Winch?

[GTSSportCoupe]

I was just thinking about some of the 4wding I might attempt this summer. It would suck getting stuck 3 hours+ drive from any civilization. Not that I'm planning on getting stuck or even putting myself in a situation where I could get stuck; but shit happens, especially when you are not planning it.

Has anyone mounted a winch on their tercel 4wd wagon? What type did you use? How did you mount it?

The old landcruiser I used to drive in mineral exploration had a winch on it; saved me a couple of times.

[takza]

I might do some backwoods stuff this summer. This winter I needed to pull someone out of the snow and found that about half the stuff I was carrying around wouldn't work...or I couldn't use it for various reasons. So I upgraded.

I bought (2) 2 ton manual winches for $20 for the pair to use in sticky situations. The advantages over an electric winch is that they are lighter, don't need current, can be moved and used away from the car, etc. Each has a 10' cable after the extra pulley is taken off.

Also have a 25' nylon strap that is used to extract vehicles from whatever...nylon is stretchable, so a light vehicle can move a larger one. You allow some slack and then go for it. Saw a guy pull a motorhome out of sand using a 2WD 1/2 ton pickup.

And a 25' light-gauge steel cable. Cables & chains are tough, but they weigh a lot for something that might never be used.

A 20' nylon strap that fell off a truck...very easy to use....no hooks on it...just tie it on and go.

A screw-type earth anchor...for where there are no trees. Good if you have soft dirt or sand...and if you are lucky enough to get it in the ground far enough. Use the tire iron to screw it in.

Extra scissors jack and (2) 1 1/2' squares of 1/2" plywood to use under the jacks.

Nylon and poly are lighter than chain or cable...good for occasional use. Don't try to tow a car on the highway using a nylon strap...it's like towing with a rubber band. No fun. Poly works fine for towing.

That said, I've traveled on Forest Service roads and on BLM land a lot and haven't gotten stuck many times...about 2Xs seriously. Got pulled out by big 4WD trucks both times. One was sand...one was mud. This was driving 2WD.

When you are out in the boonies, you get REAL CAREFUL....or something happens. Mud is an obvious hazard...especially when you are stuck in it. Some soils are so loose they can be like dry sand.

Loose sand is probably the worst...takes a lot of power to get thru it. For loose sand, the best bet is to let a good bit of air out of your tires to increase your tires surface area so they won't sink so much....too much air let out can cause the tire to spin on the rim though.

harborfreight.com has a good selection of electric wiches at good prices.

[Thereminator]

Baja-Reba! Great Wenching info. Takza,Im restoring my Tercel with Baja in mind and thats the kind of info. I can use. I like camping(and Diving) on the Gulf-Side so theres 50-100 Mi of fairly ruff-road crossing over and if you go exploring,the skys(and ground)is the limit! So what I think about is Torq,Reliability and Function.Endurance,the ultimate Quality!When I install another 3(4)-ac,I'll add a tunned Carb-Exaust setup and remove desine-flaws like that f%$&??king! narrow #3 exaust-port that defies-all-reason!!! When Im driving one car,in the midle of nowhere,I want the Engine to sound,act and responed like that trusty hound-dog you've known half-your-life! Also,whats an easy Junk-Yard grab for 14" Weels? Thanks.

[takza]

Have always wanted to try Baja, but have never made it. Have traveled in Mexico a few times...easy to get lost. <_<

Wanted to make down into the Yucatan...but only got as far as somewhere south of Mexico City.

Best bet for offroad 14" wheels are probably the steel 97-00 Ford Escort wheels...easy to find and good prices. These fit very well.

The earlier ones will fit, but are narrower, I think.

Despite what some say...alum wheels are not as durable...that's why you see a lot of old pothole dented alum wheels.

Need to watch that you don't put too big of a tire on these, cause you reduce your crawling power offroad if you increase the diameter too much. I'm using 195/60 tires...about 2% greater diameter than stock.

If you use regular radial car tires offroad in rocky terrain...you stand a good chance of cutting the tire sidewalls on sharp rocks..that's why serious offroad tires are bias ply (or stiffer) & have heavy sidewalls.


If you are going to camp in your Tercel, you might consider doing what I have. I removed the rear cargo cover and plastic pieces; and also the rear seat cushions. This loses around 50 lbs of weight.

Then I replaced the rear seat with a piece of 5/16" wafer board cut to fit in back of the front seats. It is hinged in (3) places on the rail between the rear wheels and is supported on (3) 2X4s that sit on the floor rail the seat cushion sat on...held to the wafer board using (2) deck screws for each 2X4. I can now lift it up to store heavier things under it and it increases storage space a lot...in place it allows putting a small mattress in the back for sleeping.

[GTSSportCoupe]

Excellent info; thanks takza! I think I'll reconsider my plans, and put something together more similar to what you have.