Keeping The Lone Off-Roader Moving

These Essential Trail Tools Will Keep You Rolling.

- Kevin Estela With Dwayne Unger

Off-road driving is all about trust—trust in your vehicle, trust in your skills and trust in your partner and other drivers in your group. A wise off-road driver would not venture out to test his skill by himself.

Even so, accidents do occur, and it is good practice to have a minimum of two vehicles in the group, each equipped with recovery equipment, CB radios, repair equipment and spotters. On a good day, all these elements come together for the enjoyment of the driving party. But, on those off days—when there is only one car involved—critical links are missing, and trouble presents itself.

What provisions should be carried to improve chances of vehicle recovery when only a single vehicle is involved in an emergency situation?

I wanted to find out too, so, after procuring some equipment samples, I contacted my good friend and associate, Dwayne Unger (whose off-road skill and experience I trust), for a weekend of testing at Pennsylvania’s Rausch Creek Off-Road Park.

PULL-PAL WINCH ANCHOR

The Pull-Pal Winch Anchor creates a solid anchor point for use with a winch. Because my Toyota Tacoma is not equipped with a winch, Dwayne set up the land anchor using his Jeep.

Assembling the Pull-Pal is easy. It comes from the factory in two basic components. A large spade digs into the earth and attaches to the leveraging bar (this bar folds when not in use). Using a single D shackle, the line connects easily to the attachment point of the Pull-Pal.

We approached a hill with a very noticeable incline. I retrieved the Pull-Pal anchor while Dwayne unspooled the synthetic winch line.

Dwayne sat behind the steering wheel with the winch remote, and I helped guide the Pull-Pal into place as the line took up. Even in the mixed soil, which was mostly rock, the spade dug deeply. Under tension, the leverage bar pushes hard against the ground, and the spade grips the soil around it.