A winch is an essential piece of kit, especially when heading into the hills alone.
Now days if I'm going bush, I take a loaded up camping trailer behind the Jimny. I can cart all sorts of things in there, I can load it with BBQs, tents, fishing gear, my inflatable boat and outboard motor - I can take a lot of gear. But it all adds a lot of weight.
Having a winch gives me so many more options to get unstuck. I get stuck in a hole or steep spot, I can winch out. If there is an easier way across a river, but the terrain is steep, I can winch over. If a river crossing looks deep, I can walk it, tie to a tree, and cross slowly and safely with the winch. If I get really stuck with the trailer on the back, I can disconnect from the trailer, get unstuck, then winch the trailer out of the hole.
So I got myself a small winch, a 3000lb winch off TradeMe. My thought was that if I got into real trouble, a 3000lb winch is a huge help, which it is. A small winch adds some extra force to help me get unstuck.
It's helpful, but it's never going to do anything truly great.
You may have read, on our Molesworth Jimny Adventure, David rescued a Suzuki Vitara that was stuck a long way out in some wetlands, which wouldn't have been possible without the might of his big winch.
WHAT I LEARNED THAT DAY:
Most of the time, a small winch is a waste of time. It might be a help if I'm stuck, and if there is a tree straight ahead of me, but normally it's just not that easy.
A small winch can't help recover another car, especially if it's bigger than a Jimny.
SOLUTION
So I ordered a big Carbon Offroad winch from 4x4 Mods Australia, who shipped it over to me really quickly.
This thing is awesome.
It arrives with everything, including the switch, wiring and mount for the 12v feed. They include a long breather hose and the mounts required to install, because these things will work when fully submerged.
They include a wireless remote! Too good!
So I fitted the winch, first with an old bumper to see what would need to be chopped, then I modified a new steel bumper to fit as snug as possible.
With a new bumper fitted, this looks GREAT!
After a wee test at my favourite local river, I can really see the appeal of a serious winch, and for the cost involved, this is a really cheap insurance policy for when I'm on an adventure, especially if travelling without other vehicles.
SEE OUR RANGE OF AWESOME CARBON OFFROAD PRODUCTS HERE!
