Thank you. I purchased a 1-ton come-along from Lowes, my first one. I thought it would be obvious how to operate it. It was not. Anytime a tool is used under extreme loads we MUST know what we are doing! I live in a very rural location and I work alone so I must be competent. RU-vid has been such a blessing to me in more ways than I can mention. Everything I have learned in life (I'm 70 years old) I have learned from other people. RU-vid has made it possible for me and others who are isolated to keep the learning curve steep. I am indebted to people like you. Bless you all and be safe.
Yes, RU-vid is amazing that way thank you for your instructor video. I just picked up a cheap come along from Amazon that came with no instructions. Your video is most helpful.
THANK YOU! As you probably know, a TON of these have been returned to the store and/or gotten bad reviews because people [thought they] could not release the tension. I would have been one of them until YOU SAVED THE DAY.
If you hadn't put up this video I would have finally had to get a grinder and cut my come-along cable to get out of my predicament. THANK YOU. You should get a medal for this.
Thank you so much for this simple, informative video. I am a lone female doing a sheep/goat fencing project completely by myself and before watching this video, I tried to find the cable release spring for a whole day which, was incredibly frustrating, lol🙈 Thank you so much for sharing this simple secret technique that, is nowhere indicated in the instructions of my brand of come along! It is only simple if you know how and I would have been truly lost without you. You saved the day❤
I bought this winch approximately 5 years ago and quite honestly hated it because of releasing the cable. I used slip joint pliers to release the cable and it was still a twenty minute struggling job. I watched your video today and worked the winch with ease. Thank You One Million Times for making my life easier. I subscribed to your channel today!
Great and simple after you get past that first non-talking intro. I can tell you I almost just went to another video when you had the come-along connected to the wall and kept pointing and doing things that should of had some close up shots to see what was going on. I stopped the video and glanced at a few comments and wondered why people thought this was so terrific. So I watched more and was satisfied with your instructions. I'm just saying....lots of others might think this is a no talking video and move on or give it a dislike. And that's a shame cause it really is great once you get past the confusing intro. Just wanted to let you know. Jesus bless.
Thanks, mate👍👍👍😃 You are the only person I could find that actually explains how to operate this puller. The instructions for the Gorilla brand are absolutely useless when you haven't used one of these things before. Great video. Thanks again, mate👍👍👍
This is hardly his discovery. 2 years earlier, another user showed this feature using the Maasdam winch as an example and then others started making similar videos: "Maasdam Rope Puller (Rope Come-Along) for Tree Work" Timestamped video ID: ZE6MjmBJk20&t=534s "How to use a Comealong: Video response" Video ID: G0pkVGhfaII
Fantastic video: in focus, clear, concise and simple. These devices are handy but releasing tension too fast can have potentially disastrous consequences. Also, a come-along is not safe for hoisting or suspending a load. Use a crane or block and tackle for those jobs. I think I can remember this by repeating "spring up, handle away from spring" to release tension
Almost left early as no sound in the first 10 seconds , Might explain you negative 25 (at this point ) as people move through these videos . I liked it though , simple and direct , thank you !
I've been trying to pick a come along and every single one of them has bad reviews for build quality. The only negative reviews I've seen on harbor freights was the tension issue. Now I can confidently buy the Harbor freight one. Thank you!
When our apartment trash compactor is emptied, we have to open the end door and put any large furniture in it. But it's hard to close that door! Well, a come along is exactly what we needed
THANK YOU!!! I used a slightly smaller HF winch to straighten a bowed rim joist on a deck, and got stuck when I couldn't figure out how to release the tension. You saved the day! Harbor Freight should pay you royalties.😇
Well it wasn't so much obvious to me I've been messing around this thing for an hour! If I didn't see this video that would still be screwed! Thank you very much!
Well done! Borrowed a come-along from a friend to move a log, couldn't figure out how to release tension, watched four unhelpful videos before I came across yours, which is a model for how to do a how-to video. Thanks for posting! Clever design for the the ratchet release but the UI could use some work...
Note this is the same come along that Mendards sells under their "Big Red" name. Apparently, the same crappy instructions come with it too. Thank you so much for the video!
Good to know! HF sells rebranded Chinese tools so it makes sense that "store brand" variants elsewhere would have the same model. That made me check out Princess Auto which is kind of a Harbor Freight of Canada and sure enough, their "4 ton cable puller" looks identical. I then searched for this directly on AliExpress and sure enough, it is available directly from China, bypassing the middleman if you like. But if you do go through AliExpress and only get one, then it's twice the cost of the HF version. Go to Alibaba.com, though, and you can get bulk orders in the $15/unit range. Anyway, I love rabbit holes like this. Thanks for bring up the Menards link!
I've been using a HF come-along for years and never knew this. I didn't expect it to be in the manual anyway; usually the manuals for these items are a bit of creative fiction from someone who seems to have been only supplied with a general description what the device even is.
I know this is different than ratchet straps but falls in line with what I see ALL the time where people don't know how to feed the tag end through the windlass on a ratchet strap to start tightening and once tightened they have no clue on how to loosen it. Its a similar process of pushing the ratcheting handle back to "break" the poll so the windlass can spin freely.. I work at Lowe's and often times have customers and even employees who help them load appliances etc that have no clue.. they end up cutting the ratchet straps when they get home.. It's one of those things that once you do it and learn it you get that "aha" moment and realize how simple it is. Most common issue is people not taking out enough slack and birdnesting the excess material where it binds up the gears and actually does get stuck.
Thank you for posting this. I inherited this in my boat and there’s no brand name on it. I’m doing rigging work on my boat in Indonesia and we couldn’t figure this out. Thank you again.
Where were you a couple of weeks ago? I was cleaning out a closet and found my old HF come along still in the box. I could not get it to work and yes, the instructions were useless so in the trash it went. Thanks! Now for another trip to HF.
Great video! I’ve had this sitting in my truck for about a year now just in case I need help getting something onto my trailer. I didn’t even consider how I would release the tension on it. I bought this after watching your video but apparently didn’t watch it till the end, until now that is lol.😆👍 Thanks!
just got one going to move (or try) to move my zero turn onto trailer.., thank you for explaining it nice video, Im back Mine is so tight cause Ive been trying to figure it out LOL, its dark now so I'll have to wait, my isn't the same as yours mine came from walmart.. seems like I'm gonna pinch my finger off... but thanks again I came back to watch again and again..etc... LOL
My winch was broken. It has a flat wide spring that, I guess keeps the cables organized. Mine has a very tiny rivet to attach that spring to the half cover. The cable was pinched under that spring. Maybe if you're here trying to unwind your winch you are looking for such an answer. I pushed out the old rivet and will replace it with a nail that I mushroom out by hammering. Hope that helps someone. Oh yeah and I didn't know hand winches had that feature build in so thanks.
That's it .. I'm buying one tmw. They are about 30 bucks right now. Awesome vid. Need to move the car into the garage. Small driveway slope . This should do
Thank you! To straighten my a post I had to use a winch puller tightening and releasing the tension of a chain & grab hook. Both your winch puller and grab hook video was a godsend!!!
Bought a 4ton winch puller from HF because my 50 yr old craftsman died. The HF winch had confusing instructions so I had to ad-lib on how to it. That ‘spring paw selector’ (or should I say finger slicer) is like a suicide switch ! My craftsman had a selector switch on the outer side of the puller. Also the cable did not wind around the pulley evenly and would bind against the outside ‘safety’ plate! Yes it worked but not very efficiently!
I just need to know where to get a release pawl spring. Mine broke somehow and I have no idea where to get a replacement. Harbor Freight clerk was no help.
It looks like a standard extension/tension spring with dual hooks. I got out my calipers and measured it: Length: 2.5in / 65mm Diameter: 0.44in / 11.6mm Wire: 0.06in / 1.5mm Coils: 23 Your best bet is to get an assortment of springs and choose the one that's the closest for find a hardware store with a good selection of springs.
Thank you ! Might sound picky but to improve the video . . . . . have at least SOME sound at inception as I had no clue that you were silent on purpose and thought the video sound was FUBR. Hope that helps.
Fast forward about a year. I bought a more expensive come-along, not from HF. The better quality is very obvious and it operates so simply, the instructions are optional! You do get what you pay for.
I went through the same process, try to read the manual but the print is too small. Change my glasses, ah that's better, still I don't understand how to release the mechanism. F*** that ,check YT. Yours was the first video, excellent explanation, thanks.
I think I pulled too much wire rope in, now I can't get it to come back out. I released the ratchet tooth grabber, it was up high and couldn't touch the rachet gear, so that worked, and I got one "clunk" out of it. After that, I couldn't get any more clunks. I'm at my wit's end. But I do think this is my fault, I will never pull too much wire rope in again (assuming I get this thing working again).
Unfortunately they seemed to have changed the design. The poll spring doesn't seem to have a way to release unless you keep holding the trigger. And plus, I'm a dummy. Out of the box, I can't get the damn thing to unwind.
I just got the same one last night and saw people complaining about it and was hoping for a video explanation like this. Thanks! Would you think it’s a good idea or a bad idea to lubricate the pivoting parts of the come along?
I'm not planning on it, unless I see that rust might become an issue. My come-along isn't likely to be used enough or for long enough for the friction to make any notable differences in the metal -- heat or wear.
Okay so those of us who use verbal instructions, here's what the video actually says: 1. Move the spring to the other position 2. Push down the thumb release until it clicks 3. Release the cable
It's not a good idea - the wire in this come-along isn't rated for vertical or lifting forces, so there's no guarantee that it won't snap and let your car engine crash to the ground. That is, the "8000 lb" rating refers specifically and only to horizontally pulled flat loads and it has no rating at all for lifting. I would get a manual chain hoist for lifting an engine as that's what they are made for.
I neglected to square up the wall when I erected it and so using the winch was my last-ditch effort at doing so, prior to installing the OSB. It worked. Of course, it would have been FAR better to have made sure it was square prior to then and not have needed the winch!
I have a silly question: I have this unit and it jammed. Took it apart to clear the cablw. Now i cant get the release back properly. The spring seems backwards. Could you tell me the right way or perhaps take a pic? Many thanks
I have a guide on my website with lots of pictures. Check out the second photo in the parts section: granworks.com/releasing-tension-on-a-harbor-freight-come-along/
I feel so stupid the Walmart come along is the same mechanism and I spent like 20 minutes with the damn screwdriver to get it undone I guess if we never used one it’s not that obvious
Haha! Oh man, I hear you. Unfortunately, it likely won't be for at least another year. I'm building a house right now and anything not related to that is necessarily pushed to "later".
The Harbor Freight comealong isn't rated for ANY vertical use -- in fact, the manual explicitly states that it must not be used for vertical lifting. There's a very big difference between a dead load that a cable must lift vs a resting load being pulled. I would personally only feel comfortable lifting less than 10% of the rated capacity -- so less than 400lbs for.a 2-ton comealong.
