rdixiemiller

Kenny brought up a valid point. If the holes are wallowed out in the winch input shaft or the driveshaft yoke, you will shear pins much easier than if the holes are in good shape. If the hole is oversized, a standard pin will be cut, rather than holding against shear pressure. You can run a drill through the yoke and shaft (at the same time) and clean up any damage. Press in some brass bushings, or turn slightly larger aluminum pins. Use a little anti-sieze on the winch shaft to help reduce galling when the yoke spins (pin sheared). If the winch shaft has been worn down from too many pin shears, you may want to pull it out and have it welded up and turned back down to the correct diameter. If the driveshaft yoke is worn loose, replace it or have it bored and bushed.
Wreckerman's method works if you are highly experienced with winches and vehicle recovery. I would not recommend that to someone who has never used a winch very much. Many people don't realize just how hard it is to pull a stump out of the ground! You can grab a tree 10' from the ground and pull it right over. If you grab the same tree at ground level, it won't budge. Leverage can do wonderful or terrible things, depends how you use it.

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Robert Miller
Currently out on the road programming robots.......