HI LIFT AS A WINCH?

[ipgregory]

the problem i have with my land rover situation , the way the truck is designed from factory ,if i put any strong over 9.000 lb winch it cuts my approach angle by at least 40%.

It doesn't have to. There are multiple options out there for mounting a winch to an RRC. To avoid degrading the AO overmuch you have 2 options, either mount it between the frame rails as far back as you can with a discrete winch mount or mount it as high as you can with an upgraded winch bumper. Personally I’d go with the bumper because you get the added benefit of a strong jacking platform and front recovery points. Or places to mount strong recovery points at least.

9k# winches are not that big unless you go for one with integral solenoids.

Look at the attached. 1st 2 pics borrowed from the RTE web site. The Disco one is listed for the RRC as well they just only have a pic of it on a Disco. Both have a huge increase in usable AO low down over stock. Last pic is a discrete winch mount between the frame rails.

[craig]

There's quite a bit of room behind the plastic grille. I have a non-winch ARB bumper and was able to fit a 12,000lb winch in it that way. I went with a roller fairlead that sticks out a bit, but you could always go with a hawse fairlead. In my experience, it is rare that the center of the bumper gets hung up on things. As long as you can get a wheel to hit first, it'll lift the front end up and over the obstacle.

Is that yellow D1 an RTE bumper? It looks a lot like a Kyle Van Tessel (KVT) bumper.

[emmodg]

Don't let a piece of recovery gear "scare" you. When you know how to use ANYTHING safely it's a matter of respect you should have and not fear. Weapons are analogous to this.

The Hi Lift is a GREAT piece of gear to have - cost effective and multi-purpose. It's a jack for tire repair and "jacking and stacking", it's a clamp, it's a spreader tool (think poor man's jaws of life here) and it's a nice come-a-long. We/I have and do use them for all of the above almost every week of every month (sometimes every-day of every week) and do so safely. Learn how to use one the right/safe way and you'll love it and swear by it! Don't let it scare you but always respect it!

[ipgregory]

Is that yellow D1 an RTE bumper? It looks a lot like a Kyle Van Tessel (KVT) bumper.

'Borrowed' the pic off their web site today so I would have to presume its one of theirs. They list a price for it anyway.

[bri]

I think the issue here its not just the 800 for the winch that is the issue. I have thought about this issue alot recently myself and putting a winch on your truck is more like a 1700-2k deal. The winch being 800+ shipping. Having a battery that can take that kind of load, and getting all the associated parts. Then, your either need a steel bumper which runs anywhere from 900-1500 bucks to your front door. And if no bumper you still gotta pay someone to fab something. So I see the point of a winch and would love to have one, but if one can hardly afford a new set of tires(like I can't), it's hard to drop that kind of money on a winch.

Read the prior posts. A HL is not a replacement for a winch. Nor can you use it safely without good lift points. You'll nee bumpers and sliders to use a HL even for what it is meant to be used for. Otherwise you are risking yourself and the vehicle.

If you need to go on the cheap wait for used ARB bumper (350-450), get the X9 and call it a day at about a grand.

But, even if you go 2k route. A broken arm is likely to cost that much, but if you are really not careful, knowledgable and expereinced a HL could really kick your *** if you got hit in the head with something or if something fell on you.

My advice is to stay safe. use the HL for its designed purpose, stay on trails and with company that you can do accomplish and save the tough stuff for when you are adequately geard up. A HL is never going to winch you off or over any serious obstacle without risking a lot.

I'll get off my soapbox now and of course take my opinion for what it is worth. My opinion is that using it for lifting and shoving is likely OK but as a winch and in unpredictable situations, you will yourself for getting a winch. I've seen near disaster with inexperienced people and HL.

[mhiscox]

I apparently have warmer feelings about the HiLift than most. I've used it as a winch. It is dreadfully tedious, but it works.

It is, no doubt, a dangerous tool to use if you're neither skilled nor attentive, but so is a winch, table saw or claw hammer. Each person should decide for him or herself whether they can use a Hi-Lift safely and follow the directions and live with the limitations.

I don't know that comparing a sub-$200 HiLift with attachments to an integrated winch system is relevant. The better approach would seem to be to compare it to an alternative of similar cost, and I'm not sure what else you can buy that for that kind of money that will do you as much good. There is certainly every reason to have a proper winch setup if it's worth the money to you, but you can do a lot of overlanding without getting routinely stuck. If your winching needs are not frequent (as it is with my Sprinter's winch setup), you can end up looking at an investment of several hundred dollars per use.

[REDROVER]

Read the prior posts. A HL is not a replacement for a winch. Nor can you use it safely without good lift points. You'll nee bumpers and sliders to use a HL even for what it is meant to be used for. Otherwise you are risking yourself and the vehicle.

If you need to go on the cheap wait for used ARB bumper (350-450), get the X9 and call it a day at about a grand.

But, even if you go 2k route. A broken arm is likely to cost that much, but if you are really not careful, knowledgable and expereinced a HL could really kick your *** if you got hit in the head with something or if something fell on you.

My advice is to stay safe. use the HL for its designed purpose, stay on trails and with company that you can do accomplish and save the tough stuff for when you are adequately geard up. A HL is never going to winch you off or over any serious obstacle without risking a lot.

I'll get off my soapbox now and of course take my opinion for what it is worth. My opinion is that using it for lifting and shoving is likely OK but as a winch and in unpredictable situations, you will yourself for getting a winch. I've seen near disaster with inexperienced people and HL.

i want to keep the original stock looks , it loooks like i can make it fit in bitween the frame rails

i have warn m 12000 on my Hummers , thats to much for the rover right? ( and it wont fit in there) 9 should be ok dont u think so? i can get used humvee hydrolic winch, should i get that or electric winch ,

ERIC

[Grim Reaper]

HiLift as a winch....Last thing I would want to use but I have done it. Make sure you have chain. If its stuck bad a recovery strap may well stretch as much as the jack is high. You want as little give in your rigging as possible. Chain you can quickly choke up and make the most of the 40-60 inches of pull. If you have no choice but to use a strap try to double it up so it will have as little stretch as possible.

HiLift demands respect. 2 of the most serious injuries I have seen off road both involved Hilifts. One was a handle to the head. They will ratchet and fling the handle up. Keep clear of that handle. The other was the truck fell off and the person operating the jack tried to hold it and got his hand pinched.

[JeremyT101]

Read the prior posts. A HL is not a replacement for a winch. Nor can you use it safely without good lift points. You'll nee bumpers and sliders to use a HL even for what it is meant to be used for. Otherwise you are risking yourself and the vehicle.

If you need to go on the cheap wait for used ARB bumper (350-450), get the X9 and call it a day at about a grand.

But, even if you go 2k route. A broken arm is likely to cost that much, but if you are really not careful, knowledgable and expereinced a HL could really kick your *** if you got hit in the head with something or if something fell on you.

My advice is to stay safe. use the HL for its designed purpose, stay on trails and with company that you can do accomplish and save the tough stuff for when you are adequately geard up. A HL is never going to winch you off or over any serious obstacle without risking a lot.

I'll get off my soapbox now and of course take my opinion for what it is worth. My opinion is that using it for lifting and shoving is likely OK but as a winch and in unpredictable situations, you will yourself for getting a winch. I've seen near disaster with inexperienced people and HL.

No man, I totally understand what you are saying. Thanks for the advice. I'm planning on getting one just incase I get a flat or need it out there somewhere. I'm betting most of the time it will stay tucked away in the truck, but it would be nice to have for situations it can handle. Right now I'm not going crazy offroad with it, but a bumper/winch, some armour like sliders, proper tires and suspension are in the future for the next couple years. Right now I'm just focusing on maintenance and getting my truck to the point where I trust it even for onroad trips. I am driving it like 6000km, halfway across the country at the end of summer. Don't have the faith for that yet haha.

[ipgregory]

I'm planning on getting one just incase I get a flat or need it out there somewhere. I'm betting most of the time it will stay tucked away in the truck, but it would be nice to have for situations it can handle. Right now I'm not going crazy offroad with it, but a bumper/winch, some armour like sliders, proper tires and suspension are in the future for the next couple years.

Ok this is a common mistake and you don't understand what he is saying at all. Not digging at you just want you to consider your options before you spend your cash or more importantly, seriously harm yourself or somebody else. You mention that you plan to get a hi-lift to use for changing flats amongst other stuff. That you plan to put off the purchase of sliders or bumpers into the future. So I presume you mean that the hi-lift will be used prior to those purchases?

Ask yourself this. Let’s assume you have a flat. Pick a tire, doesn’t matter which. You pull out your new shiny hi-lift. Where are you going to put it on the truck to lift your chosen tire? What part of the truck are you going to use as a jacking point to take the trucks weight as you lift it up? That’s problem 1.

Problem 2. Let’s say for arguments sake that you have found somewhere to jack on and it doesn’t collapse, rip the side of your truck off and land the thing in your face. You are steadily lifting the truck. How high do you think you are going to need to lift the truck from the body or frame before the wheel comes off the ground? It’s pretty high I assure you even with stock suspension.

Problem 3. You have it in the air. Are you REALLY going to put yourself or any part of you under that truck to remove that wheel while the truck is teetering on that jack with just some sheet metal and a prayer holding it up there?

THIS is precisely how people get hurt and how things like the hi-lift get a bad name. WHEN that truck lands on you it will not be the fault of the tool, it’s the fault of the untrained and unprepared owner.

Again, not digging at you, just want you to understand the potential pitfalls in your reasoning BEFORE you get hurt.

A hi-lift jack is one of the most versatile and useful tools WHEN used properly and in conjunction with other necessary components that support its use. The most important of those being strong and secure jacking points. It is about as much use as a sponge leg in a thunderstorm however at changing tires on trucks with long travel suspension and no limiting straps. The factory bottle jack under the axle is the best tool you have for doing that. It’s useless for any form of lifting on a truck that doesn’t have somewhere to use it on. Modern trucks have nice curvy bumpers and plastic side sills. They don’t lend themselves well as jacking points. You can use a wheel adaptor and an axle stand to change the tire, but its more work than just grabbing the bottle jack and using that to being with so why would you?

Rant off…

x2 on the mention of a chain and throw in a synthetic winch extension as well. As mentioned straps stretch and you spend more time taking up that stretch than you do actually pulling the truck with a strap. A chain and a winch extension have less stretch in them and you get more pull out of the limited amount of travel in the jack frame. Less re-rigging = less sweat.