 save $130. Don't know what brand.

Hard work, but very versatile - just don't leave the handle at home!!

mistaboz wrote:Remember not to use just any sort of cable for the tirfor, as the original is wound differently to standard cables and may not grip in the internal jaws of the tirfor properly.

That is true, the original is solid core wire rope, and specially designed not to compress when it is gripped by the jaws of the winch. Most other wire rope has a different core so it is more flexible (e.g. can go through snatch blocks). But any wire rope supplier should be able to sell you the correct stuff for a hand winch.

I have a Magnum hand winch I got from ARB and from memory I paid $395 for it. I also bought a snatch block, tree protector and winch extension strap. Have only had to use the kit once when I high centred myself at Landcruiser Park but it goes everywhere with me in case I push is too far again and there is no one around to help.
Cheap price to pay for some slight peace of mind I say.

Aye, Mick

There are 3 sizes of genuine "Tirfor" brand hand winches. They are the 508, 516, and 532. The most common one seen around the 4wd scene, and the one most imitated by others is the 516. The 508, of which I own one, is rated at 800kg lift, and 1200kg pull. The 516 is 1600kg lift, and 2500kg pull. The 532 is 3200kg lift and ???? pull. The 508 would be excellent for a Suzuki. It is smaller than the 516, being around 40cm long, 20cm wide, and about 8cm thick. The cable is spooled on its own carrier, about 30cm diametre, and the telescopic handle is about 40cm closed. Weight all up would be around the 15-20kg mark. I carry mine in an ammo box, alongh with all my other recovery gear. Whilst its no longer my primary recovery device, I would use it if needed for righting a rolled vehicle. They are excellent winches, well worth the money, provided you are aware of the drawbacks. The DO take time to set up. They DO require effort to be put in by you to make them operate. They ARE slow in operation. You WILL get tired operating it, especially in summer.

Also be aware where the spare shear pins are, and how to change them.

Ebay can worth a look. I picked up a magnum 1600kg with rope, 2 x arb tree protectors, an arb snatch block and 4x shackles for $400 which about what the winch alone sells for. It was all brand new and never used. I've used it once and it paid it's self off there and then. Very handy to have.