Review on 🔧 TEKTON 5547: Powerful 4 Ton Dual Gear Power Puller for Effective Lifting and Towing by John Holliday

Received it yesterday and it will be sent back today. For the record, I'm in my 60's and a disabled vet with a spinal injury. I weigh 190 pounds and this joint was used to chop down a tree that fell onto another tree during a storm. I know how to use one of them. it's not exactly rocket science. The cable was pinched when I first opened the package. You wound it up badly and it got stuck between the spool and the spring metal cap on the bottom. I had to use multiple screwdrivers to loosen it. I had a pine tree that fell onto another tree during a storm so I needed something to pull it off. A 4 ton tool would have been overkill, but this was cheap enough for a tool I rarely used. The arrival was attached to a fiberglass weight belt - this serves to protect the tree from bark damage. The straps are rated for a maximum load of 1900 pounds and the straps are fine. This means that this damage occurred with a force of less than 1 ton. 25% of the rating of this winch. I have a spinal issue so I don't have a lot of strength on my right side so I didn't push it off with a bunch of weight, nor did I use any extensions or anything else that wouldn't be safe. I slowly pulled the tree down and cut off the roots underneath as it slowly continued to fall. After a few cuts and ratchets I was about to tighten the cable and the handle broke as the ratchet teeth flexed 90 degrees! So I was wondering how I was going to release this thing. I figured that worst case scenario, I could just take a kitchen knife and cut the yellow protective wood tape that the outlet was attached to. I went in to grab my camera and photograph the crooked teeth and as I headed back to the tree the comedy literally exploded. There was a loud POW that cable whipped because the teeth on the pawl (the part that holds it in place when the cable is pulled) literally snapped in half. There were other users who left reviews complaining about this. Upon closer inspection, it turned out that the locking pawl was simply made of cast iron. Yes. I was lucky I wasn't there when it happened - in a few seconds I'd be standing over him with a camera and could seriously injure myself. The jaw I felled was already leaning forward, so this tool was just helping gravity pull it all the way down. There was no wind or anything else to unduly strain the cable and the weakest link in the system had to be the yellow straps securing the two trees as they are rated for less than a tonne. It's up to you if you want. dare with this tool. If you're taking just one tip from my experience, then please don't keep anyone around if you're using this on something that's even less than a ton. When this thing breaks loose, it can flip over so quickly you don't even realize it's coming.