Who's your got to for recovery gear?

[MAG00]

Who's is your favorite or go to for recovery gear and why? Factor55, Tactical Recovery Equipment, Overland Vehicle Systems, Kingdom Offroad, Warn, ARB, other?

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[GI Grandpa]

I love Warn and Factor55 and I have a Warn winch on both my Jeeps along with some Factor55 gear. On the JT I also carry four MaxTrax boards, tow straps, shovel, kinetic rope, hard and soft shackles, tools, etc.

 

[pharmfrank]

I have a Warn winch but also Bubba ropes, VooDoo straps, some Harbor Freight stuff,
some ordered online (Quadratec, Extreme Terrain, Summit etc), all good so far

 

[MarkN]

I also have a Warn winch and a variety of other gear. I like Factor 55, I have Bunker indust traction boards, Rhino straps, Crosby bow shackles. I like to stick with US made brand name gear with rating tags. They cost more but I feel better about them doing a recovery.

Mark

 

[professorkx]

I have a warn Zeon 12S on my jeep and Adventure motorhome. However, most folks won’t use a winch very often, so I believe the Harbor Freight Apex winch is sufficient for 90% of Jeep owners…and budget friendly at almost $1,000 less expensive than my Warn.

I also install a Warn winch cover with the zipper section over the plug and engagement lever, as water is the biggest issue with winches IMHO…even the Warn…so all of my winches have a cover. If I were on a budget I would buy the Apex 12k winch and install the warn winch cover for protection from water.

as for soft shackles and such, Amazon or Harbor Freight have never failed on me, and I carry a Harbor Freight snatch block that I’ve only used a few times to redirect the pull angle.

Finally, since the Adventure Motorhome weighs so much, I carry a 30 foot x 7/8 kinetic rope from Rugged Ridge, but unlikely I will ever need to use it. I carry a tow strap that I use as a tree saver for snatch block use and winch extender or when needed for gentle pulls of rigs stuck in the snow.

I’m also trying a winch thimble but have not used it yet, so no report on durability and ease of use.

 

[Josh00333]

I’ll get flamed buuut, cheep stuff off amazon

I’ll watch some YouTube tests and reviews then get what performed well at half the cost of the named brands.

now I’m not a recovery worker doing things every day every weekend every month. If my rope lasts twice then it will last ten years.

 

[professorkx]

“If my role lasts twice then it will last 10 years”

You are the normal Jeep owner, which is why I said Apex winch and harbor freight recovery gear. You will have less than $1,000 invested, which will be worth it for the 2-3 times you will use it…and cheaper than a single recovery by someone else…unless it’s Paul from Fab Rats who recovers for the YouTube views and associated revenue.

 

[whiteglad]

I shop around, and am in the camp of occasional use if at all. So, I have Harbor Freight, misc. Amazon brands, Agency 6.

 

[Jrgunn5150]

Amazon.

 

[Schaft]

Who's is your favorite or go to for recovery gear and why? Factor55, Tactical Recovery Equipment, Overland Vehicle Systems, Kingdom Offroad, Warn, ARB, other?

Iron Man 4 x 4- monster winch, factor 55 fairlead and ultra hook. Everything else was either Harbor freight or Amazon. The winch is mounted to a hammerhead steel front bumper, which is winch ready. Bought my gladiator in 2021, new and only used it once, to recover someone. My neighbor’s friends semi tractor was stuck in the lot he parks it at. It’s a dirt parking lot, but the rigs are parked on large stones, 4–5 inches in diameter. The tractor had sunk down on the rocks, in the mud so to say. The wheels were spinning, no traction. I used the harbor freight tow strap hooked to the two rear hooks on my rig I used a tree saver, connected to the tow strap and attached to the tractor. The gladiator pulled the tractor out with very little effort. I could’ve used the winch, but this was quicker and he needed the truck out at that very moment. And since that’s the only recovery i have done in nearly 5 years, I’m glad I didn’t spend big bucks on namebrand, all the way around.

 

[Jaxmax]

I’ve worked as an electrician since 1974, and have used and still use tools , I only buy quality tools that do not need the warranty. I have on many occasions handed my tools to one of my electricians that broke theirs, warranty is great but not if it breaks when you need it. I’m even more so quality on recovery gear have an expensive as hell Warn rock crawler winch , Crosby shackles snd some Factor 55 stuff, I’ve only done five recoveries, two myself and three others including my F-250 work truck that slid sideways down a hill into trees , hitched a ride home got Jeep and pulled the 7400 pound truck sideways out between trees then rerigged and pulled it the rest of the way up the hill straight , I had no concern.
I will never tell some one that my winch is good enough or the best and in the same sentence say I got it only for this much, on sale and with coupons.
I know everyone says Warn is high priced junk ,costs too much and Harbor freight winches are the best bang for the buck, just not for me…..Jack

 

[Schaft]

I’ve worked as an electrician since 1974, and have used and still use tools , I only buy quality tools that do not need the warranty. I have on many occasions handed my tools to one of my electricians that broke theirs, warranty is great but not if it breaks when you need it. I’m even more so quality on recovery gear have an expensive as hell Warn rock crawler winch , Crosby shackles snd some Factor 55 stuff, I’ve only done five recoveries, two myself and three others including my F-250 work truck that slid sideways down a hill into trees , hitched a ride home got Jeep and pulled the 7400 pound truck sideways out between trees then rerigged and pulled it the rest of the way up the hill straight , I had no concern.
I will never tell some one that my winch is good enough or the best and in the same sentence say I got it only for this much, on sale and with coupons.
I know everyone says Warn is high priced junk ,costs too much and Harbor freight winches are the best bang for the buck, just not for me…..Jack

Contrary to what you’re saying about the warn winch, I went with the Iron Man 4 x 4, USA 12,000lb winch, for the following reasons. Price, got it delivered for just over $700,(coupon). Five year mechanical warranty, outstanding duty cycle, good rope length, only 61 pounds, and breather tube which mounts at the top of the engine bay. I hope I never have to use it, but if I do, I’m ready.
Yes I would’ve preferred a warn winch. They have a reputation, that speaks for itself. But we must all live, within our means. At that time, I was only beginning the mod phase, and that’s what my budget would allow.

 

[sarguy1941]

I run the Badlands whinchs on all my jeeps. I dont use them weekly or even monthly. On my JT its never been used other than spooling rope on it. For other stuff I like the Rhino branded stuff and have had good luck with it. Even have trailer straps and associated stuf from them. I do have a few HF shackles in my work truck and beat the heck out of them. Just stiffer than I like for most off road stuff. I'd love to have Factor 55 stuff but just can't justify it. I think in 5 years of wheeling I pulled a line twice, once for me and once for naother jeeper with no winch. If your just adding stuff for an occasional use then economical can be ok, if you need this stuff becasue you hang off the side of mountains daily then go big.

 

[VA6489]

Recovery gear can be cheap or stupid expensive.

Whatever you choose make sure it have working load (WL)rating attached or stamped on it that covers the working load rating of you winch. Lots of stuff out there without a WL rating that will not hold up to high loads, results from broken stuff to a trip to the morgue.

Good equipment used incorrectly nets the same result.

Cheap unrated equipment used correctly.... same result.

No matter if you use it once or 100 times using the equipment wrong or unrated stuff yields the same result, from broken stuff or a trip to the morgue.

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