Using an anchor

[Veebyes]

One of the 2WD vs 4WD threads got me to wondering how useful could a boat anchor be, combined with a winch, to get one out of a sticky situation?

An anchor is only as good as the ground it goes into & from my boating experience I have had anchor rode guitar string taught with multiple boats & high winds riding on it.

One would not need a heavy anchor as it can be 'set' by somebody putting their weight on it to get it into the ground. Riding chain would not be necessary either as the angle of pull would be very low anyway.

It comes down to type & size of anchor. Sizewise I'm thinking suitable for a 30-35' boat. Type I'm thinking the Danforth style but made of aluminium like the Fortress anchors.

Thoughts? Maybe the past 4 days of rainy weather has affected my brain.

I have a 2WD truck. Only been stuck with trailer twice. Always carry a length of tow rope. Never used it. Never really thought of having a winch before. In 1 of the 2 stuck incidents a winch, long rope & anchor in soft ground might have gotten me out.

[tatest]

Dry land is not always like wet bottoms, and there are a lot of variations like dry sand, forest floor soils, grassy root soils, hardpan, and hard rock. I would think an anchor on the Danforth pattern would be most likely to set of the ground is loose enough, but you might have to dig to bury it.

Some places, a screw anchor might work better. In the forest I would tie to a tree. Rocky desert, I'd look for a crevice to put in a wedge.

[rhagfo]

This gets my anchor vote

[Matt_Colie]

OK folks - Story time....

Many years ago I did a lot of fishing, I was always fishing but usually for a living. But as a casual activity, I liked surf casting. So, I got a hold of a Jeep, M2B3 Military with all the stuff including a winch. I set up racks on the top to carry the 20+ ft bamboo poles. I drove out to the surf edge lots of times. I just one time made a mistake and tried to cross the "blow sand" that had accumulated as a low flat but very soft drifted dune. As I felt the Jeep sink, I kept dumping gears and when to 4x (a mistake) and such until I was really stuck. Happens that I was also supposed to deliver and install a new 20# Hi-tensile Danforth that evening. It was in the back. Well, screw it on the end of the winch cable and walk the cable out and stick in in the sand and start the winch. With the jeep in all the lows and pulled up to a fast idle. it made progress though the dune at about a snail pace. When I ran up on the Danforth, I got out the shovel that lived in the Jeep's Kit and dug around it until I could pull it out and take another bite. About half way though that bite, it was clear that the tires were now on top of the sand. I delivered and setup that anchor.

Then I stopped at a guy that was a used stuff chandler and bought another and made mounts so I could carry it on the front. It rode there as long as I owned that Jeep. I sold it to a surf fishing friend when I got to go back to college.

Look at the PullPal thing and compare it to a CQR. I actually didn't want a CQR, I might not be able to dig one of those out of the sand.

Matt

[Horizon170]

If a lot of pressure is put on the rope, strap, cable or chain it is a good idea to place a rug or two, a couple of towels, blankets or jackets on it so that in case it snaps the cloth will slow down the backlash.

[rockhillmanor]

Shearwater wrote:
i second the concern about using rope - particularly nylon. This stuff stretches 20-25% pretty easily and if it

broke it would come back like a rubber band

. Chain would be a safer, but much heavier material.

X10

Been there done that!!!

I have always carried one of the big yellow thick braided nylon tow ropes. Big huge metal hooks on either end.

Last year a big DP got stuck in the sand behind my MH. He tried digging it out to no avail. I offered my tow rope and a big dually truck dropped his FW and offered to pull it out.

That rope did just what you said. One BIG snap, broke the rope and that rope AND the

huge hook became a missile

and damn near decapitated one of the campers standing there.

[pnichols]

Dick,

There's no road service out here:



.... but we do carry a spare that could be buried in the sand. I guess we'd better start carrying a manual come-a-long to go with it!

[Dick_B]

I prefer road service.

[DUNEBUGGYDOUG]

Just get you a screw in auger ,the type used to fasten mobile homes down,screw it in the ground with the angle away from you ,hook up your winch cable and pull away.This set up has been used in my area for many years and I have never seen it fail to work

[Shearwater]

i second the concern about using rope - particularly nylon. This stuff stretches 20-25% pretty easily and if it broke it would come back like a rubber band. Chain would be a safer, but much heavier material.

[Horizon170]

How much do you think you need something will dictate what you use.
I carry nothing but a Come-A-Long and a chain with me and I carry it in my Toad. If stuck, I bury my spare tire in the sand with a chain attached or if in the desert spare tire covered with a big pile of rocks.
If in dirt dig a trough slanting down away from your vehicle and make a "TEE" at the lower end to put a timber, log, etc crossways with a chain attached.
The person that suggested the BAR driven into the ground had a good idea. To improve on that use several bars in a line and attach the vehicle to the bottom of the nearest bar and hook the top of that bar to the bottom of the second bar, top of 2nd bar to bottom of 3rd, etc until you have enough hold for recovery.

[time2roll]

Get on some off road sites and you will find the Pull-Pal and probably other land anchors rated for land use.

http://www.pullpal.com/

Use a synthetic winch rope to eliminate the rubber band effect.
Even standard steel cable does have some spring back if something goes wrong.

[Old-Biscuit]

When I had a 72 Bronco and did a lot of off-roading I made a 'sand wedge'

1/4" steel plate cut in a triangle, 2 1/2' steel bar (1") welded to plate (full length), a 5 lb. mandrel on bar to use as a slide hammer with a 'T' handle at top of bar and a heavy ring welded at top of plate

I would drive the wedge at an angle into the sand.......hook up my wench cable to the ring and pull truck towards the wedge....repeat as necessary until out.

Got me out of several spots where nothing else was around to strap to.

Looked like a short shovel.......just really stout

[rv2go]

At work we used a Digging Bar. Sink it into the ground about 2 foot at a angle. Never had one to pull out.

[okgc]

bdpreece wrote:
On a winch in open ground that anchor would probably be snapping back at you like a cannon ball. Snapping a winch cable can happen but I would bet pulling out the anchor would happen much more often. Don't think I would use this except in an extreme emergency.

X2

[bdpreece]

Just a thought but you mention having an anchor anchor rode guitar string taught. If it had pulled loose in water it would probably just bounce across the bottom. On a winch in open ground that anchor would probably be snapping back at you like a cannon ball. Snapping a winch cable can happen but I would bet pulling out the anchor would happen much more often. Don't think I would use this except in an extreme emergency.