Portable Winch
Portable winches are something that most on-road car owners don't even think about. Off-road, however, it's a completely different story. A portable winch is a highly valuable tool for anyone that spends their time off-roading, towing, or pulling their grounded vehicles out of the mud, and still doesn't want to attach a winch to their car. The benefits are numerous, and the simplicity of a portable winch makes it one of the most useful tools for anyone that's got some heavy machinery they need to move around. With that in mind, here are the top 3 uses for a portable winch:
#1 - Tow your cars easily.
Ever had your car break down in too tight a spot to use another car for towing? A portable winch can help you out immensely in this situation. Just attach your winch to a tree or power pole, secure it, and let it pull your car out to freedom and safety. This is perfect for when your cars are stuck in the mud or heavy gravel and are just refusing to grip effectively. Instead of pushing the engine to its limits, just use your portable winch to make sure that the car gets out of the obstacle and onto ground where it can easily grip the road.
There are limits to this, of course. A portable winch can comfortably pull a car or SUV, but many will struggle to pull weights greater than two tons (4500lbs). Ultimately, it all depends on what model you buy. Be sure to pick one that can easily tow a car and SUV, otherwise it defeats the purpose of buying it in the first place.
#2 - Easily fell trees and obstacles.
Every keen off-road driver has been in a situation where a tree, rock, or other obstacle has fallen onto the road and blocked their path. While these obstacles can be too heavy to remove by hand, by using a portable winch they can pop off the track and out of the way with just the slightest effort. Instead of spending an hour lifting a heavy log together in a group, set up your portable winch to remove the log from the road and just drive on ahead.
Another situation where this pulling power comes in useful is when you're looking to fell trees and plants that are growing in unwanted places. While not as useful for off-road drivers, this is the primary function of a winch for many farmers and conservation rangers. Instead of having to cut down trees manually and set aside lots of space to fell them, by using a portable winch you can effectively and easily fell trees without having to spend massive amounts of time on them.
#3 - Lifting your boat or jet ski onto a trailer.
This is one time where the use of a winch and trailer is absolutely essential. With it being easy to damage a boat through improperly storing it on a trailer, it's best to make use of your portable winch's power and allow it to easily pull your boat up to safety and security. Simply mount your portable winch on the back of your SUV, or the front of your trailer, and set it up to pull your boat straight on. Hands free, effortless, and much more simple than any other methods, this both prevents you from spending time tending to your boat and also reduces the chances of damaging the underside of your boat and trailer.
These are just three of the reasons for you to have a portable winch. If you're an outdoors enthusiast or a driver that frequently uses their vehicle for sports and recreation, it's important to have a backup plan available in case things go wrong, or for towing any broken down vehicles. With a portable winch you're covered in the case of an emergency, and can easily keep yourself both safe and resourceful both on and off the road. When picking a winch, work out your strength, size, and mobility needs, and go on ahead. While it might cost you a little more up front for the best and most powerful winch, it'll certainly save you the hassle of having too little power when the time of emergency comes.
