If you off-road near Utah, you can always count on Matt's Off Road Recovery <https://www.youtube.com/c/MattsOffRoadRecovery>, though I've never seen him tackle a Syncro...

-MB

On Sat, Nov 20, 2021 at 8:51 AM David McNeely <davmcneely40@gmail.com> wrote:

> Well, I suppose the original poster was talking about traveling to back > country locations where a towing service is unlikely to also travel to, or > even be reachable. That said, yes, if one is sticking to regular road > travel, then the money and effort invested in a winch and the upgrades > needed to make it work well are definite overkill. I would think a winch > would be something that one would consider only if one's travels take one > to places unreachable by the vast majority of people. > > Just my thought. mcneely > > On Sat, Nov 20, 2021 at 7:08 AM Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@hotmail.com> > wrote: > > > I have to say I do like those bumper options from Westy World. A bit > > pricey. > > There is a lot to be considered before going for a winch. To some extent > > unless your plan is a form of sport, competition, or access to difficult > > places a winch should really be considered a last resort to use or even > > have. If your use is normal on road driving during difficult weather > every > > other option should be considered to avoid needing a winch in the first > > place. Of course the first is tires for conditions expected. Then since a > > Syncro upgrade is not reasonable then go for some type of posit traction > > differential. > > > > For the Vanagon the front suspension does not do that well with the > > extended overhung load of weight added up front. Also you need to > consider > > the electrical requirements. Under load winches will draw significant > > current some as high as 400 amps. Even the small ones at 100 A/H or so > need > > significant battery power available. Larger batteries and at a minimum > > upgraded alternator wiring needs to part of the plan. I often suggest low > > voltage cut out to stop it when the alternator can't keep up. > > > > Than of course there is learning how to use one safely. Rigging set up > and > > calculating forces may be required. The cable should be blanket for hard > > pulls. Need to know when cables, chains, or stretch straps are needed. A > > snapped cable can cause some serious injuries. For roadside getting > stuck a > > towing service is often a good choice. > > > > Dennis > > >

-- ________________________________________________________________________ Mark Belanger - mbelanger@gmail.com