Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Winch Ground Anchors

Anyone ever use them any recommendations ARB, Pull Pal?

Truck axle.

just haul an extension cord around with you. sombich will tangle on thin air giving you a anchor.

No experience with the anchors you mentioned I have been using the “old circus tent spike” as it’s been named by my friends
It’s an about 1.5” diameter and 36” long round old tent spike I found and it has worked well in everything but the sandiest of soil to get my jeep winched out when the nearest tree was a 1/4 mile away

Well a "tent spike" may work for whatever it is you drive but I needs something rated at around 10,000 pounds...

Depends on the ground you’re stuck in. Had my F350 power stroke stuck 3x this winter in fields. Faced with digging 1/2 frozen ground, I pulled out a shovel and used mat tracks.

Personally I wouldn’t use a nome built earth anchor. Lots of people killed by things breaking loose combined with a winch cable under tension.

Smittybuilt and Bushwinch make a decent earth anchor

Deadman off road makes a bag that you bury. Great for sand

Some guys will bury the spare tire or a log in a deep hole and attach their winch cable to that. I haven’t done it but it’s an option I’m sure I’ll use at some point.

One of my winter recoveries. It’s much steeper than it looks in the pic. Lots of water runoff made the clay slick and a 9k lb truck sucks off road.

Lol 🤣

How about spending $20?
2 steel fence posts with the fins, cut to about 3'. Pound in 1, leaning back a little from the truck. Pound in the 2d a few feet behind it, same angle. Run a strong, tight rope or chain from the top of the 1st to the bottom of the 2d. Hook the winch cable to the bottom of the 1st. It might help to weld some anchor pieces on before you go to keep the ropes from sliding up & down and for a cable hook ring.

+1

I don't know what you are looking to spend but this company's products look pretty good. Bush Winch check out there YouTube videos

I have used an old Danforth anchor in the sand and mud. But, a too darn large to carry around all year. Truck axle as recommended earlier. Easier to store and recover when you get unstuck. MTG

I use the cut 3' tee post trick, grab a few, spot weld the flat plate to the post (I've had them pop off), I cut the end at an angle with my cut off saw, pound into ground with a driver at slight angle.
I keep several in the truck and more in my ranger.
Max track boards work well, but you have to get them under the tires.
Think about an exhaust lift bag, they work nice, no digging, lift vehicle, put traction boards under tires and pull out.
Digging/clearing with a shovel helps of course.

Ok...Thanks I think.

The simple fact is that spending hundreds of $$ on something as simple as a ground anchor is a colossal waste of money. T-posts cost like $5 at Home Depot and Harbor Frt has a good 4 lb hammer for under $10. A real post driver is better but they cost like $30 to 40 and aren't necessary unless you have a need for it at home.

How are you using the truck axle as the ground anchor?

Just drive it in the ground like a tent peg.

It's not the whole axle housing.

I always carried a 3' piece of a 1-1/4" steel digging bar in my Jeep. It sufficed.

An axle?... good idea, I was wondering what would I do if I didn't have a tree or stump handy.

Gotcha.

If it loonsh!t, bury your spare tire. I carry a couple of garden shovels for drier ground. I cut the handles so they are about 4' long. Use them in tandem like you would a couple of GI style tent pegs. Bury them with the concave side facing the truck and buried to the hilt. A nylon tow rope wrapped right down on the shovels where the handle changes to blade will cinch on tight. Depending on conditions, I'll use the shovel in tandem or in series.