Jason Willenbrock wrote:.

how could a winch be hooked up to a vanagon?  the only winches i have
seen (other then my mother in law-kidding) were on a hummer or a tow
truck.  can someone educate me here?

I don't know about power winches, but perhaps you are looking to having
what's called a "Come-a-Long". Its a hand winching device that uses a
rachet, cable, and a couple of hooks. I used to have one that I used
with my 85 GL in Alaska. Can't tell you how many vehicles I winched out
of a ditch with that thing. If you operate one, always check the
condition of the cable before use. Frayed cable strands indicate a
non-useable cable. Never use a chain. Chains snap suddenly when they
fail and can really do some damage when they do. Cable can also really
do some damage when they break, but the advantage of the cable over the
chain is the cable generally gives warning .......... provided you
approach their strain limit slowly as when hand winching...... it will
break a few strands at a time and give you a chance to back off the
pressure. Chains typically just suddenly snap.

John Rodgers
88 GL Driver