Managed to use my winch in anger for the first time time yesterday. I have some land in Wales, which I am clearing as its completely overgrown. To do this, I have a small 4wd tractor & a flail mower etc. Tractor is normally a totally go anywhere machine but yesterday I was in the lower part which is shady and a bit boggy in places as the ditches have filled in. Needless to say, it got stuck - well and truly. I tried rocks, I tried branches, I dug out in front and underneath and it just kept sinking. The flail on the back is heavy, which is probably why it didn't come out.
Anyway, time for the RRS I decided, so I had to drive it across this field of grass higher than the bonnet - that horrible thick grass that just sticks up - then as close to the boggy bit as I dared. Was a bit nervous about getting that stuck as well. Fortunately enough length to get to the tractor, linked it all up, set the tractor driving (spinning) then winched until the tractor was making headway on its own again. Phew!
If the tractor gets stuck again, not going to fanny about trying to dig it out, will just go and get the RRS.

Might be worth getting a ground anchor for the RRS as well in that case, especially if you have no really beefy trees that you can put a tree strop around to stop the RRS from being pulled toward the bogged in tractor........... you utilise the tow bar for both the tree strop and the ground anchor. Or a set of beefy sand ladders for the tractor!
After being dragged into bogged in Defenders several times when winching them I bought what seemed to me to be a huge plough style ground anchor, since buying it I've never needed to use it ... It seemed huge as I also use anchors on 35-60ft sail boats and when you see what is recommended for a 12t sailing boat it looks tiny compared to what is recommended as a ground for a 2.7t Defender! 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

Thanks Tim, will think about that. I do (currently) have masses of trees (overgrown hedge) around to which to do that with and the tractor is only 880kg, so hopefully tractor won't get that stuck!

Didn't need the winch today and more confident about dragging large plant trailer around the field after I realised I'd maneuvered it down and up the grassy hill with the brake on

Nice! What winch / winch bumper combo are you using? I'm looking at one myself

Well, had to winch a 7.5 tonne flatbed out the mud this morning! I needed some gravel at the entrance to a field as its getting a bit boggy and had some delivered. Only problem was that the truck got itself stuck after it had unloaded (guess I need some gravel eh?), so once again, winch to the rescue!

At least its getting some use

El Mat - its the Land Rover fitment with a Warn 9.5hp winch. I need to change the steel cable over to synthetic though

Just be careful with a wire and the rating for heavy stuff mate because when it goes it goes in a spectacular fashion! Seen it happen at a pay and play day and it wasn’t pretty!! Hope you use a cover damper on the wire  2003 BMW M5 - 5 Litres of V8 Optimax Slurping Goodness in Carbon Black

2013 SDV6 HSE Black Edition- Orkney Grey with Ebony & Ivory. LR Facelift RAI, Genuine G4 Expedition Rack, 4x Warn SBD-160 Spotlights, Warn 9.5XPS Winch, Mantec Underbody Protection and Sump Guard, Full Easy Lift Suspension Module, LR Light Guards, Light Force HTX230 Hybrid spotlights, 18” Compomotive PD1881 on 265/65/18 BF Goodrich KO2, ARB fridge, TuffTrek awning 😎

Thank you Hence the need to replace with synthetic! On my (extensive) shopping list...

Suggest that you periodically (every 5-6 months even with no use) run out the wire - wear riggers gloves while doing it in case of broken strands - examine it for surface corrosion and open up the wire lays and check that there is no internal dryness or corrosion. The legal time to condemn any lifting wire is when you have 10% of the strands in any 8 diameters length broken. Lubrication of the wire with a good quality wire lube or fish oil (very good lube but you will stink of rotten fish for weeks afterward!), never use grease though as it doesn’t penetrate to the Centre of the wire and can trap dampness in the strands.

Synthetic ropes aren’t without their issues too though - they need to be washed to remove any grit which will fray the strands after use in sand/ mud and they degrade in u.v. and sunlight so should be kept covered when not being used. Size for size though they are stronger than wire and MUCH lighter. If you have used your winch with a wire on it then you will have to replace the fair lead with a new one designed for use with synthetic rope and also because any channels cut in the fair lead by a wire rope will destroy a synthetic rope in seconds as the edges of any groves made by the wire act like knives on a synthetic rope. The biggest positive for a synthetic winch rope though is safety - when they break they don’t whiplash like a wire does. 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW