Link – Bush Winch

As they say in the video, you’ll wonder why this was never available before. And it’s not exactly new technology, but I’ve never seen a commercial product like it before.

It’s called the Bush Winch, and it’s quite simple: A large spool attached to your wheel’s lug nuts (special lug nuts are included to permanently replace your factory lug nuts), which winds up a rope as you drive. With the other end of the rope attached to some sort of anchor, you can drive yourself right out of a tight spot.

As you drive, or as you sit in place with your wheels spinning, the rope winds around the spool. When all the slack is taken up, it begins to pull you towards whatever anchor you’re attached to. Pretty dang cool.

I read about using this technique in , I believe, one of Ragnar Benson’s older books. It looks like this company has taken the idea and ran with it.

Whats nice is that unlike many vehicle-mounted winches, this one does not require a bullbar or hitch to attach the winch to. Realistically, a product like this should be part of a larger self-extraction kit of things like Hi-Lift jack, tow ropes/strap, traction aids, etc, etc. But…when that day comes where getting your vehicle stuck may be a Very Bad Thing, this product would make a nice addition to your toolchest of options.

6 thoughts on “Link – Bush Winch

  1. Our 1972 Mercedes Unimog has this feature on both front wheels along with a 29000lb Mercedes factory winch, three locking differentials, six forward and two reverse gears, and a manual throttle link on the dash.

  2. That spool sticking out creates a lever putting forces on the wheel/axle which could be A Bad Thing. No hard data to back up my claim, just stuff I’ve read somewhere.

    • I recall reading about such a device in some 4WD book back in the 70’s or so…

      Seems they have the tendency to snap wheel studs…which are a pita to replace in the field.

      Plus, having to attach and then remove the thing when stuck makes me happy I have a winch already installed.

  3. I thought I read that hub spool on one of Don Paul’s old books (Pathfinder Publications), but it mentioned only as a place to store rope, not as an extraction device. Cool!

  4. In the movie Wages of Fear 1953, (and awesomely sweaty and tense) using a technique like this is a pivotal and excruciating scene involving getting a truck out of a mud bog.

    Recommend the movie, not sure I’d try the move unless I was desperate.

    nick

    Oh, last season of Ice Road Truckers, the American from the logging industry uses a variation of this to self rescue after ending up in the ditch.

  5. I remember seeing an advertisement in the 70s for a log splitter that replaced a vehicle wheel. The user jacked the drive axle up off the ground, installed the log splitter, which was a giant tapered screw, and fed the sections up against it. The company was in Colorado, I never saw the device in use, but it probably worked okay. Just really slow to set up and use and a little scary. Would make a fantastic death/near-death scene in a movie, though.

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