UPDATE: Apparently 2 Tons Wasn’t Enough… 😂
Well, I posted this earlier today, and apparently Commander Zero decided we needed a little more temptation.
He has now followed up with “Built to last II” — featuring the 5-ton big brother to that 2-ton Beebe Bros. hand winch.
https://www.commanderzero.com/?p=13732
And this thing is a BEAST. 😎
The 5-ton version weighs somewhere around 150 pounds, so we may be stretching the definition of “portable.” But the basic idea is still exactly what caught my attention in the first place:
No batteries.
No gasoline.
No electronics.
Just gears, cable, leverage, and a sufficiently determined operator.
Even better, there’s a preparedness lesson buried in the story of how he bought it. The winch was listed online for $550, but shipping was another $372. Fortunately, it happened to be fairly close to him. He contacted the seller, offered $300 for a local pickup, and wound up getting the deal.
Which reinforces my earlier request to the local crowd:
KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN!
These old pieces of industrial/farm equipment may make a whole lot more sense when found locally at estate sales, farm auctions, equipment auctions, flea markets, Marketplace, Craigslist, old barns, etc., rather than trying to ship 150 pounds of vintage American iron halfway across the country.
And yes, after seeing the 5-ton model, I still want one.
Possibly more now. 😂🤣😎
Here are the 2-ton and 5-ton versions for comparison:
Somewhere around Northeast Texas, there has to be one of these things sitting in the corner of a barn waiting for us to discover it.
The hunt continues. 😎
73,
Phillip Beall (W5EBC)