THE PORTAL HUB - Pinzgauers, Haflingers, Volvo 303s and more!

Just wondering if anyone has ever used a pull pal? Do they work?? I got stuck in the mud today, buried it up to the frame in an open field with nothing to winch off of (with the winch that I just installed yesterday). After digging and stuffing logs under the wheels for a couple of hours we finally had to have someone walk back to the house and bring back a Jeep and park it off to the side of the mud hole to winch off of. The Pull Pal looks like it would've done the trick if they really do work but they seem pretty expensive for what looks like about $50 worth of steel. If someone has built something like this I would love to know how they did it.

If you already have a winch, an impromptu pull-pal for you could have been burying a few of those logs a bit away from you with the winch cable wrapped around them. Make an improvised deadman. I've seen spare tires buried in the sand with a cable attached work wonderfully. Tough to do alone, but working truck power WITH the winch works pretty good with this arrangement.

A T post works as will drive it in at an angle, once your able to move drive over the post the winch cable will slide off the post most times. the pull pal seems to take as long to retreve as the truck.

A T post works as will drive it in at an angle, once your able to move drive over the post the winch cable will slide off the post most times. the pull pal seems to take as long to retreve as the truck.

Juergen's site:

http://www.sdp-pinzgauer.org/html/recovery.html

links this page, which has some great information about the technical side of the hardware:

http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavist ... covery.htm

Which in turn links to this PDF:

http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavist ... 20ch22.pdf

The above document show a picture of the setup using a log for an anchor, as well as some other clever ideas for when you are in deep sh*t.

This page has a Pull-Pal review:

http://www.off-road.com/isuzu/pullpal.html

This page has Pull-Pal reviews and some other info - anyone seen the "Getting Unstuck" DVD at the end?

http://www.expeditionexchange.com/pullpal/

I could see the temptation to weld up my own instead of buying one, but I would sure hate to find I hadn't done a very good job of imitating the design when I'm stuck 50 miles from the nearest pavement.


I for one have a lot to learn about recovery...

-Evan

All this is just one more reason to get hooked up with fellow Pinz owners to wheel together with. Lots more fun with several around to see who can do the dumbest thing before getting stuck or falling over.

As a kid I spent summers on sailboats and I know that a danforth anchor will dig in and hold even though it is being pulled upwards by the boat. They will hold in deep mud like the Chesapeake bay or sand. We never lost one however we did frequently have to get right over the anchor and pull it straight up to get it loose. Walmart sells a rip off for about $30.00. Not to knock the pull pal, I would love one but can't justify the expense for a tool that I might need and use only once a year. If I was going to be alone and away from civilization I would seriously reconsider getting the pull pal but as it is if I get so stuck that I can not self rescue I can cell phone, CB or hike to civilization and find a farmer, tow truck or a good old boy with a pick up truck.

Scottie

Thanks for all of the info guys. I would definitely like to go riding with some other pinz owners, but being from Michigan, I think they are few and far between. I've only seen one or two on the site, and they were 2-3 hours away. I guess I also have alot to learn about recovery. The spot that I got stuck in was a grassy field with nothing to winch off of. It looked dry. Oh well. I'm sure it won't be the last time.
Thanks again
Spence

Similarly, I can say that I DO go wheeling with all of the Pinzgauers in the area - all one of them!

-Evan

you guys have got to do a better job of selling them to your offroad buddies.

Mine will be here tommorrow after waiting a month. Can't wait! Just in time for summer.

The Danforth Anchor has been seen on some Border Patrol vehicles. Those really get into the out back - so it must work!