When you stop and take notes, you will find that a simple switch-up of your Winch gear could save you almost 30kg. That’s enough for a fridge and a carton of beer!
Being conscious of your GVM and GCM is becoming an increasingly common topic of discussion among the off-road and touring community. Insurance companies, law enforcement and the transport departments are targeting overweight vehicles because of the dangers they pose.
It is no longer uncommon to be weighing every item that you are putting in your vehicle, from your ground mat, to cast iron oven, to the recovery gear that will get you home when you are in a pickle. We recently put together a breakdown of how much weight you can save by moving from a traditional winch recovery system to something more modern. Spoiler alert, it was almost 30kg.
To start with, it made sense that we look at a winch solution, as for many travelling solo, this will often be the only way to recover yourself from a bad situation. It is also probably the scenario where you are carrying the most gear because you need to be self-sufficient.
So, let’s break it down.
| Traditional solution | Weight | Saber Offroad Solution | Weight |
| Steel Rear hitch | 3.4Kg | Alloy Rear Hitch | 1.1Kg |
| Snatch Block | 4.1Kg | Ezy-Glide Winch Ring | 1.05Kg |
| Winch Extension strap (30m x 9.5T) | 6.5Kg | Winch Extension Rope | 1.3Kg |
| 5 x Bow Shackles (4.75T) | 5.25Kg | 5 x 20T Bound Soft Shackles | 1Kg |
| Winch Cable (30m) | 10.2Kg | Winch Rope (30m) | 2.3Kg |
| Roller Fairlead | 7.5Kg | Alloy Fairlead | 1.45Kg |
| Winch Hook | 1.15Kg | Alloy Winch Thimble (w/ Soft Shackle) | 0.25Kg |
| Total Weight | 38.1Kg | 8.45Kg |
When you look at the numbers like that it is somewhat jaw-dropping. Not only are you saving almost 30kg but you are saving 30kg from a starting point of 38kg. That is almost an 80% reduction in weight.
What would you carry if you could add an extra 30kgs to your vehicle? Here are a few ideas;
- 35L Fridge & a carton of beer to go in it.
- Stainless steel table & 4 expander camp chairs
- Carry an additional 250Ah of lithium batteries (still have 8kg spare)
- Carry an extra 1.5 20L jerry cans of fuel or water
If you haven’t experienced these types of products before you may be thinking, well perhaps you are saving weight but are you sacrificing strength or durability? That is certainly not the case, all soft components are designed to give the same or greater strength than their traditional counterparts. The key to these strength-to-weight ratios is the lightweight fibres like SaberPro®️ and Technora®️. These fibres allow you to make incredibly strong and light ropes that can be bound in different ways for different solutions.
Overall, there are a lot of things you can do with 30kg additional carrying capacity in your vehicle. So if you are conscious of your GVM and are still running outdated recovery equipment, make sure to chat to your local Saber Offroad dealer ASAP.
