Winch
 Winch
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|---|---|
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| Details | |
| Tier | Medium |
| Group | Item |
| Type | Utility |
| Crafted at |  Small Printer
|
| Recipe | 1x  EXO Chip1x  Rubber
|
| Unlock Cost | 3,750 Bytes |
The Winch is a utility item in Astroneer that can be used to tow objects.
Source
| Output | Input | Module |
|---|---|---|
 Winch
|
EXO Chip Rubber
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Small Printer
|
Uses
The Winch may be placed on any Rover, except for the 
Buggy, due to the fact it only has one Medium Slot meant for the player to sit. The Winch can be attached to Shuttles, but caution is advised since the attached items will fall off when flying into space. The Winch can also be attached to Rail Cars, which have the advantage of being locked to their rail, and therefore have perfect traction.
The Winch can drag any item in the game, including extra-large modules such as Wrecked Solar Arrays that cannot be moved any other way. It also acts as an effective space multiplier for a powerful Rover, since it can turn a single Tier-2 slot into an entire fully-loaded platform (though this will be awkward to actually drive). This allows a single Rover trip to move a large chunk of base, or a big haul of Discoveries.
Click on the hook on the Winch, then attach it to something to tow it. To release, click on the base of the cable where it comes out of the body of the Winch. The hook will automatically release if the cable is stretched too far, or if the attached object is destroyed.
The Winch is also effective when picked up and carried around by hand. The Winch can also be attached to the player. This can be useful for towing a stuck or unpowered Rover with a lot more maneuverability. Like Rail Cars, the Astroneer is entirely unaffected by the Winch's tendency to throw things around, and has effectively infinite traction.
However, be aware that the Winch's physics are extremely buggy. This can cause strange occurrences such as:
- Two objects of similar weight attached by a winch may fly around. This includes rovers, which have a tendency to fly into space and be unrecoverable.
- Even when objects are not of similar weight, the smaller one may be flung around.
- When a player picks up an object that has a winch hook attached to it, the winch and any attached objects will be flung around relative to the winched object's movement. Be sure to click on the base of the hook instead of the object, as this will likely flip rovers upside down.
Notes
- Historical Probes cannot be hooked up to a winch, and thus, cannot be moved from their locations easily.
Trivia
- The Winch had a considerably less updated design than most other objects in the game, until updated in the Exploration Update.
- The Winch is described as ' An experiment that went horribly wrong...or...right? >_> '.
Media
Winch Icon
Old Winch model
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