I was seriously considering adding a 12volt winch to my new Viking but the more I think about it the more I’m consider a ropealong . Is there any reason to consider the winch instead?

I love my rope along. Only time I had trouble with was when I didnt thaw/dry it out after a bout in overflow. Next day rope was hard as a rock and hard to work through the winch. Ended up getting it to work but took a while. I use it for lots of other stuff as well, felling trees, pulling logs out of the water, securing big loads on trailer, etc.

Maybe you need both?!?!?

The winch would be very handy in certain situations. Can you mount it to the rear of the machine or just the front. Here's a few cons of the winch.

1. Sometimes I just don't wanna go any further forward and if the winch mounts to the front then ya may have an issue pulling yourself backwards out of the problem.

2. If you loose your battery, you loose your winch.

3. if you sink your machine in overflow or creek and you cannot run the motor, the battery powering the winch will not work very long.

I am a rope-a-long guy myself but would like a winch also sometimes..

A buddy has a newer skandic and his has a receiver hitch front and back. He bought a winch and had it mounted on a 2-inch square tubing so he can put in on front or back. He carries it in his box, not mounted. Looks like a slick set-up. Personally I prefer the rope along in winter. Just bought a new quad and they wanted $1200 bucks for the winch package. I declined. The rope along will work just fine for the times I might need to pull myself out of a hole.

I carry both and at have needed both. Winch rides in the box with rope along and 150 feet of rope when not in use.

I think I’ll put a receiver on the front so winch can mount either front or back.
Rope along is getting ordered regardless.

Sounds like a good plan.

Just a question for those with mounts on front and rear. Why do you carry the winch in the box rather than mounted to front or back? Seems like it would save box space.

I know that when we are "assisting" an airboat, and I am on the crank, I don't want to get run over when it gets under way!

Personally I would go with the rope along. But if you also want the option of a winch.....what about a small 2 cycle capstan type winch you can toggle to a tree rather than to the machine ? That way you can pull any direction where you have a dead man

Think I can speak for most of us bush trappers on here on this question....A winch on the front of a snow machine would last about an hour, and not much longer on the back in the areas most of us operate. Just to much rough country. Ive got gullies on my main trails where the winch would plow right into the dirt...to say nothing of all the brush logs etc.

I have one of those electric winches that you need a generator to run. I had all the generator in my boat last fall when I got my snowmobile stuck in the mud by a lake. Only way I got it out was by the winch. But it was a ton of stuff to haul around.50m extension cord just barely reached to the winch from the generator in the boat.

Trapset,
A winch mounted on the front or back will end up packed with snow at best if not encased in now frozen overflow or damaged.

I won't leave the cabin without a rope a long on the sled. It has saved my bacon many times. I am usually pulling from the side to flip it upright which a regular winch wouldn't help.

I use both and carry both sometimes. I have a Warn Snow Winch that fits inside a 50 cal. ammunition box. I put quick connectors from Frigid North on my Super Wide Track and one on the winch. I leave the winch in the ammo can until I need it, protects it well. The Warn Snow Winch has the synthetic line on it, very flexible and light weight. I use carabiners back and forth to get the mechanical leverage needed to pull a 1000 pound machine out of whatever I got into. It takes up less space than the rope a long but has it's limit's, like length of line, battery power (keep snowmobile running while your getting unstuck), cost, size and weight to consider.

I also have a rope a long, blue steel line and a come a long from AIH, works great. Limited to only how long your rope is and takes up a bunch of space, but who cares if you ride solo like I do.

I have used both together a few times. If I only had one choice, it would be the rope a long, but it's a lot more work than the winch. I would not mount the Warn Snow Winch, it will get destroyed like said above!

Rope along hands down. If the operator knows rigging and mechanical multiplying basics it will work fine.

May I ask what everyone’s favorite line for the rope along is?

Samson Pro-Master 1/2” 3-strand line. https://www.treestuff.com/store/catalog.asp?item=393

Thanks!

Got one of these: Hitch Master along with 150' of the Amsteel Blue rope to use with it. Light weight and easy to pack around where you can get to it in a pinch. Used it once to get a snow machine out of a hole I had dug on the line.

-TJ