When we contacted Marc Beverly to find out more about his experience, he didn’t hesitate to mention that ‘‘without the Portable Winch, the experience would have been too dangerous. The winch guaranteed my safe mobility into and out of the cave. I choose this winch because it is portable and gas-powered, making it fully independent in a remote area. I needed something that could pull no matter the situation! The Portable Winch was the safest option.’’

We invite you to watch the video produced by National Geographic, to better understand his experience and how they push the human limits! You will also see how the team was tired and scared when Marc decided to go further to see if there was any evidence of another cave. He went there alone, when it was time to go up! That was very dangerous! When we told you that this adventure is all about the human experience, that’s just what it was.

We also asked Marc what his favorite moment was and he told us that it was when he was hoisted up with the winch. ‘‘The moment was just amazing because I knew I’d make it to the top of this long 2000 ft tunnel, I would not be able to make it on my own power in these extreme environmental conditions.’’ Another great moment was when he first entered the cave. ‘‘It was just amazing to be in a place that nobody had ever gone or seen before! To experience the unseen!’’ But at the same time, it was also his most frightening moment. ‘‘It was very physical as I was the first one to go there, I just didn’t know what to expect…’’

Important notice: This is important to remember that the Portable Capstan Winches are not intended for lifting people. Therefore, never use the Portable Winches to lift people. This operation was made by professionals and with adapted equipment.

1Marc has over 30 years of rock climbing experience, is fully Certified AMGA / UIAGM/IFMGA Licensed Mountain Guide. He is also an AAA Certified Avalanche Instructor. Marc Beverly is the author of Santa Fe rock climbing guidebook Jemez Rock & Pecos Area. . He holds a Bachelors of Science in Emergency Medicine Services from UNM, a Masters in Physician Assistant Studies form the Univ of Utah, and is a PhD student in the Exercise Science Department at UNM.

Rockall Solo - A unique expedition

Portable Winch is proud to be one of the official partners in the Rockall Solo expedition by providing a PCW3000 winch and accessories through our official importer in United Kingdom, Proclimber.

Rockall Solo is a unique endurance expedition to be undertaken by Nick Hancock in order to raise funds for Help for Heroes, an organization who provides direct, practical support to wounded, injured and sick Service personnel, veterans, and their families.

Since the first recorded landing in 1811, only four people have spent more than one night on Rockall. The challenge is for Nick to land on Rockall for a second time, becoming only the third person to have landed on Rockall more than once, and this time survive solo for 60 days, setting two new endurance records:

• The longest ever solo occupation of Rockall;

• The longest occupation of Rockall in history.

Rockall is an extremely small, uninhabited, remote rocky islet in the North Atlantic Ocean. This very small island lying approximately 300 km (186 miles) west of St Kilda. St Kilda is 66 km (41 miles) west of Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides, and 430km (267 miles) from the nearest point on the Irish mainland.

The outcrop measures circa 25m (82ft) on its north-south axis and 22m (72ft) on its east-west axis; the summit is circa 18 m (59ft) above sea level, having been officially 19.2m (63ft).

With our PCW3000 winch, Nick Hancock will pull his equipment and material on the top of the island. Nick has chosen our PCW3000 winch because it is

• Portable; he needs to bring it with him.

• Very light; he has to climb the wall of the island.

• Powerful; he needs to pull all his equipment and material on the top of the island (500 kg, (0.5 tonnes)).

• Unlimited rope length; the island is 59 ft. height.

• Easy to attach; he has to anchor the winch quickly and easily.

• Easy to use and safe; in the extreme situation he will be, the equipment he uses must be easy to use and safe.

• Reliable; no matter the conditions, the winch will start!

We invite you to support Nick in his expedition and support the foundation. You can go to http://www.rockallsolo.com/index.html to find all information about donation.

*Those pictures have been taken during an experimental mission for testing the equipment. The expedition is expected for Spring/Summer 2013. You can see more pictures at http://bit.ly/Tn1jI0

A hunting story, as we like them!

Thanks to Mr. Mc Murray for sharing.

Zone 11. The Reserve in Rimouski, Moose-Dear Hunting combined from October 24th till the 29th, 2012.

We entered the 24th but weren’t allowed to hunt before the 25th.

Its early morning, on the October 25th.
One of the members heads off on his own and the 3 others (including me) move on a little further. Getting out of the truck, we here shots fired…a few seconds later, we get confirmation via the walkie-talkie that it’s all over. Barely 20 minutes of ‘’hunting’’!
The moose marked its presence with a snort of his nostrils. Our partner Gilles shot him at about 50 yards. The moose fell at about 100 yards from the road.

Now comes time to recover it.

One member of the group had a trailer carrying his ATV and another small tandem trailer designed to carry the moose out of the woods… but I had the winch (PCW5000) in the truck! Since the moose was about 100 yards from the road and I had enough rope, we anchored the winch to the hitch. Not even 10 to 15 minutes and the moose is loaded! My colleagues couldn’t believe the strength of the winch, thought they should purchase one for themselves!

I was forgetting to mention how useful the winch is for felling trees and directing the fall to the ground without breaking other trees. I climb a ladder and attach the rope as high as possible by using a pulley, I attach the rope to where I want it to fall, and them I attach the winch to another tree so I don’t receive it on the head. Anyway you know more than I, as shown in your videos. Then, the winch drags the logs in the snow to the trailer.

Thanks
Pierre Mc Murray, Canada

Portable Winch lives up to expectations

Richard Tregoweth - Thursday, September 24, 2009

Malcolm Shaw, from Norton Tree Services had a problem.

He had topped a big Macrocarpa and was left with the 20m stem protruding skyward, on a slight lean in the wrong direction. The property owners house was 5 meters away (in the natural fall line) and a fenced off turning bay almost surrounded the base of the tree. The big Mac needed to be dropped precisely into the gully below the house without any damage to the surrounding structures or property.

Malcolm had seen the Portable Winch in Treetools 'showroom' and thought it would be ideal for the job - turns out he was right. Unfortunately the closest anchor point was 60 meters away through the bush across the gully and Malcolm only had 50 meters of 16mm Samson Stable Braid rope on hand. With a bit of clever rigging and use of the Portable Winch, Malcolm was able to get the Samson rope clear of other trees and at the correct angle to make the final pull.

By using a couple of blocks to create a 3:1 mechanical advantage the trunk was soon angled in the right direction for a successful felling. A fair bit of rope heat was generated at the capstan end but it was hosing down with rain so the rope and capstan cooled down rapidly.

Impressive work from a winch powered by a 50cc Honda.

The only potential issue was worker communication due to the noise produced by the engine. From across the gully it was difficult to hear directions and there was no line of sight. Luckily both Malcolm and his helper could whistle rather loudly so communication was restored without too much difficulty.

Ref. : http://treetools.co.nz/_blog/Treetools_Blog/post/Portable_Winch_lives_up_to_expectations/

One of Portable Winch’s first owners

Mr. Demers is one of the first to own a Portable Winch. He bought his portable winch (model PCW5000) in 2004, when the company was just getting started. Recently, he visited the head office and was glad to tell us how he uses and loves the winch; it runs just like the first day I got it!

« I use my winch regularly and even after all this time, it still works well; always efficient and reliable. I like to compare it to horses! It’s not complicated; we can pull whatever we want with this winch.

I use it on my woodlot, for hunting or to pull out my 4x4. The winch is always behind me, on my 4x4. So, I’m ready for any situation!

When I cut wood on my woodlot, I prefer to work with my winch instead of my 4x4. I think the winch is safer, especially when trees fall on each other. With the power of the winch, I can pull out the logs at full length (I only remove the branches for a better slide) and I pull them up to my loader, which is on the main road.

Every hunting season, my partners count on me… and on my winch! With the winch, we don’t have difficulty pulling the moose out of the woods. And we pull it in one piece! We don’t even need a pulley; the winch is strong enough to pull it in single line! With a good length of rope, we pull the moose directly into the trailer!

Year after year, the people who see me work with the winch are always impressed of its strength and versatility. It’s a powerful, safe and an easy to use tool. With a Honda engine, you can’t go wrong. Whether it's in intense cold or heat, the engine will start!

I definitely recommend this winch! »

André Demers
Quebec, Canada

GREAT FORESTRY WORKS

I've told you guys before about how impressed we are with your product! We have been using our Portable Winch nearly every day averaging a run time of 5 hours each day and it still runs like new and no leaks or parts breaking! It is nice knowing we can rely on your product since it is the backbone to our business! Thanks! Here is just a fragment of what your winch was skidding up a 35% mountainside, 60 foot logs! - Comment we received on our Facebook Page.

Bought in order to access logs and fallen trees on roughly a 40% slope. Nothing else could access the logs, skid steer or ATV too steep and rocky. Anyway, I am continuing to be blown away by your product. Amazing machine and the Honda engine makes for a great powerful and reliable machine! Your CNC machining on the winch is superb and beautiful. Thanks for making an amazing product and providing a product that has more than paid for itself. - Comment we received with a registration warranty.

David Block, Block Forest Products LLC, United States