UTV Winch?

[Mudfarmer]

I had no problems pulling out my Kubota B2710 stuck on a slick hillside where it had slid sideways between two trees. I used my 8000# Harbor Freight winch (about $350) chained to the bucket since I had to pull it forward. No problem pulling uphill with the cable doubled back from a snatch block anchored to a tree. I usually mount that winch to a two-inch receiver I have mounted on a three-point drawbar. I use alligator clamps to the battery. perfectly satisfactory for the occasion "hesitation" and occasional log pulling.

 

[SonomaCountyGentleman]

You can easily multiply your winching power by rigging multiple snatch blocks into the winch cable to give you 2X, 3X or 4X the pulling power from whatever winch you have. With a 3500 lb winch you can realistically achieve 10,000 pounds of pull or more. However if you have any hope of recovering machinery that is heavier than your UTV you will need to find a way to anchor it so that you don’t pull the UTV closer to the stuck vehicle.

 

[Threepoint]

Discussion of tools on TBN ultimately leads to Harbor Freight as the go to source. On the other hand I don't see professionals in the field using Harbor Freight tools. You would think pros that have to replace tools often because daily use wears them out would wise up and stop paying 3 and 4 times what they would at HF.

I sure would have agreed with you ten years ago. HF has upped their game though. I do see pro techs using their tools around here these days.

 

[droy]

The other thing to always keep in mind is the inherent strength of what you mount any winch too, especially the frame strength of any ATV or UTV Their frames aren't all that substantial in the first place so mounting a large winch and getting it in a dead pull situation, you could rip the frame apart or at least tweak it and that could be way more costly to repair than your winch cost.

Beat me to it. Years ago a good friend with an immaculate 1978 Bronco found out he had waaay more winch than that Bronco had frame. We hunted a lot in the swamps of the Atchafalaya Basin. Quite often winches were our best friend, & this guy was no stranger to the game. Only good tree was at a slight angle to the stuck vehicle & end result was bent winch bumper, brackets & both frame rails.
I got an ugly lesson on the same subject when I used my Yamaha four wheelers winch to free my wooden ladder stand from under a downed tree.

 

[John_Mc]

Rural King sells their brand of UTV winches that are pretty well priced. 3500# is around $169 and 5500# is around $199.

I am considering buying one to rig up to the front or back of my GC2400.... Looks like the GC2400 is around 1400# dry weight. I have a fairly steep hill that can get slick. I would like to have the winch to help get the tractor up it, if needed.

IF I'm understanding your question, You are just needing a bit of help getting up a slick hill, not trying to pull yourself out of a situation where you are deeply mired in mud. If that's the case, you might want to consider a decent set of chains, rather than a winch. There are some good threads here on TBN comparing the pros and cons of different chain styles that may be of interest.

4-link V-bar/studded ladder style chains gut me up my icy driveway in the winter.
Pros: Relatively inexpensive, easy to mount, provide good forward traction
Cons: (1) the ride was a little rough (but bearable) on asphalt or hard ground when moving at higher speeds (I have filled rear tires. Ride would probably be better with just air in the tires, but I needed the extra weight for traction.) Lateral traction was not so good, so operation on side hills or on very uneven terrain in my woods was a problems. The "grip...slip...grip...slip" tendency of a four-link ladder style chain can damage pavement, especially for studded/v-bar chains. Going to a 2-link ladder style would improve this significantly, and would improve traction in general over the 4-link style.

DuoGrip chains: I got some studded DuoGrip chains to address the problem of poor lateral traction when working in the woods. The ladder style just was not cutting it. Pros: Forward traction was as good as the ladder style. Lateral traction was much improved. Worked well in the woods on sidehills and uneven terrain. Cons: they had a really rough ride when operating on hard surfaces. If I was going much faster than walking speed, it felt as tough I was going to shake myself and the tractor to death. I'm not sure if they make these in a size to fit your tire.

"Euro style" chains: Since I needed to drive my tractor sometimes several miles over pavement or hard-packed dirt roads and wanted to be able to travel at faster than walking speed. Pros: smooth ride, excellent traction both forward and lateral. I have not had trouble with the studs damaging paved areas - probably because the tration is good enough and continuous, so you don't spin tires easily. Cons: expensive, may not be available in a size to fit your tires?

Another style to consider (which i have not tried myself) would be two link ladder-tyle chains made with square chain. The square provides more "bite" than the traditional round (non-studded) chain, but is far less likely to damage pavement. THese are made in a size to fir your rear tires.

 

[Rod in Forfar]

A timber winch driven by the tractor's PTO is a different animal than the topic of the discussion, but a unit matched to your tractor will do an outstanding job at pulling whatever you want to move or tighten. The frame with the coarse mesh and the rear blade are integral to the unit, doubling as a safety cage for the operator and a bulldozer blade for rolling logs around and anchoring the tractor for the pull. I bought my mid-sized Fransgard privately about fifteen years ago for $2800 CDN and I have never regretted the purchase. It seems to be a long-life implement, so I have devoted an old Massey Ferguson 35 (Perkins) to running it.

 

[kpsp50]

Be careful hooking the winch to the 3 pt it is not built to be used in that way of pulling that is why there is a tow bar on the bottom of the tractor it is stronger

 

[5030]

My Taco Wagon ( Ram 2500 Power Wagon ) comes, standard, with a WARN 12K electric winch. I wish I could show, via picture, how much heavier the wiring is in the engine compartment because of this winch. I got the Taco Wagon, new, in 2019 and have yet to need the winch. If I were to do SERIOUS 4 wheeling - a double fluke boat anchor would be stashed away on the pickup. There seldom seems to be a good anchor point when you really need one. A boat anchor was standard equipment when four wheeling in Alaska. The scrawny birch and spruce trees were NEVER good anchor points.
View attachment 760966

Not to initiate a pizzing match with you but the frame ears on Dodge and RAM pickup trucks are inherently weak. One reason they suffer from 'death wobble' as the stock mounted steering box loosens up. There is an aftermarket fix but the issue should not be there in the first place and it has to to with the frame ears out front and the lack of proper support. You get that in a hard double line dead pull, you could very well 'screw the pooch'. I'd be very careful winching from the front, like I said with a double line (snatch block) pull... and I think I'd add some kind of 'Bull Bar' to the front, as that wimpy bumper and plastic fascia isn't going to take much without breaking.

 

[Xfaxman]

Nice wench .

 

[Golden Rocket]

Thought this would be the best place for this question. Rural King sells their brand of UTV winches that are pretty well priced. 3500# is around $169 and 5500# is around $199. I had a 3500# on my sportsman that drug as big a log as I am ever going to drag and easily pulled that atv out of anything.

I am considering buying one to rig up to the front or back of my GC2400. I know both winches will pull logs easily for me, but has anyone used a winch like this to pull a sub compact tractor out of a situation? Looks like the GC2400 is around 1400# dry weight. I have a fairly step hill that can get slick. I would like to have the winch to help get the tractor up it, if needed.

I know that math adds up but I am sure there are things I am missing or I am not experienced with. The only real winching I have done is with the one on my ATV.

Your winch should be rated double to what your typical load would be - ie, if pulling your tractor is expected to be the heaviest load, take double the weight of your tractor for your winch rating. This is to ensure you have the margin of coverage if mired - other than this approach, you will need snatch blocks and a lot of cable to make 2 to 1 or higher pulls.