A Winch in Time

Mike Buchanan and his language survey team in Republic of the Congo needed a vehicle that would take them over roads requiring a four-wheel-drive.

“JAARS helped us get a great deal on a Land Cruiser,” Mike says. That bargain price allowed them to purchase some extras—including an electric winch.

Mike’s account of their first survey illustrates just how important that winch proved to be.

“It had rained heavily. Ascending a steep hill to one village, with the road still flooded, we could not distinguish the shoulder. The back wheel fell into a deep hole, leaning the vehicle over on its side with the right front wheel lifting three feet off the ground.

“Village people gathered, all giving helpful advice. Suddenly, I remembered—the winch! We hooked its cable to a nearby tree, and in record time the winch pulled the vehicle out.

“On that same trip, when we were driving through a long muddy area, the Land Cruiser got stuck up to the axles. But this time—no trees nearby on which to hook the cable. So we dug a six-foot-deep hole, took out the spare tire, attached the cable to it and put it in the hole. Two of the men stood on the tire, and again the winch pulled the vehicle out.”

They say that a stitch in time saves nine; in this case, it was a winch. Without it, Mike and his team could have been stuck in either place for hours!

This story originally appeared in "Getting There," the Spring 2006 issue of Rev. 7.