Hilux 4x4 Forum

So let's say you have to choose between the following equipment:
- Hi lift jack
- baloon jack
- "tracks"
- winch

You already have your straps and ropes in the vehicle, but can only take ONE, maximum two of the items from the list above - which would you take along ?

Hi-lift en winch

If I travel alone... a winch and a hi-lift jack and don't forget about a spade... you can sort out almost all problem with a spade and a bit of elbow grease.

CasKru wrote:If I travel alone... a winch and a hi-lift jack and don't forget about a spade... you can sort out almost all problem with a spade and a bit of elbow grease.

Dito

So let's consider the spade as part of the towstraps - that part of the kit EVERYBODY SHOULD HAVE when going off the tar.

So what is your number "1" and your number "2" item that you would next take along?

1) ....

2) ...



PS - a Hi Lift is much cheaper than a whinch. Yet which do YOU consider as the "most usefull" ?

Thing is the wife and I will end up doing some overlanding on our own. Finances and more importantly space limits what one can tag along.

When travelling alone... Hi-lift jack and winch.

Defi hi lift jack, if used correctly, can get you out anywhere.

May take abit longer but hey we meant to have patience when 4x4ing LOL

Nah the high lift works well as a winch when needed and I know this from experience when my old Mazda snapped a shaft in the middle of a water crossing.

Just always remember to make sure it's lubed or it's a 1 3 1 tc 1-1

Hoop dit help met jou besluit
Dit gebeer as jy aleen gaan speel al is die reel jy gaan speel nie aleen nie,voor ek daar in gegaan het het ek seker gemaak daar is hak plek vir die winch as ek nie kan uit kom nie

MMMmmm neem aan jy wou net die winch toets. Toyota sit mos nie vas nie.

VRAAG???????????????? Hoekom is die bonnet nie oop vir veiligheid nie?

Gertc wrote:MMMmmm neem aan jy wou net die winch toets. Toyota sit mos nie vas nie.

VRAAG???????????????? Hoekom is die bonnet nie oop vir veiligheid nie?

mmmmhhhhh ek wonder ook? :shifty: :shifty: :shifty:

VRAAG???????????????? Hoekom is die bonnet nie oop vir veiligheid nie?

Dalk was daar was seker 'n bridle om die boom.....maar nou ja, dis seker veiliger met die bonet oop

Nou ja, so as dit dan n winch moet wees ....

Ek het so bietjie gelees en dit lyk of die WARN 9000 die "benchmark" is.

VRAE:
1) Is dit regtig die beste ?

2) Wat kos dit ?

3) Waar is die beste plek om dit te koop ?


Ek hoor graag van die lede hier, voor ek duur skoolgeld betaal ....

Besides Warn (Aus) there is Ramsey (USA - an excellent winch), and might be a few dollars cheaper than the Warn. Other options to consider would be Come-UP (also Aus) and T-Max (Korean, I think) .... not sure of the Come-Up pricing .... might even be more than the Warn and just as good if not better quality. The T-Max would be the cheapest option that I would consider.

This is not an item that you're going to get a lot of general use out of, but when you need it it must be reliable, so get something reasonably decent or nothing. It will definitely make your life easier if you're alone and get stuck though. A bridle and snatch block are light and don't take space and are "good to have's", but a sand anchor although very useful is weighty & bulky. There are other options to a sand anchor like burying your spare wheel and attaching to that, or 3 x iron standards (about a metre in length each) with two sturdy rope strops and a mallet. Works on the principles of leverage and done properly will hold better than any sand anchor. (See illustration)

I would also look at Thabor winch, Warn's cheaper verson. Excellent winch, I would buy another one if needed

Thanks gents, any idea on pricing ?

I can get the Thabor + a small 220V winch for home use at R8k. I might be able to pick up a Warn 9000 for less on a special .... but is this actually a "special"? I dont know what these items normally go for .... I just have an idea what the cheapies go for, BUT not interested in getting stuck in sight of a nice tree with a broken cheapie .... (not that the highest price qaurantees superior quality)

I’d much rather take the balloon jack and a winch

Just my choice

Okkie which balloon jack would you take ?

Seems you get the "cheapies", then a few at R1,8k, then Takla at R3,5k (actually have not seen the Takla, just heard this is what is costs)

Hi Chris, I have a Front Runner ballon jack, nice and stong works like a charm. If I have to jack up the van for whatever reason, I do not think twice to balloon it up rather than to hi-lift it :!:

For peace of mind I'd go for the front runner or the takla , the cheap makes are not to be shot down, but its like choosing between “Vehicle A: D or a Hilux “ I’d rather take the proven reliability. Someone else have already done the testing, why reinvent the wheel?

In one of the not so far back issues of WEG RY a Hilux met with the sea on the Angola coast …..my opinion is that if the people had a reliable balloon jack they would most likely have recovered the vehicle instead of having to abandon it.

Besides that, a hi lift jack is a very dangerous piece of equipment and if not used safe and with much knowledge and care can seriously injure or even kill a person. Don’t take me the wrong way the hi lift jack used correctly at the right time is a very handy tool but the air jack or so called balloon jack is my choice over the hi lift.

In Nick's pics posted, I am not convinced that the balloon jack would have been as helpful? I think the winch would have done best. A hi-lift could also have worked as a winch, but with a lot of PT!

What I am trying to say, is that each of the above mentioned 'tools' have their place for different situasions.

Even sand / mud traks could have been used, if they were available. Lot cheaper and also very effective. But from experience if you are really bogged down, trax do not always work.

If stuck in a riverbed or water crossing, I doubt if the balloon jack is going to be the 'tool' of choice. But rather a winch

Mark that is why my initial question was based on TWO tools. Truth is that one will never be able to fit every recovery tool in a singel vehicle. At this point my choise is as follows:

- spade
- various ropes/straps/shackles etc
- winch (HOPE to have this resolved SHORTLY, just waiting for one email to confirm it)
- I have a Hi-lift jack, but am very tempted to rather take an air jack along

Chris, jy het al gehoor van die gesegde - 'He who has the most toys, win's' :wink2:

Mark het jy al my garage gesien .....

ChrisF wrote:Mark het jy al my garage gesien .....

Nee, maar jy moet bietjie hier by my kom loer.....ek dink jy sal beslis kompetiesie he....

I hope this is not a hijack but what recovery equipment do you need if you are not alone. What should always be in you bakkie.
1. Tools
2. Snatch blocks ets

and who can teach you to use them. I'm very new to the 4x4 game and to honest very lost with all the equipment available.

Hi lift jack , just found out how to use it on my last trip i did, and a spade a must, if i didnthave a spade i would have been stuck much longer. on one forum they said take empty grain bags with, and use when stuck by filling with what ever is around, instead of tracks.

Thanks, I saw some nifty home made traks on the forum. Think those will be a must!

Please make sure you have at least the following equipment on board:

1) your own snatch rope/strap
2) 2 x Bow shackles (rated)
3) a pair of pigskin gloves.
4) some ropes to make safety lanyards etc
5) decent recovery hooks, weight rated, and fitted with the proper weight rated hardware to the chassis of the vehicle.
6) spade

Monster wrote:I hope this is not a hijack but what recovery equipment do you need if you are not alone. What should always be in you bakkie.
1. Tools
2. Snatch blocks ets

and who can teach you to use them. I'm very new to the 4x4 game and to honest very lost with all the equipment available.

Not alone:
I would say, snatch strap own), tow strap 10t (15m - 20m) is handy....very handy!
Spade
Tools
Sackles (bow type)

But if you are travelling with a LR group you needent wary, they carry all the tools with anyway.....

Agree with Thys' comments above .... if you wanted to add to that, tracks can help a lot in sandy / muddy conditions. I have alu chequer plates which I used as sand ladders, they work well but so do grain bags which are a lot lighter and take up less space and can also be used as trash bags so you don't leave a mess behind you. If it's muddy, keep one grain bag aside so that it stays clean and you can put the dirty ones inside when you're done so that you don't have a mess in the load bin.

A safety bridle on each end of your tow rope / snatch rope is always a good idea. Lifting the bonnet for protection against whiplash from a possible rope / RP failure is always recommended, but sometimes you need the visibility and it's not always practical. In such cases the grain bags come in handy again .... just partially fill and drape over the rope, three (one in centre and the other two on either side at about the ¼ length mark) should do the trick to contain any whiplash. The remaining danger is if a RP comes adrift and separates from the rope to become an untethered projectile ... this is why I prefer hooks that close with a spring gate and not the open ended type. (If you don't have grain bags, there are many other options ... blankets, sleeping bags, branches etc.)

My Warn Winch and Hi-Lift.

The air jacks are brilliant as single application tools.

I've always been under the impression that Warn/Tabor was US Made.

PS. There is a special coming up on Warn M8000i's in March only.

I have the details, will send it upon request.

Traveler wrote:PS. There is a special coming up on Warn M8000i's in March only.

I have the details, will send it upon request.

OK, send pls

Vonkpos is gestuur met die verlangde inligting.

Traveler wrote:Vonkpos is gestuur met die verlangde inligting.

Dankie Mr H :wink2:

Grootste plesier. Ek dink daai is 'n uitstekende opsie. My M8000 is nou al jare oud en draai steeds 'n kraghou.

Guys

Thank you for the load of info!

By Solomons Wall (Motloutse Rivier - Botswana) aangekom sit daar toe n Fortuner vas in die rivier. Ek gebruik 4W met beide lockers en later die winch maar ek grou myself net dieper in die sand in. Haal die straps af en woerts uit is ek, vul die gate op met sand en probeer weer. So vorder ek tot naby die kant van die rivier. n Sagte 4*4 kom toe daar aan en hak aan my, maar die kan nie in 4*4 kom nie. Het hy gespin en rev om daar alleen uit te kom en weg is hy. n Ou toppie kom nader en se hier is geen manier nie ons moet albei voertuie se bande afblaas (1.2) Intussen is klippe en takke onder die Fortuner se wiele gesit - niks. Intussen is daar 8 ander voertuie (4*4). Een het toe n kompressor gehad en ek se ok dan blaas ons af en woerts ek sleep hom tot op die wal. Ek kon nie glo dit maak so n verskil nie. En toe word daar fotos geneem ne want die vriende se Fortuner kon toe aan die begin ook nie help nie en hulle het gaan hulp soek. Dit was my eerste "recovery", ek het baie geleer maar was dit lekker. Noodeloos om te se ons het so 4 ure later by ons bestemming aangekom, was daardie koue Windhoek Lager leeekkkkker wat iemand aangebring het. My graaf en daardie kompressor het n verskil gemaak.

Just a snippet of useful info .... not everyone has a winch or even if they have, can not always rig it in the direction that requires winching. Here is a simple alternative if anchor points are available and you have a suitable rope.

(The flip-flop winch)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYQPi4Gj9z0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Oom Andy, Ek kon nou nie die video kyk nie (geblok by die werk :evil: )

Maar is die winch waarvan oom praat soos die ene?



Ek n soort gelyke ene by my pa gekry, nog nooit gebruik nie. Dit lyk asof dit n massiewe vrag kan vat/trek. Ekt ook n kleiner ene, wat 2 ton kan trek. Hom ry ek altyd saam. Gebruik hom om dooie beeste/wild te laai ens, maar ek reken hy gaan te lig wees vir n voertuig wat in die modder vassit.

Ek oorweeg dit om nou met die groote rond te ry as ek weet ek gaan in vir uitdaging. Maar dis n swaar bonkige ding. Ek reken sy grootste voordeel is dat hy van enige hoek af kan werk. Byvoorbeeld n voertuig wat om geval het, of n recovery van agter. Dit is seker die grootste rede hoekom n winch vir my voor net 25% effektief is. N ander voordeel is dat jy hom kan uilaai as jy by die huis kom, in plaas daarvan dat jy die heeltyd met die eksta gewig rondry.

Hoe voel julle manne oor die winch? of

Cobus daai is die regte ding volgens my.Jy kan hom ook vir baie ander goed gebruik

Kaspaas monteer jou winch op n "cradle" - die koppel jy op die towbar quik release punte, voor of agter. Dan kan jy die winch vir baie meer geleenthede gebruik :)

ChrisF wrote:Kaspaas monteer jou winch op n "cradle" - die koppel jy op die towbar quik release punte, voor of agter. Dan kan jy die winch vir baie meer geleenthede gebruik :)

Chris ek wou jou nog gevra het.kry jy enige "voltage" drop as jy die winch agter gebruik.Ek het al gesien die ouens wat dit so doen sukkel met voltage drop en dan trek die winch nie genoeg krag nie.

Kaspaas wrote:Oom Andy, Ek kon nou nie die video kyk nie (geblok by die werk :evil: )

Maar is die winch waarvan oom praat soos die ene?

Ek het al baie met hom gewerk, lekker sterk maar baie harde werk veral as die afstand redelik is, kan 'n goeie rugbreker wees. Beslis beter as niks as niemand anders naby is nie.

George agter het ek n KORT kabel na my tweede battery wat agter in die bakkie sit .... so ek HOOP maar dat as ek hom die slag nodig het agter is die tweede battery VOL - maar die voorste battery sal darem ook so bietjie boost.

so ja, mens hoop maar dit sal reg werk wanneer NODIG.


Gelukkig kan ek BEVESTIG dat die voorste punt en krag kabels WERK ! Het n Maart myself moes recover teen n berghang .... so dis darem een winch wat sy geld verdien het. :)

Kaspaas wrote:Oom Andy, Ek kon nou nie die video kyk nie (geblok by die werk :evil: )

Maar is die winch waarvan oom praat soos die ene?



........................

Hoe voel julle manne oor die winch? of

Jammer Cobus ... sien dit nou eers.

Nee, wat jy daar het is 'n "come-along" / "wire rope hoist" of 'n "Tirfor" soos baie mense hulle nog noem. (Tirfor is eintlik 'n 'brand-name' van die eerstes wat beskikbaar was maar dis 'n naam wat baie mense in die algemeen gebruiik vir die tipe winch).

Die 'Flip-flop' winch is iets wat jy self bymekaar maak in die bos met 'n tou en twee balke. Sal sien of ek 'n illustrasie êrens kan opspoor.

Dit van die LC Forum .......



Place the rope over the winch log and under the lever log. The lever is under the winch. Start tightening the rope by moving the lever pole like it is in the next frame.
winch
lip the lever over.
Move the rope so that the winding is done on one side of the lever.
winch. Repeat from step one.
Continue flipping the winch pole and winding with the lever pole until you have winched your load to where you want it.