Snap! Uh, oh, I thought, not good. Sure enough, on the vertical section of an already steep climb, the output shaft of my 231 SYE had snapped, leaving the Jeep helpless with the left front wheel in the air and the right rear in a hole. There was no way to back up, as the Jeep could get no front traction and was almost going over. There was also no way my friends below could get around me in their vehicles to supply a winch or anchor point. Enter Pull Pal.
The assembled Pull Pal is...
The assembled Pull Pal is ready for action. To operate correctly, it needs to be set just like this (Bob?). Laying it on its side won't do.
At that time, the Pull Pal was a brand new product we'd received for review. With its forged chromoly plow blade, welded construction and 11,000-pound load rating, it had worked great when we were taking photos. Now was the real test. I couldn't get out of the Jeep because of the tippy situation, but my friend Bob climbed up, got the Pull Pal, grabbed my winch line and pulled it over the top of the desert mountain where there were no trees or rock outcroppings to use as an anchor. He set the Pull Pal's blade (I thought) over the top of the hill and yelled. I engaged the winch and ... nothing. Bob said the Pull Pal hadn't dug in and had skated over the hard ground. I told him to try again, but was worried that maybe this thing didn't really work in the real world after all. My other friend Jack climbed by the Jeep and went over the top and yelled back, "Try it again!" This time, the Jeep started moving and I was soon safely on top of the climb. Jack came over and told me that my other well-meaning buddy had just laid the Pull Pal on the ground, which was the reason it hadn't dug in. He exclaimed, "Well I didn't know how it was supposed to work!" As is the rule on all trail blunders, he has never lived that down and hears about it whenever winching's in order.
Once tension is applied, the...
Once tension is applied, the Pull Pal digs itself in. In the rocky clay soil on our mountains, this is as far as it had to dig before the Jeep started moving. In loose soil, snow, sand, or mud, the Pull Pal might disappear as it finds a firm anchor.
The Pull Pal works in rocky dirt, dirt, mud, sand, and even snow. Once the plow blade is set (Bob?) and the winch is engaged, the blade will dig itself into the ground, acting as an anchor. In mud, sand, and snow, the Pull Pal will dig itself WAY into the ground. Anyone who has used a winch can see the advantages of the Pull Pal. No longer do you have to dig a hole and put a spare in it to act as an anchor when nothing else is around. The tire usually pulled out of the ground, anyway. You can get a straight pull with the Pull Pal every time, as long as the ground in front isn't solid rock. There are very few times it won't dig in. We've found that even in hardpack, if someone stands on the plow as it starts to dig, once it sets, weight can be removed and it continues to burrow. The Pull Pal works.
Now available in the RW14,000 military size, the original RW11,000, and the new RW6,000 and RW2,000 models for smaller vehicles and ATVs, there's a Pull Pal for every vehicle. Used extensively in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Pull Pal has allowed plenty of HMMWVs to winch to safety. It's also helped us countless times over the past 15 years. We won't go into the backcountry without our Pull Pal. You shouldn't, either.
 The Pull Pal is available...  The Pull Pal is available with this nifty ballistic nylon case. The case can also act as a mat when you're under the vehicle. Even though birds like the Pull Pal very much, they usually don't need one. |  As seen in the case, the Pull...  As seen in the case, the Pull Pal plow blade is separate from the frame, which folds for easy stowage. The blade attaches in seconds. |  The assembled Pull Pal is...  The assembled Pull Pal is ready for action. To operate correctly, it needs to be set just like this (Bob?). Laying it on its side won't do. |
As a perfect complement to our Pull Pal and to help in all kinds of extraction situations, we carry a Master Pull Ultimate Recovery Gear kit. The kit includes a 5/16" x 50' Superline winch extension rope, 7/8" x 20' Kinetic Super-Yanker rope, snatch block, D-Rings and a tree saver. We've added another Superline extension so we can perform longer pulls if necessary. Everything stows in a tough accessory bag. Master Pull built the original synthetic winch rope and is still a leader in innovation and quality.