A portable just might be the answer

Area 51 · Saturday at 2:35 PM

Carry when you need it.
Easy set up and tear down.
No goofy, heavy ugly front bumper mess that screws everything up.
Easier than a come along, not much more expensive than a really good come along.
OI like this alot, huge alot.

https://www.warn.com/xd9i-multi-mount-winch-104183

Lower cost options.

https://www.amazon.com/Champion-000-lb-Truck-Synthetic-Winch/dp/B073776YDC/ref=pd_ci_mcx_pspc_dp_2_t_3?pd_rd_w=R4QJ1&content-id=amzn1.sym.cd152278-debd-42b9-91b9-6f271389fda7&pf_rd_p=cd152278-debd-42b9-91b9-6f271389fda7&pf_rd_r=MRT35G1CCPZ1BQE89MF3&pd_rd_wg=sSKgY&pd_rd_r=bbca1877-80c3-4a70-b572-77e2a3f80430&pd_rd_i=B073776YDC&th=1

Bird · Saturday at 3:13 PM

How do you install a hitch receiver in front of the LC to use these from the front ?

JordanJ · Saturday at 4:50 PM

When I climbed cell towers for a living we used a setup like this, not a winch, a capstan hoist which was basically just a spinning drum and you’d wrap the rope on it to get heavy things up to where we were working… but it would require quite a bit of maneuvering to get angles right etc… I see the same issue with this, I feel like it would be a crapshoot as to whether you could winch yourself into a safe place/ helpful angle or position

Area 51 · Saturday at 5:40 PM

Bird said:
How do you install a hitch receiver in front of the LC to use these from the front ?

Not sure yet, don't see that as a big deal at all.
Pulling out of a problem is more desirable to me than pulling through.

Code54 · Saturday at 5:43 PM

A lot of our machines we run front and rear winches. The rear gets you back to where you were before being stuck (as in turn around and leave), the front gets you into the new territory and possibly the unknown. If you carry a few snatch blocks, you can make it work. Really depends on where you go and what you are doing. If you are going fishing and get yourself hung up on a rock or some mud, the rear will often work fine. If you are looking to hit the Rubicon Trail, then it may not be the best option.
I have one mounted like this for work around the house, when an excavator or the tractor gets hung up. Can hook it to either machine, or attach to a truck and pull them out. Wire quick connects on the winch, and they are also handy for mounting on a trailer for winching cars/etc. on.

Markarian421 · Sunday at 1:24 PM

Bird said:
How do you install a hitch receiver in front of the LC to use these from the front ?

This was my first thought as well, how would I pull myself forward? But honestly most of the situations I’ve been in where a winch would have been handy involved pulling someone else out. Maybe this covers 95% of my use cases?

LcAz · Sunday at 2:03 PM

Same odds getting out with a single unit on the front as you have with a single unit on the back. The snatch block mastery is key. I have been using the hitch mounted winch exclusively for years. Statistically I have probably wished I had a front mounted winch as often as I was grateful to have a hitch mounted winch. Non issue IMO (except I didnt have to carry a mounted winch on my daily drives)