Well some of you may have seen the ads for the Smittybilt W.A.S.P. (Winch Anchor Support Platform). At first glance I thought we'd have an excellent alternative to Pull-Pal and ARB Portable Ground Anchor. With a rated load capacity of 10,000lbs and max load capacity of 12,000lbs, I was rather excited to go out and test this puppy.
The W.A.S.P. has three settings that vary the angle the anchor digs into the ground. The instructions state, one setting for: sand, very fine loose sand, and soil.
Lance, Corbin, and I went out this weekend to test the W.A.S.P. to see if it met the standards of Sierra Expeditions to retail the product as we always do.
So we set out to get intentionally get stuck, in an area you typically would not have a winch recovery spot. We headed to some sandy washes, and found the right spot. This spot we were able to anchor in loose sand, hard pack sand, soil, and rock conditions. Figuring that loose sand was the hardest to anchor we started there first.
Here you can see the W.A.S.P. and Pull-Pal side by side broken down:
We attached a tow strap to the anchor vehicle, and the test vehicle was driven forward to get the vehicle stuck (simulating a hill climb). Once the vehicle was stuck, the tow straps were removed. And normal recovery was completed using the W.A.S.P. and Pull-Pal.
Here I am setting the W.A.S.P.
Photo By Lance Blair of Disabled Explorer's
Here is the W.A.S.P. digging in. It did a great job digging in, however never stopped digging in and acted more like a plow than an anchor... (the wireless winch controller made it easier, one man operation would not have been possible with out the wireless controller)
Photo By Lance Blair of Disabled Explorer's
Photo By Lance Blair of Disabled Explorer's
Photo By Lance Blair of Disabled Explorer's
Here you can see the multiple attempts, all three, on hard pack sand (left) loose sand (center) and sand/soil mix (right). None of the attempts were successful.
Photo By Lance Blair of Disabled Explorer's
In comparison the Pull-Pal bit and anchored right away, allowing us to recover on the first attempt.
Bottom line: Sierra Expeditions will not be retailing this product, and were not able to set the W.A.S.P. in 6 different attempts following the instructions, and at variable angle settings. If you are looking for a compact version of the Pull-pal, the ARB Portable Ground Anchor is still the only other option that I am aware of. I am posting this information simply for you all to see what we experienced in the product testing of the W.A.S.P. I am sure some of you may have different experiences with this product than we have and may share different opinions. I welcome your thoughts.
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