Removable winches

[Phantom]

Hi Guys,
I'm about to ask Santa for a removable winch for Christmas. TBR sell a `multimount' system that can mount a winch big enough for my xtrail onto a towbar or onto a front towing eye. This is attractive for me as it means I can keep the winch in the garage when not green laning and I can easily remove the tow bar mount to tow my boat and trailer.

However, I wondered if anyone had any experince of these systems?

Cheers



:?

 

[Terranosaurus]

No experience of them but with all the extra cabling and anderson plugs etc to wire it up to te rear they'll work out costly. Oh and winches are blooming heavy things too to be carting around.

Do you really need a winch? I've finally got round to getting ine though its still not on the truck. I have never been out green laning etc and been with anyone who needed anymore than a thought out tow to recover them. And without meaning to be disrespectful where are you going to be taking an xtrail where you can get it that stuck?

 

[knotting_pot]

And without meaning to be disrespectful where are you going to be taking an xtrail where you can get it that stuck?

Nearest grass verge -rotfl-

Sorry only kidding :twisted:

 

[Deleted Member S]

And without meaning to be disrespectful where are you going to be taking an xtrail where you can get it that stuck?

Nearest grass verge -rotfl-

Sorry only kidding :twisted:

Come on it's an X-trail not a gaylander :roll:

 

[Phantom]

Hi, The cost of the winch is around £350 and the multifit system around £250 - so not too bad.

As for where I take the x-trail - well beyond the supermarket car park!
I have been undertaking the occassional green laning in her for about 6 months and without too much trouble. However, I got stuck in mud a couple of weeks ago and needed a tow out by a farmer with a landrover. Essentially I ran into a lack of ground clearance.

I like to be self-sufficient where I can and could have got myself out of trouble with a winch.

Its true that the x-trail does not have a low gear setting but despite that it does have recognised degree of `off road' capacity' (check out the reviews below) and is probably the best of the `soft-roaders'. Indeed since I had the jmb shocks fitted (substantial improvement in ride and a 30mm uplift) I have 20mm more ground clearance than a standard Terrano ii... 8O

www.carpages.co.uk/nissan/x-trail-review-part-3-23-03-05.asp

www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/driving/new_car_reviews/article1808569.ece

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=SbcRCf9Vb9U&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjqIaLurUXo&feature=related

www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_maIwLz_W0&feature=related

Generally I find the x-trail a good compromise between motorway use and the occassional green laning run - much better off with the road tax situation too!

Converted yet? :wink:

 

[Terranosaurus]

Hi, The cost of the winch is around £350 and the multifit system around £250 - so not too bad.

What winch is that please.

Does the multifit system inclide the cabling etc, the ones I've seen are just the steel work.

 

[Phantom]

Hi,
The winch is the WARN TABOR 6K. Its about as big as you can fit on the`small' multimount system. tbr sell these for £395 inc vat, but Devon 4X4 sell them for £350 inc vat and there are reports that the VAT is about to be reduced temporarily. Any larger winch would need their standard multimount system, which is a permanent, though hidded fitting.

The wiring is extra, but not expensive. Essentially it runs from the Cars live system to a connection point that is fixed to the towbat by cable tie and/or led to the front towing eye. This is a `female' connector and the winch has a male connector that leads to it. I found tbr very helpful in advising on the system. My post was find if it would work as well as advertised and if anyone else had knowledge or use of it.

 

[Deleted Member D]

No experience of them but with all the extra cabling and anderson plugs etc to wire it up to te rear they'll work out costly. Oh and winches are blooming heavy things too to be carting around.

Do you really need a winch? I've finally got round to getting ine though its still not on the truck. I have never been out green laning etc and been with anyone who needed anymore than a thought out tow to recover them. And without meaning to be disrespectful where are you going to be taking an xtrail where you can get it that stuck?

Good point.

 

[Deleted Member D]

Hi,
The winch is the WARN TABOR 6K. Its about as big as you can fit on the`small' multimount system. tbr sell these for £395 inc vat, but Devon 4X4 sell them for £350 inc vat and there are reports that the VAT is about to be reduced temporarily. Any larger winch would need their standard multimount system, which is a permanent, though hidded fitting.

The wiring is extra, but not expensive. Essentially it runs from the Cars live system to a connection point that is fixed to the towbat by cable tie and/or led to the front towing eye. This is a `female' connector and the winch has a male connector that leads to it. I found tbr very helpful in advising on the system. My post was find if it would work as well as advertised and if anyone else had knowledge or use of it.

Save the pennies and get some good mud boots and a good set of straps.

 

[Phantom]

Hi, I've got straps and indeed the shackles, and I agree that its rare for a tow not to work - but half the fun sometimes is going out on your own in some remote lanes rather than in convoy, but that risks being thrown back on your own resources in case of trouble - hence the desire for the winch...

 

[Terranosaurus]

Personally I think the first 2 rules of green laning are One, Don't go out on your own. And two, Don't go out on your own. Now I realise that technically speaking that's only one rule but I thought that it was such a big one that it was worth mentioning twice (Krytenism).


But each to their own.

 

[Phantom]

well....

Well... I think if you are going on your own you should ensure that you have (as far as possible) the capacity to look after yourself and not be a hinderance to others...
But this is the reason for my desire for the winch. There is nothing in the GLASS code of conduct for example that is against the concept of lone greenlaning...
:|

 

[Deleted Member D]

Re: well....

Well... I think if you are going on your own you should ensure that you have (as far as possible) the capacity to look after yourself and not be a hinderance to others...
But this is the reason for my desire for the winch. There is nothing in the GLASS code of conduct for example that is against the concept of lone greenlaning...
:|

Me and my son did alot of lone laning with a winch Phantom. We found that as we were using the same vehicle to get us home and then getting me to work and the fact we were driving in places where nobody knew we were, we found we didnt have the confidence to try certain routes. :? You really have to know your limits (just in case) when lone laning. You just never know 100% if anything out of the ordinary will happen whilst in the middle of nowhere. If your in an area where there is plenty of passers by be it pedestrians or other vehicles the risks are narrowed of course.
Cant fault you wanting a winch tho, it can be great fun.
Heres mine :lol:

 

[Thomas-the-Terrano2]

I dont see why you shouldnt go alone, reckon our rowo have done to
find routes for future trips. after all you can always walk it first and
even with a winch theres reverse. with a portable guess have best of
both worlds plus has its own uses for recovering others fom the goo or
boats/ caravans etc.

mention of an anderson plug, is that a bit like those used by breakdown
vans to plug in jump leads and would also power winch?

 

[Terranosaurus]

mention of an anderson plug, is that a bit like those used by breakdown
vans to plug in jump leads and would also power winch?

Yes thats the ones, you'd need one front an rear preferably with isolaters for a removeable winch.

 

[Phantom]

"You really have to know your limits (just in case) when lone laning. You just never know 100% if anything out of the ordinary will happen whilst in the middle of nowhere."

I fully agree. I wouldnt usually do a lane solo unless I'd been through it before with someone else without difficulty, but even then its possible to get caught. On the occassion I had to find a farmer for a tow I had been through the same lane (Viking way in Lincs) two weeks earlier in company without any problem. I just hit a patch after a lot of rain that had been churned and rutted by agricultural vehicles.

There are also routes I wouldnt do on my own. We've a family cottage up in the pennines and friends in the Malton area of Yorkshire. There are some great routes over the moors nearby - but I wouldnt drive them solo because they are so remote and exposed.

 

[Deleted Member D]

First time

The very first time we got stuck accidently and had to use the winch in anger, as they say,we were just crawling along thru a field and all of a sudden the front just dropped. 8O
The grass was very soft so forward and reverse would have just made a mess of this nice field. Luckily to our right were some trees behind a fence so we hitched up to a tree and out we came and off we went chuffed with our very first self recovery. -dance-
In that respect a winch does increase confidence. :smile:

 

[knotting_pot]

Personally I think the first 2 rules of green laning are One, Don't go out on your own. And two, Don't go out on your own. Now I realise that technically speaking that's only one rule but I thought that it was such a big one that it was worth mentioning twice (Krytenism).


But each to their own.

Absolutely 100% agree with this. HB is arguably the most experienced greenlaner on here, and if he wouldn't go out alone then neither would I.

Even lanes that you have done before can dramatically change next time you go so what was easy last time can be tricky next.

 

[elty001]

solo laning

Even lanes that you have done before can dramatically change next time you go so what was easy last time can be tricky next.

totally agree.did a few local lanes a few weeks ago.not done them for about 3 months but one had washed out that bad that we had to spot each motor as you where straddling a gully of about 3'deep.looked pretty impressive but dangerous on your own.

 

[siweb]

Also not that you may just get stuck, also you may break down and often there's no phone signal and most recovery firms wont recover you from a green lane... I mean would they even get a 7.5 tonner up there? :lol:

Don't do that many lanes really but do, do some :wink: Am more a quarry person myself..