Land anchors

[WILLD420]

If you are looking for a fabric type anchor, I would imagine a good webbing / strapping company could make you one. Not sure if price would compare but the one in the link seemed expensive for what it was.

I've looked at land anchors for years and settled on a pull-pal. Now, I just have to pay for one or wait for a friend of mine to give up on his and sell it to me.

 

[Dusty]

Kinda thinking about getting the Deadman Off-road land anchor thing anyone of you have any experience with it?

 

[Desert Runner]

There are a lot of options for land anchors. I live in Nevada and there are a lot of desert runs, meaning no trees! So if you run out here, and get stuck, you had better know some of the different methods for self extraction.

The best way to extract is have someone else pull you out. This can be a simple pull, but you make have to use a kinetic strap. These are fairly cheap and lightweight. Buy one, or two. You will need a solid anchor point connected to the frame. I have seen hitch shackles breach and go flying into a windshield. Should never have happened, but it did.

If you are not too deep, try digging out. Every overland vehicle should have axe, shovel, and hi-lift type Jack (if you're in sand, you'll need a base for the Jack). There are several good tracks that you can put under the wheels in the direction you want to go. After research, I went with the maxtrax. It has worked very well for me. But the PSP (pierced steel planking), and sand ladders work well. If this works, you just drive up and out. Nice!

Everyone should have a winch. If you have one, it should have rope, not wire cable. If you break a cable, you probably won't have the tools to slice it. A rope can be tied into a knot and continue to work.

If you don't have a winch, you need to be able to use you wheels. Fortunately, most off road wheels have spokes, so you can make a windless for a short pull out.

Now for the anchor: there are a lot of choices. A after a lot of research, I chose the PullPal. It works every time, and it is easily recovered. If you are just starting out, you can use a rock, or dig a hole perpendicular to the line of pull and use a log, rock, spare tire, or other long item to pull against. Don't forget to recover your tire. You can always use a picket system.

I would recommend that a group of you get together and review and actually try some of these methods before you need them. This will help you learn thru someone else's experiences, and you learn to work as a team.

Be happy to share my knowledge and experiences. I have to start including pictures.




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Solid information...thanks

 

[Desert Runner]

At one time I was very interested in these types of anchors. Weight and price are what kept me from a purchase, as did the transport when not in use. With the advent of MAXTRAX and it's KNOCK_OFFS, the necessity is no longer there in most situations. Price and weight are another.
The original OP wondered about the difference in long arm vs short arm anchors, as well a design differences in the spades ability to dig in, and whether it was just because of arm length . This is my question also, as i have never seen a definitive answer either.

 

[Fellow Jeeper]

That dead man is pretty slick.

 

[madcratebuilder]

Army field manual FM20-22
http://www.bits.de/NRANEU/others/amd-us-archive/Fm20-22(62).pdf

It's dated but lots of good info.

 

[Horse Soldier]

If you carry a spare tire then you already have a dead man anchor, no extra cost. Just dig a hole and cover it up with your winch hooked to it.

 

[Ben Cleveland]

According to Ronnie Dahl, using a tire as a land anchor isn’t as simple as it sounds. I have no experience using land anchors at all, but I’m pretty sure we all agree he’s a reliable source. I learned a lot from this video. And it seems that not all land anchors are created equal. Honestly, after watching this video I concluded that I would probably spend the money on a deadman style anchor at whatever point I feel the need for a land anchor myself. My .02 from someone who has no experience with land anchors but watches a lot of youtube overlanders lol.

 

[Dusty]

I bought the Deadman hadn't used it yet, but I have in case I need it. I'll probably be playing at the beach next month. I went with that because it would save weight and room.

 

[Desert Runner]

ive seen deadmans, and pullpals in moab head to head pullpal is a hell of a lot less work than the dead man because the pullpal either does it right away or you reset, its not the simple with dead man.

Have heard The pull pal is good...sand?...snow....and best in moderately hard dirt. Yes the desert does limit choices.

The downside I have heard is size and wt. The knock-off... Smittybilt,... gets marginal reviews compared to the original.

 

[RainGoat]

No doubt, the Pull Pal has been around for a long time & does the job - it’s just expensive & bulky (difficult to store). The Deadman anchor is much easier to store but not really any kind of deal. Alot has to do with your probability of needing it. If you’re in the desert most of the time, tend to do questionable trails where there’s a good chance of getting stuck, & have the ability to mount it easy, then the Pull Pal is a no brainer.

If you only go with other people or on populated trails, or just choose where you go with care & turn around when it’s iffy, you probably don’t need it. Tire pressure, a jack, a shovel, recovery boards, a spare & muscle will usually do it but it’s alot more work.

 

[Desert Runner]

What's everyone's take on land anchors? I've been reading up on some and seems like pull pal is the best with arb 2nd. What are the differences with the long arm of the pull pal and short arm of the arb? Help me decide thanks.

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I believe the Smitybilt has the short arm design. Something about initial dig/grab, and how someone has to keep holding it, and being right there with the tensioner winch line.

 

[12express]

Bury your spare tire, put recovery strap through wheel, connect to 4 way or breaker bar on the other side of the wheel.

 

[VirajH2]

Hello... this thread is 2 years old. Is Pull Pal still the best option on the market for land anchor. Travel with a 4 year old and 1st thing would be not getting stuck. Will be doing beach, dry lake bed with ditches and at times uphill... I will be using my maxtrax as bridge if needed. But if I do get stuck time will be a big factor. i can make space for hauling the Pullpal. Im traveling in a H2 and the weight of the rig sometimes surprises me with perfectly good looking road... also with the pull pal it looks like i can winch myself 50+ ft at a time vs 4 ft on the maxtrax... Thank you in advance for your input...

 

[DaveFromCasper]

What's everyone's take on land anchors? I've been reading up on some and seems like pull pal is the best with arb 2nd. What are the differences with the long arm of the pull pal and short arm of the arb? Help me decide thanks.

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Ive had one for 25 years. Has saved me and friends. Is very heavy and bulky. Works best in sand soils. Must dig a small starter hole in most cases. long arm works better but takes up ore space.

Bottom line - if you are going remote with no trees and theres a good chance of getting stuck, take a pull pal. If getting stuck is low risk, take a spade, dig a hole, and bury your spare tire as a pull point if needed. If I were going on a very remote trip in sandy areas, I would take it.