Well, tonight on a night run I finally got to use/test out my winch. It's been riding around on the front bumper for a month or more now, so it was about time it earned it's keep! LOL! I have a pic of the spot from last trip in the day time:


the rocks were messed up from their usual positions tonight and I ended up stuck as follows: See the stump by my right front tire? I was high-centered on it by the right rear corner of my skidplate(right about the crossmember) and the left rear of my Tracker was off the larger rock to the left side, hanging out in the creek! The large rock had me high-centered about half-way back the frame rail, while nose up at a steep climb. With no lockers and one wheel from each axle in the air, I wasn't going ANYWHERE! LOL!

The best tree to hook to was just far enough away that I had to go single-line and at roughly a 45 degree offside pull. I hooked up, cut the wheel to the left to match the winch line and hit the switch. Mere moments later, the Tracker was being dragged up over the stump and large rock until I was back on solid ground again. My bumper never flinched and the winch never even bogged down dragging the Tracker's frame over the rock! Not bad at all for a $181 winch!

Any doubts at all I may have had about running a 3000# winch were quickly put to rest! For info, it's a Milemarker E3000 I bought from Rough Country/Heckthorn. I added a quad roller fairlead from ebay for $15(it was the perfect width for the winch's drum size). I would definately recomend this winch to anyone looking for something adequate to pull their zuk out without breaking the bank!

Now is the time to go back out, and re-wrap the cable with some tension back onto the drum. The last wrap doesn't have to be pretty as you pull that much just to reach something to tag onto.

Glad things worked out. Have you taken any kind of 'class' about the proper use and safety in using a winch? When a cable breaks under tension, it becomes like a knife and can cut through a lot of materials as well as bodies.

Nice pic,  I'll bet that crossing looks 5 times nastier in person.  Maybe 10x nastier in the dark.  Good deal on the winch, glad it is working out for ya.

Now is the time to go back out, and re-wrap the cable with some tension back onto the drum. The last wrap doesn't have to be pretty as you pull that much just to reach something to tag onto.

Glad things worked out. Have you taken any kind of 'class' about the proper use and safety in using a winch? When a cable breaks under tension, it becomes like a knife and can cut through a lot of materials as well as bodies.

always have a large beach blanket or something to absorb the energy from the line if it happens to break

good work on the deal for that winch =)

Jagular, I'm already way ahead of you! I re-wrapped the drum neatly with some tension as soon as I cleared the boulder, just to put the cable away! And as for taking a "class", no, I never actually took a "class", I just have half a brain and paid attention to just about every winch article I've ever seen in magazines or online and I also read the instructions that came with the winch. Check out this site for some useful info, I found it very informative:
http://www.geocities.com/landroverpty/winching.htm

Whitfield, that crossing is basically only do-able in stock form with a heavy throttle approach and no regard for rocker damage! Trying to crawl across it results in getting stuck. The roughest part is the large boulder you have to scale to climb out of the water, right where I got stuck. So far I've done this crossing 3 times and only needed to use any recovery gear just once...

I had a come-along with me that I could have used to slide the rear end back over to the right and I had a hi-lift jack with me I could have used to lift the wheels to stack some rocks under. Even with all this available to me, I just wanted to try my winch out to see how it would do and it did very well. I'm very happy with it's performance.

Jagular, I'm already way ahead of you! I re-wrapped the drum neatly with some tension as soon as I cleared the boulder, just to put the cable away! And as for taking a "class", no, I never actually took a "class", I just have half a brain and paid attention to just about every winch article I've ever seen in magazines or online and I also read the instructions that came with the winch. Check out this site for some useful info, I found it very informative:
http://www.geocities.com/landroverpty/winching.htm
.....snip.....

Consider that to be the 'class'. I know of someone who too it for granted that he could figure it out. Bought a used winch, with a bad cable wound on the drum and never straightened it. Got stuck and wedged into some trees. Took his winch and tried to pull himself off and out all by himself. Nothing protecting him while he was out of the vehicle standing next to the bumper and winch. Cable broke, cut one leg off, badly damaged other enough to be apputated, and actually the cable cut the grille, headlight, and through the fender to above his tire. We heard a loud bang that still rips through my head after 14 yrs.

Glad things worked out for the best.

Consider that to be the 'class'. I know of someone who too it for granted that he could figure it out. Bought a used winch, with a bad cable wound on the drum and never straightened it. Got stuck and wedged into some trees. Took his winch and tried to pull himself off and out all by himself. Nothing protecting him while he was out of the vehicle standing next to the bumper and winch. Cable broke, cut one leg off, badly damaged other enough to be apputated, and actually the cable cut the grille, headlight, and through the fender to above his tire. We heard a loud bang that still rips through my head after 14 yrs.

Glad things worked out for the best.

A little much information, but a very colorful description nonetheless...