Maasdam Pow'r Pull

The lever operated winch: requiring no power source other than a person's arms, it can move heavy weights with very precise control. Before the advent of affordable electric, hydraulic and PTO winches, the hand-operated winch (commonly known as a come-along) and the bumper jack was what most fourwheelers had to use for vehicle recovery work. Now, even though most of today's fourwheelers can afford a powered winch, the hand-operated winch is still a very valuable tool that every fourwheeler should own.

Since getting involved with fourwheeling, I've found plenty of uses for my come-along:

• Aligning spring pack center pins with spring perches during suspension installations.
• As a trail-fix, I used it to hold an axle in place when a center pin sheared off. This allowed the vehicle to be driven out of the bush.
• Adjusting the pitch and roll angle of an engine hanging on an engine hoist to make alignment during installation a dead-easy procedure.
• Pulled a dent out of a Cherokee that drove into a tree.
• Pulled a stump and a rotted log into a trailer so I could haul them to the wood dump.
• Adjusting the side-to-side position of a transmission/transfer case when re-installing a cross-member.
• Used it to pull a Ranger sideways when it had partially slid off a shelf road. The main winch was used to pull it forward while the come-along prevented it from slipping farther over the edge.

As you can see, I've gotten a lot of use from my come-along. The problem, though, is that I didn't always bring it with me when fourwheeling. Why? Because it was too big! It was very reliable but if I don't have it with me then it won't be of much use, will it? Something smaller was needed and that's where the Maasdam Pow'r-Pull comes in.

Have problems lining up an engine for installation? The Pow'r-Pull allows for easy adjustment of the roll or pitch angle.

A very common and useful application of the Pow'r-Pull is to pull various under carriage pieces into alignment. Here, I'm using it to pull my exhaust pipe to line it up with the catalytic converter. I've also used it to good effect for lining up axles with control arms and spring pack centering pins.

Here's a close-up where you can see the quality of the components. Note the solid, one-piece ratchet gear and pawls. On the cheap come-alongs, these are made of stamped steel.

Maasdam has been making hand-winches and fencing tools for over 50 years so they obviously had some experience with designing and building reliable and durable come-alongs. Best of all, they make come-alongs that are light enough and small enough that I could keep one in my Jeep without worrying about the required storage space.

For off-road use, I use their original model, the 144S-6. It has a 1-ton capacity and uses a 3/16" with enough cable to make a 12-foot pull. Here are its features:

• Precision-cast aluminum alloy ratchet wheel - one piece construction.
• Galvanized, aircraft quality cable.
• Interlocking, precision fit, steel alloy pawls with safety spacer sleeve.
• Cold Rolled, high strength, tempered steel frame and handle.
• Drop-forged steel slip hooks with OSHA recommended safety latches.
• Heavy gauge steel, reinforced ratchet guard.
• Aircraft-type, heat treated bolts.
• High tensile strength, fully rotating steel swivel.
• Trouble free, "Notch-At-A-Time" letdown.
• Permanent, comfortable, non-slip grip.

Maasdam Pow’R-Pull®, Inc. www.maasdam.com Email: customerservice@maasdam.com Toll free: 888/ PWR-PULL Tel: 818/ 845-8769 Fax: 818/ 846-6058   2212 Kenmere Ave. Burbank, CA 91504 P.O. Box 6130 Burbank, CA 91510

Yes, there are come-alongs out there that can pull more weight without double-lining (ie: using a pulley) but they are also much bigger and heavier. For really heavy pulls, I will just rely on my Hi-Lift and Maasdam JackMate since I always have those stowed on my Jeep anyway. Maasdam also sells a Pow'r-Pull with a 2-ton capacity which is similar to the 144S-6. In fact, you can buy the parts to upgrade the 144S-6 to a 2-ton capacity as well.

There are also come-alongs out there that are just as light and cost less than a Pow'r Pull. I should know because I've done some shopping around for come-alongs. You've probably seen them, too. If you look closely at those $20 specials, you will see that the build quality is very poor. The ratchet wheel and locking pawls will be made of stamped steel. The springs will be tiny and the hooks will be cheap, ungraded units. My Dad bought one on a whim several years ago (he's an impulse tool buyer...which would account for why I found a dozen electric routers in his shop). The first time he used it on a hunting trip to lift a 200 lb weight, it broke. After spending some quality time with the Maasdam Pow'r-Pull, I can assure you that it will suffer no such problems. This is a quality, built in the U.S.A. product.

For work shop and around-the-house use, I also have a WS-25 model which uses a 25-foot web strap instead of cable. Although it has a lower load rating than the cable, I can adjust the web strap's length so it is much easier to use (note: although the strap is 25' long, the size of the spool restricts it to a pull length of 10'). The strap's long length and flexibility is also a nice feature.

Maasdam has produced a puller which is light and compact enough to keep in your vehicle, and strong enough to be useful to any fourwheeler, whether in the bush or the garage. It's the kind of tool that you will continue to find uses for. That's why I bought it and would recommend it to my fellow fourwheelers.

...lars