Winch Purpose?
 

So I would like a winch on my truck but my wife says no because i have never needed one yet so why should I need one now. I of course have one on my atv and love it. But my atv goes offroad and gets stuck.

So is a winch practical for a truck? Do they get lots of use? I dont take it offroad like the atv so am wondering what other uses they provide besides just getting unstuck?

Id like to be able to justify the purchase with my wife.... because of course I love to accessorize my truck.

Thanks for all the help!

It's just like any other accessory, it's there if you need it, (want it) would really suck if you needed it and didn't have it.

I have one on my truck and have never used it YET. One day I might need it.
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[QUOTE=mcama47;5527320]So I would like a winch on my truck but my wife says no because i have never needed one yet so why should I need one now.

My ex wife said the same thing to me when we were married, I reminded her I never needed my life insurance yet either, but if something happens she will be glad I had it. :thumbup:

Thats how i feel. I would rather have it and not need it than not have it and need it. I can think of a few times she got her suv stuck in our driveway and it would have been much easier than using out my atv. Im hoping with enough reasons i can talk her into it.

I have a 2wd, don't really go offroad with it, but still managed to get it stuck in my field last spring while using it as a "deadweight" to pull against with my also-stuck UTV with winch. 2wd truck + slick-as-snot MS mud + all-season Hankook tires = instant wheel spin (even with electric locker). Took me a number of hours laying in the mud to get enough 3/4" plywood under the tires to get free, not fun.

The problem for me with a truck-mounted winch is $$$. A front-mount winch bumper ain't cheap. A rear-mount winch arrangement (using hitch receiver) is cheaper but a lot less useful, and running 20+ ft. of thick gage wire from the battery to the truck rear is a bit of a pain too.

Maybe someone makes a front receiver hitch for new F150's (like they do for Super Duties), that might be a way to go, $150 or so for the front receiver, a couple hundred $ for a cheap 9000 lb. HF Badlands winch, and a much shorter wiring/connector run.

There was another thread on here that mounted the winch just behind the front license plate and it was fairly inexpensive and a very clean look. That is what i have been wanting to do. It would be nice to have a removable winch for front or rear like you mention.

Tuff Stuff makes a 12,500 lb winch for $329 and up and seems to have good reviews. I dont need to spend crazy money but i do wonder how much use it would get.

I've never owned one but know lots of guys who do. They use it mostly to pull others out of bad spots. Come to think of it I've used 4X4 more to pull others out of bad spots than I have myself.

In addition to my 4X4 F-150 I have a 10+ year old 4x4 Tacoma. I'm NOT going to be doing any hardcore off road driving with the Ford. I use it as my family's main vehicle for longer trips and for hunting. I need 4X4 on muddy farm roads and at times even forest service roads can get bad in spots. We get a significant snow here in North GA about once every 2-3 years. When I was in my teens and early 20's I played around off road as much as anyone. But not with a $30-$40K rig.

The Tacoma however might see some more hard core use. Now that it is no longer my primary vehicle for every day driving I may well add a winch and do some other mods to it.

Fixed right up for you.

There are things you can do with a winch that aren’t related to off-roading. You can use it to lift stuff around your property, all you need is pulley and place to mount it. Landscaping, construction, auto repair projects. Lots of places to use a winch if you are a do it yourselfer.

I have had a winch on one of my vehicles 10+ years. I have never used it to pull my vehicle free from being stuck. I have used it to pull a lot of trees and to uproot bushes.