Winch on a Motorhome?

[sushidog]

Granted it's not  perfect solution, but then again what is? I would have to use it with caution, going slowly and having my DW watch and alert me is something goes awry.  The main thing going for it is that it is cheap and lightweight.

What do you suggest then to recover a 26,000 lb MH? I like the mule and block and tackle idea, but the mule won't fit in one of my storage bins.  How about a come-along? https://www.amazon.com/Neiko-02256A-Puller-Pulling-Capacity/dp/B000MBWCIU/ref=pd_sbs_263_1/139-8800684-4327450?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B000MBWCIU&pd_rd_r=51235e50-0e97-41b8-96ea-b7c0d8523c4b&pd_rd_w=mEXOP&pd_rd_wg=VKn44&pf_rd_p=bdd201df-734f-454e-883c-73b0d8ccd4c3&pf_rd_r=0WY6VV3ZEFD86PP422NZ&psc=1&refRID=0WY6VV3ZEFD86PP422NZ

Chip

[jenandjon]

I was actually thinking about getting something like this electric winch. Its small but with a couple snatch blocks you could move quite a bit. Ive been stuck a lot with a semi running a side dump trailer. Its been my experience if you stop spinning your wheels before you dig holes, most times you only need a little tug to get moving again. For now I just have a come-along and 30 ft of chain in my HDT. I lost the pulley but something is always better than nothing.

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200455486_200455486?cm_mmc=Google-pla&utm_source=Google_PLA&utm_medium=Winches > AC Powered Winches&utm_campaign=WARN&utm_content=147026&gclid=Cj0KCQjwzN71BRCOARIsAF8pjfjLuV3xO9dY1mvYB6G7E1W3sPF3ZgbT7V1Qmtj9B7m8hrz18ntxRm0aAuB8EALw_wcB

[rls7201]

We got rained on at a rally in Columbia, MO and our 17,000 lb MH was pulled out of the mud by its 3,500 lb receiver. Other larger coaches were pulled out by their 5,000/10,000 receivers. No problem.

 

Richard

Edited May 11, 2020 by rls7201

[sushidog]

Thanks for the advice folks. It sounds like the receiver is a good attachment point for a winch or come-along. I have a roadside assistance service, if needed. I used to have it with FMCA (though I never had to use their service) as they were the cheapest. Recently, however, they had a steep price increase from $69/yr to $159/yr! So I switched to the Escapee roadside assistance program (since it's only $99/yr and I'm a member of both clubs.) They will pull you out if you get stuck within 100 ft of a "maintained road." I assume a graded forest road qualifies, and it doesn't have to be a blacktop highway.

Chip 

[agesilaus]

Quote

You can move the world if you want.  How much damage you do to your motorhome is another issue.

I'm fairly sure I saw a YouTube video showing someone ripping the under carriage out from under his truck with a winch. And as for 4X4 drive I got some good advice when I got my first one. Use the 4WD High to drive off road, use the 4WD low to get unstuck from using the high then leave at that point. Works well for me.

 

[Randyretired]

We often use 4x4 low to crawl over rough steep often rocky trails.  We are careful and have never been stuck on one of those.  The worst situations I have seen are when a rig high centers on a soft surface.  I have spent hours digging out myself and others out when that happens.  The winch we had was only a minor help.  One time we were on a road that was covered in snow and things seemed good until we broke through the ice underneath.  That was Friday and we just made work on Monday.

[Lou Schneider]

Bush Winch is another drive wheel winch from Down Under.  It uses adapters that clip onto the drive wheels and guides that clip onto the front wheels to keep the ropes aligned.  Dual 3.4 ton (6800 lb) rated ropes gives it 13,600 lbs pulling power.

https://www.bushwinch.com/

And a pair of Youtube videos showing how it works:
https://youtu.be/trrEKbc6uqE

https://youtu.be/jK1sFAohWko

Edited May 18, 2020 by Lou Schneider

[sushidog]

I agree with you Agesilaus, and I would never risk getting stuck going in to a campsite. If the road is that bad one simply shouldn't go. However, never having been at the location before, it's sometimes hard to tell what the road will look like after you are already in a spot that was relatively easy to get to before a heavy rainfall. But what do you do when you must leave because your 14 day BLM or forest service limit is reached and the roads have turned to mud? Wait it out, I guess. If the ranger says something just explain the situation telling him you'll leave just as soon as it dries up a bit and you think it's safe o do so. What can he say?

Thanks for the link, Lou.

Of course the drive wheels on a motorhome are deeply dished, like the rear axle of a dually pick-up. The rear bracket would need to stick out about 13-14" before the spool is attached to clear the body of the RV. The front guide wheels are not as recessed and would only need to protrude about 7-8" to clear the body. Naturally the rope would need to be much, much stronger too, as my motorhome is about 7 times heavier than the vehicles they were recovering in the videos. If they designed one for a dually pick-up it might work, but it would have to be 4 times stronger though. Going out so far from the wheels hub would put a lot of load on the wheel studs too. Great concept though, but it would definitely be a do it yourself project that I'm not willing to undertake.

I wonder why no one makes a practical solution (other than calling a wrecker) to recover a barely stuck motorhome? I surely can't be the first person to recognize the need to recover a stuck motorhome due to a rapid, unanticipated change of weather. I guess the only solution is to wait for as long as it takes for the ground to dry after a heavy rainfall before chancing a move, whether that be a couple days or a few weeks.  All the more reason to have plenty of food and water onboard when boondocking, cause you never know how long you'll end up being marooned there.

[packnrat]

having done a lot with 4X4’s, winches for the most part are just dead weight. but when you need it, nothing else works.

but look into the chain pullers. less weight. far easer hook up ( no wires). most stuck’s do not require the full rating of a winch. on a rv. i doubt you will get stuck like a 4X4 can.

if you use cables have a couple snatch blocks, (are snatch blocks made for chains?) many D rings, tree strap, 30 ft jerk strap. extra 30 ft length of cable and a couple heavy packing blankets.

but if you must hook up anything mount only to the frame or a hard point bolted to the frame

(as in three or more 3/4 in grade 8 bolts) 

think over kill here so you do not kill someone.

learn how to use and hook up a “cable” and how Not to.

just the dead weight of a jeep stuck in shallow ruts can rip a frame apart if not done right.

Edited January 26, 2021 by packnrat

[sushidog]

I told the shop to put a winch on the front of my Jeep. I guess they misheard me.

"having done a lot with 4X4’s, wenches for the most part are just dead weight. but when you need it, nothing else works." Ain't that the truth! 😁

 

Chip

 

Edited July 6, 2020 by sushidog

[noteven]

I’ve seen some pretty nice wenches on the trails...guy tells me his is “12,000lbs” I looks over and thinks to myself “don’t look that much over 2 fitty” but I sez to the guy I sez “Oh ya...” and nods 

[packnrat]

being a avid 4 wheeler for a long time, having a onboard winch is mostly having to haul extra weight around. but when needed it it worth it's weight in gold.

no mater what type of winch power you use, just make sure the mounts are properly secured to both frame rails. and rated for three/four times the winches rating. get two proper rated snatch blocks, 30 foot of chain. a 30 foot jerk strap. tree protector. couple pars of heavy duty gloves, and a couple of the protection blankets from u-haul.

and MUST LEARN the safety use of your winch. as people do die each year do to unsafe usage of a wench.

 

there is more to getting unstuck than it looks to be, but get a couple of those tire boards. high lift jack, et.

Edited January 26, 2021 by packnrat

[hemsteadc]

Ok, it's a winch, not a wench.  If you want smaller power cables get at 120v winch and use a portable generator.

[57becky]

The most practical thing, being off the road and the rain comes, would be just cab up, and when the rain stops, get the chairs out and wait till it dries up.  Why risk tearing up the rig and who knows what else just to move the RV.  I've had experience getting large trucks and equipment pulled out of mud and other places, once with the biggest caterpillar I've ever seen, and the trench that was created by the truck being dragged out was huge.  Another time, the cable broke and drug a load of rocks toward the truck we were pulling out.  Blew out the radiator, windshield, alternator along with body damage.  Fortunately, the guy behind the wheel was able to dive for the floor before the rocks hit the truck.  If the ground was hard enough to drive in, it will be hard enough to drive out once it dries up.

[packnrat]

if you get a winch, have it very well mounted to the FRAME. with many points of mounting.

get a couple heavy snatch blocks, 30 feet of chain(dot rated), a 30 ft jerk strap, tree truck protector, number of D rings, roll of 90 mph tape, couple pairs of gloves, heavy packing blankets (dead drop weight thing), very heavy sheep herders jack, more "stuff" as you see fit.

but mostly learn how to use the winch correctly first.

as to wiring it in. can you place a large batt close to it? saves on the wiring problems.

mostly a winch is just dead weight (and they are heavy), and a empty pocket. but if needed and is the only thing possible. it is worth its weight in gold.

[Norbonwheels]

On 1/18/2020 at 3:18 AM, sushidog said:

So are you suggesting a 5,000 lb rated hitch? I was hoping the hitch would hold more than it's tow rating for an occasional emergency. They must build a pretty big safety factor into it, for instances like towing a 5,000 lb trailer up a steep hill, or to withstand the force of the trailer brakes locking up. 

I don't have to attach it to the car. A fair sized tree would be best. I would only attach it to the car's hitch if I had no other choice. Just because the MH weighs 26,000 lbs doesn't mean I will need more than a couple tons of pulling power assisting the MHs engine to pull me out. I don't envision going into places that are dicey on the way in, but you never know when a bad rain will hit when you are boondocking down a dirt road that was solid and firm going in but now that it's time to leave, a couple weeks later, it has turned into mud.

I remember one time I was camping at a forest service campground in Georgia when I my current toad was my tow vehicle and my camper was a little Aliner. I had to ford a shallow stream going in - maybe 2-3 inches of water. But a week later when it was time to leave a little rain fell and the stream had swollen to a good 6-8 inches. I made it, thank goodness, but I can envision worse circumstances in the future now that I'm doing this full-time and not just a couple times a year when I get a vacation. 

What does everyone else do, just wait for the road to dry, hoping it won't rain again and get worse in the meantime? That's what I did earlier this year when it rained while I was camping on FR-611 at a campsite overlooking the N. Rim of the Grand Canyon. It was absolutely awe inspiring, and free to boot. The road going in was gravel and washboarded a little, but not too bad, other than a couple of big low spots that when filled with rain water went all the way across. But the main problem was the ditch I had to cross to leave the campsite and get on the road. I ended up leaving a couple days early because it was supposed to rain again. I made it out OK, but probably would have gotten stuck if I didn't leave when I did.

I would sure feel better if I had a winch just in case - though it would have had to pull from the front to have worked in that particular scenario. Does anyone make a portable winch that has hooks on both ends so I could pull from the frame rather than a bumper or the hitch? Maybe even something like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzDUpUDJm5Q

Chip

Hi Sushidog, I have been thinking the same for a while, it will be really nice to have a way to get out of that situation by yourself, and specially being in the middle of nowhere far away from a tow and remember usually they charge like $ 250 per hour of driving so it can get really expensive and not all the roadside assistance will cover it, if is to far.

what they said  here about the tow hitch is true, but I will attach a base straight to the chassis, and check with a heavy rescue truck driver, to get some ideas,.... when they do a really heavy recovery, usually they look for the frame or chassis, axle, so it can be done no problem.

the other thing is , that you are not lifting the whole RV,... but for what i found ( didn’t like the news) you should multiply your gvwr by 1.5. In another site about winching they give you a calculator and when I put 26000. lbs it gave me 39000 to 50000 lbs winch  (bad news) because a winch that size will cost a lot and it will be not electric , it will be hydraulic….

but I won't give up yet, because you can use a snatch block to double the line, so a 20000lbs winch or a 25000 lbs winch will work , and some are electric,...

Hope it helps,  and I hope you can solve it, if i get any news I will let you know.

Best wishes and keep on Rving...