Come-Alongs?

[Rahkmalla]

In theory, i'd love a winch, but i really don't want to deal with the weight of the winch plus the weight of a bumper capable of mounting it on my front end. Plus with a Mojave, there's the issue of compatibility with my factory skid that holds my shock reservoirs, so something like the aluminum recreation of the rubi steel bumper wouldn't even be doable without some modification I'm not 100% sure i'm willing to make.

This led me down the path of come-alongs. Specifically, the Wyeth-Scott Power Puller because it seems to be the best regarded model of come-along and it offers synthetic line (which while ubiquitous in the winch world seems to be a rarity in the come-along game).

I don't hate the price even though it costs almost the same as a badlands 12k, i just hate the idea of buying something twice. BUT, i also hate the idea of all that weight on the front of my jeep.

So my question: has anyone bought a come-along to later regret it because you just ended up with a winch anyway? Will i feel secure enough with a come-along or is this me trying to rationalize what will eventually become a "buy twice, cry twice" scenario?

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[aFatBird]

It's better than nothing; however, when you need a good pull you'll probably hate all that time and physical labor.

 

[Hootbro]

Just my 2 cents but I think putting a winch on a Mojave defeats the purpose of what the model was intended for as a higher speed desert based trail runner.

You have to do a gut check of what you intended to do with your vehicle off road. If all you ever do is go to the shore with it or the occasional logging trail, probably can get away with a come along. Anything else, you are gonna want a winch or travel with buddies with one that have the understanding they are going to pull you out if needed.

Like the other poster said, using a come along is pretty labor intensive. Used one a couple of times when I was in the Army when our M1008 CUCV would get stuck in some serious mud and it was a pisser to use but it did work.

 

[Rahkmalla]

Just my 2 cents but I think putting a winch on a Mojave defeats the purpose of what the model was intended for as a higher speed desert based trail runner.

I would agree

You have to do a gut check of what you intended to do with your vehicle off road. If all you ever do is go to the shore with it or the occasional logging trail, probably can get away with a come along.

That's pretty much the extent of my interest in off-roading. I've had it on local trails that amount to little more than washboarded fire trails about 20 times since i got my truck 9 months ago, and just got my NJ beach pass for my truck at the start of this year. Mud holes and rock crawling are not for me. At least not as long as this truck is expected to get me to work come Monday morning.

A come-along or winch would be purchased with the mindset that i'd be more likely to use helping out on my buddy's farm than getting my vehicle unstuck. I'm just looking for that extra bit of security that comes from knowing i have a back-up when my plan of never getting stuck offroad fails.

 

[Bjeepz]

An aluminum stubby and a Warn M8000s will run you about 100lbs up front and require NO other modifications. I run the ARB classic stubby because it was actually available, NO skid mods required with it either.

As for come alongs I at one time had a very expensive come along that was used to manually hoist tires off of heavy equipment underground. It worked incredibly well and didn't require significant effort, it had a 16000lb rating. On the opposite side I've store bought come alongs that were pretty crappy and failed or just didn't work with a significant load.

No winch... here's a list for you; come along, maxtraxx, ARB bushranger inflatable jack, shovel, chainsaw... is this overkill? not in my experience. I've had all but the bushranger, at that point i had a classic hi lift farm jack, it lives in the woods somewhere now.

 

[Puch]

In theory, i'd love a winch, but i really don't want to deal with the weight of the winch plus the weight of a bumper capable of mounting it on my front end. Plus with a Mojave, there's the issue of compatibility with my factory skid that holds my shock reservoirs, so something like the aluminum recreation of the rubi steel bumper wouldn't even be doable without some modification I'm not 100% sure i'm willing to make.

This led me down the path of come-alongs. Specifically, the Wyeth-Scott Power Puller because it seems to be the best regarded model of come-along and it offers synthetic line (which while ubiquitous in the winch world seems to be a rarity in the come-along game).

I don't hate the price even though it costs almost the same as a badlands 12k, i just hate the idea of buying something twice. BUT, i also hate the idea of all that weight on the front of my jeep.

So my question: has anyone bought a come-along to later regret it because you just ended up with a winch anyway? Will i feel secure enough with a come-along or is this me trying to rationalize what will eventually become a "buy twice, cry twice" scenario?

As others have said, if you’re going to use the Mojave more as a Mojave and less for deep mud and rock. I’d go with the come-along. Although it does bring back memories of my Toyota wheeling days….I remember wanting to hang myself with it after using it and wishing I had a gone with a real winch. Stay out of mud and rock and you should be fine. IMO

 

[Chestnut]

I use a cheap one to drag logs onto my trailer. It works great and doesn't take all that much physical effort. A handle extension would make it almost effortless.

I just bought a cheap $30 one form the box store down the road. All in all it works great but it's slow. This one was rated for 4,000 lbs, seems questionable at that weight personally.

The biggest down side that makes them slow is the limited spool length. The one your looking at solves that more so than this cheap one but it is time consuming to have to rehook regularly as the spool is small.

I've been looking at winches to do the same thing. I also don't want to bumper mount but that's mostly because i don't winch from the front very often. I'm looking at reciever mounts or mounting to my trailer.

 

[Cape taco12]

I got by without a winch for years on some of the best trails in New England. I didn’t want to add the weight on my light coil overs. Always went on tough trails with a club and used everyone else’s winches.? Had a much smaller come along that I used to pivot the rear end or assist in deadwood trail cleaning, hi-lift and some straps as well.

The come along has some advantages if your the only truck and by yourself. Like being able to winch in reverse, or from any angle without snatch blocks ect. Plus you can carry it into your friends fenced in backyard and drag their shed around while they are on vacation, or do some tree work in tight quarters. I would be inclined to buy one for overland, unmaintained roads and general light getting stuck situations more or less straight pull. Plus you are more likely to use that in other places. The big thing missing from every come along Iv used has been lack of controlled decent/reverse maybe the one your looking at is different?

In dynamic situations that require some evolution of recovery that’s not just a straight pull and you have no idea how each step will go until you see what happens you want power winch for powered reverse. And quick switching in between. Say you tried rev-limiter assaulting a rock garden and get halfway up a ledge and slide off to a side with your quarter panel close to a rock and no traction to climb. You have the steering wheel turned driver with the winch in the only but less than ideal anchor point. As you winch up the truck shifts and then realize your going to pivot the truck into damage, or an undercut ledge ect and you need to go in reverse, reset and winch up with the steering wheel in different position or might even need to saw your way back and forth without damage. Power winch lets you do a controlled decent inches at a time and go back and forth while you actively drive. Or say you flip a truck back over from a flop and then use a controlled decent to let them right themselves.

If you think only need the come along now and in the future do more challenging stuff and decide you want a power winch. you will still use the come along.

 

[charliez]

I've gotten myself out of bad situations several times with a come a long. Now that I have my winch, never again will I bother with one of those. On my JT I didn't notice any weight or handling difference once I got it installed. I won't go back. That includes using one around the house to do things. As far as I'm concerned, the two I have will hang on the nail in the shop till they rust away.

 

[mog]

Specifically, the Wyeth-Scott Power Puller

I have one of those not as a vehicle recovery winch replacement, but as an 'I'm tired of cheap come- alongs failing' unit. While it works great++, it is far too much effort to recover a vehicle with. Even pulling a car onto a trailer is a ton of work.

If you are concerned about the weight on your front end full time, perhaps a receiver-mounted winch, or dedicated mounting pads you would bolt your winch onto when needed. That is what I did on my old FJ-40 so I could use its winch on the front or rear, or store it inside.

 

[Lunentucker]

I've been wheeling one way or another for four decades. I've only ever gotten stuck once to the point that I needed outside assistance to get out. I drove hard into a deep long mudhole with deep ruts. I'd been through it before, but this time it was brutally cold and the center between the ruts was frozen, so instead of pushing mud with the front diff it dug in, hard, and got my tires up to high to get traction.

Winches are good insurance against bad decisions, but knowledge and prudence are invaluable.

There's no winch on my Mojave, and the recovery strap I haul around is for others. Not me.

 

[Renegade]

The Australian Sherpa Mustang 9500 winch with synthetic line is allegedly only 42 lbs. if weight is a primary consideration, you might look at that. I’ve tried a couple of times, but never successfully used a come along for a serious stuck situation. I threw the last one I had in the trash. Good luck.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

A GOOD come-along will do a lot. For years I used them for loading cars onto my trailers, I've used them for tractors and farm equipment as well.
You can get creative with them and pull quite a distance, and it's not always that labor intensive.
They also make a come-along that uses a chain - and with a long enough chain, there's no reason to take another bite. It works sort of like a chain hoist, but instead of a loop of chain, it's a long chain with a hook on one end.

6 tons is 12,000 pounds. Same as my winch.

https://ihubdeal.com/products/6-ton...tchet-type-come-along-puller-10ft-lifter-shop

 

[TroutFishingInAmerica]

OP, the More Power Puller that you mentioned is a nice unit. I have one and like you said, keep the weight down. I have been out 6-8 weeks at a time and I just can't carry everything. Get a X-lock recovery tool and a 100ft of synthetic, several soft shackles and pulleys, and a tree saver. That's a great start. It never hurt to have a quality come along like this one, it will probably get used for all kinds of things. They have made the same basic puller for ever and everything is available for repair. Yes it is manual labor and a PITA, yes it's not as fast and convenient as a winch, this is pretty obvious. They definitely are lighter, they can be used front, back, side, whatever. I like mine.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

They definitely are lighter, they can be used front, back, side, whatever.

Yup.

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