A come-along’s box rating is two different numbers wearing one label. The same tool will be rated for a horizontal drag and a vertical lift, single line and double line, a “maximum rated capacity” and a safe working load half as big — and the big number is the one printed large. This guide prints both numbers for every pick, because the difference is the whole purchase: a drag rating moves a log; it does not entitle you to hang an engine from it. Two scope corrections from the previous version: the chain hoists it listed are lifting tools, not come-alongs, and are gone; and the manual winches that load cars live where they belong, in our hand winch for car trailer guide.
How we researched: Wyeth-Scott, Maasdam, TEKTON and NEIKO manufacturer data matched to exact model numbers, plus owner reports from off-road forums. We do not test pullers. Where a maker’s rating practice is the story — TEKTON’s maximum vs working load, NEIKO’s horizontal vs vertical — both figures are printed.
Short answer: the Wyeth-Scott More Power Puller is the come-along to buy if you buy one for life — synthetic line, real tonnage, and the strongest owner record here. For reach, the Maasdam rope puller plays a different sport entirely; for budget cable work, the TEKTON 5547 and NEIKO 02256A are the honest cheap seats.
Our top come along picks
Best Overall
Wyeth-Scott More Power Puller (3-35-A-SLT)
Drag 6 tons (double line) · AmSteel-Blue synthetic, 35 ft x 5/16 in
Best for Long Reach
Maasdam A-100 Rope Puller
Drag 3/4 ton · Rope puller — uses 1/2 in rope
Best Heavy Cable Puller
TEKTON 5547 4-Ton Dual Gear
Drag 8,000 lb max rated · Steel cable, 1/4 in
Best Budget
NEIKO 02256A
Drag 10,000 lb horizontal (maker) · Steel cable, 10 ft x 6 mm
Best Light-Duty
TEKTON 5541 2-Ton
Drag 4,000 lb max rated · Steel cable, 3/16 in
Come alongs compared — both ratings printed
| Puller | Pull / drag rating | Lift / working rating | Line | Reach | Weight | Our Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wyeth-Scott More Power Puller (3-35-A-SLT) | 6 tons (double line) | 3 tons (double line) | AmSteel-Blue synthetic, 35 ft x 5/16 in | 35 ft line | 24 lb | 9.3 | |
| Maasdam A-100 Rope Puller | 3/4 ton | Pulling only | Rope puller — uses 1/2 in rope | ~100 ft (rope-dependent) | Not published | 8.8 | |
| TEKTON 5547 4-Ton Dual Gear | 8,000 lb max rated | 4,000 lb safe working load | Steel cable, 1/4 in | ~7 ft class travel | Not published | 8.5 | |
| NEIKO 02256A | 10,000 lb horizontal (maker) | 4,000 lb vertical (maker) | Steel cable, 10 ft x 6 mm | 10 ft | 13.4 lb | 8.2 | |
| TEKTON 5541 2-Ton | 4,000 lb max rated | 2,000 lb safe working load | Steel cable, 3/16 in | 7 ft 10 in max pull | Not published | 8.0 |
How our score works: honest rating practice (working load published) 25% · build quality evidence 25% · reach/line 20% · owner feedback 20% · value 10%. Our Score is editorial judgement based on published specs and owner reports, not test results.
Read a come-along rating like an engineer
Drag is not lift. Horizontal ratings assume a load that mostly supports itself; vertical figures assume the tool carries everything. Wyeth-Scott: 6-ton drag, 3-ton lift, both double-line. NEIKO: 10,000 lb across the ground, 4,000 lb in the air, per its own spec sheet. Maximum is not working. TEKTON prints a “maximum rated capacity” and a safe working load half of it; the working load is the planning number. Double line doubles capacity and halves travel — and every rating assumes a straight pull with the cable laid properly on the drum; angles, friction and piled cable cut real capacity. Reach is short: cable pullers travel roughly 6–12 ft before a re-rig (the Wyeth-Scott’s 35 ft of line is the luxury exception, and rope pullers escape the limit entirely at lower tonnage).
Not a hoist: a cable come-along is a pulling tool. Harbor Freight’s own cable-puller page states it plainly — “for dead loads only; not for lifting”. Overhead lifting belongs to lever hoists rated under ASME B30.21. NEIKO prints a vertical figure for the 02256A, but the tool is sold as a cable puller, not a B30.21-rated hoist, and this guide does not present it as one.
1. Wyeth-Scott More Power Puller (3-35-A-SLT) — Best Overall
The More Power Puller is the one come-along that owners describe in decades: a cast, over-built frame, three forged latched hooks, a handle that rotates 360°, and 35 ft of AmSteel-Blue synthetic line where cable pullers give you 10 ft of steel. Its ratings are the honest kind — 3-ton dead lift and 6-ton drag, both specified double-line, against a rope with a 13,700 lb average strength.
| Dead lift | 3 tons (double line) |
| Pull / drag | 6 tons (double line) |
| Line | AmSteel-Blue synthetic, 35 ft x 5/16 in (13,700 lb avg. strength) |
| Hooks | 3 forged, safety-latched |
| Handle | 360° rotation |
| Weight | 24 lb (20.6 lb without tackle-block hook) |
Pros
- The strongest, longest-line puller here
- Synthetic line — no cable burrs or kinks
- Forged hardware throughout
Watch-outs
- Costs several times the budget picks
- 24 lb is a real carry
- Overkill for fence-and-gate work
What owners say: A Tacoma World owner used his to move a fallen tree and recover a Rubicon buried in deep mud, and IH8MUD’s review praises its power, size and build quality over cheap pullers — the forum consensus buy-once pick.
2. Maasdam A-100 Rope Puller — Best for Long Reach
The A-100 is not a cable come-along at all: it is a rope puller, which trades tonnage for the one thing cable cannot give — reach. Feed it up to roughly 100 ft of 1/2 in rope and it pulls the whole length at 3/4 ton, which makes it the fence-line, tree-work and long-driveway tool. Maasdam’s line carries the brand’s lifetime warranty and USA-made positioning; the tonnage honesty (3/4 ton, printed small and true) is the point of the tool.
| Rated pull | 3/4 ton |
| Line | Rope puller — works with 1/2 in rope |
| Reach | Rope-dependent, up to ~100 ft |
| Role | Pulling only — not a hoist |
| Brand warranty | Lifetime (Maasdam line) |
| Weight | Not published |
Pros
- Reach no cable puller can match
- Light, simple, nothing to kink
- Lifetime-warranty brand
Watch-outs
- 3/4 ton is the ceiling
- Rope is managed by hand — technique matters
- Not for vehicle recovery tonnage
What owners say: Maasdam’s rope pullers are the established pattern for this job across farm and forestry use; dedicated single-thread verdicts are thinner than the Wyeth-Scott’s, and the pick stands on the mechanism’s proven logic and the maker’s warranty.
3. TEKTON 5547 4-Ton Dual Gear — Best Heavy Cable Puller
The 5547 is the heavy end of the honest budget class: dual-gear ratcheting, a 21 in handle for leverage, three hooks so it rigs single or double line, and TEKTON’s two-number rating practice — 8,000 lb maximum rated, 4,000 lb safe working load — printed on its own data. Plan against the 4,000; respect the brand for publishing it.
| Maximum rated capacity | 8,000 lb |
| Safe working load | 4,000 lb |
| Cable | Steel, 1/4 in |
| Handle | 21 in |
| Hooks | 3 (single/double line rigging) |
| Gearing | Dual-gear ratchet |
Pros
- Real working-load figure published
- Double-line flexibility
- Long handle leverage
Watch-outs
- Cable travel is the usual ~7 ft class
- Steel cable handling and care
- Weight not published by maker
What owners say: TEKTON’s come-alongs are the big-box benchmark in this class; owner sentiment is covered via the ratings aggregates on its listings — positive on value, with the standing advice to work inside the safe working load, which is exactly this guide’s position.
4. NEIKO 02256A — Best Budget
The NEIKO is the volume seller of the class and its spec sheet is this guide’s teaching example: 10,000 lb of horizontal pull and 4,000 lb of vertical capacity, from NEIKO’s own data. As a horizontal puller it is strong, cheap and one-hand operable, with 10 ft of 6 mm cable and three latched hooks. As a “5-ton winch” (its shelf name) it is a drag rating wearing a crown — buy it for the 10,000 lb across the ground, never hang the 4,000 lb figure over your head, because it is not a rated hoist.
| Horizontal pull | 10,000 lb (5-ton) |
| Vertical figure | 4,000 lb (2-ton) — maker figure; not a B30.21 hoist rating |
| Cable | Steel, 10 ft x 6 mm |
| Hooks | 3 zinc-plated, safety-latched |
| Operation | Dual-gear ratchet, one-hand, PVC-coated lever |
| Weight | 13.4 lb |
Pros
- Strongest horizontal rating here
- Light and cheap
- One-hand operation
Watch-outs
- Shelf name oversells the drag rating
- Mixed owner aggregates (below)
- Not a rated hoist
What owners say: Owner aggregates are mixed-to-positive and split by store: about 4.3/5 across roughly 1,768 Amazon ratings against a cooler 3.4/5 from Home Depot owners — printed as aggregates, because that is what they are.
5. TEKTON 5541 2-Ton — Best Light-Duty
The 5541 is the light TEKTON: 4,000 lb maximum rated, 2,000 lb safe working load, 7 ft 10 in of maximum pull on 3/16 in cable, and a 17 in handle. It is the gate, fence, shed and small-log tool — sized for the jobs that make up most come-along work, at the class’s entry price, with the same honest two-number rating as its big brother.
| Maximum rated capacity | 4,000 lb |
| Safe working load | 2,000 lb |
| Cable | Steel, 3/16 in |
| Max pull length | 7 ft 10 in |
| Handle | 17 in |
Pros
- Entry price
- Honest working-load figure
- Right-sized for most property jobs
Watch-outs
- 2,000 lb working ceiling
- Short travel between re-rigs
What owners say: Same aggregate picture as the 5547: the TEKTON pair are the class’s default budget buys, and the planning rule is identical — work to the safe working load.
Come along FAQ
Come along or hand winch?
A hand winch is mounted (trailer tongue, wall) and winds a long line; a come-along is carried to the job and pulls a short distance per rig. Trailer loading belongs to our hand winch guide; dragging, tensioning and field pulls belong here.
Why is the lift rating so much lower than the pull rating?
A drag load mostly supports itself on the ground; a lift load hangs entirely on the tool. Makers rate both, and the honest guides print both — plan lifts on the lift figure and pulls on the pull figure, never the reverse.
Can a come-along recover a stuck vehicle?
The Wyeth-Scott’s 6-ton drag says yes for real work, slowly, 35 ft at a time with re-rigs; the budget cable pullers are emergency-grade at vehicle weights. For regular recovery, a mounted winch (our portable winch guide covers the carry-it options) is the right tool.
What happened to the chain hoists in this guide?
They were lifting tools in a pulling guide — a category error, removed. If your job is vertical lifting, buy a lever or chain hoist rated for it (ASME B30.21), not a come-along.
How far can a come-along pull?
Cable models: roughly 6–12 ft per rig (the Wyeth-Scott carries 35 ft of line). Rope pullers: as far as your rope reaches, at lower tonnage. Everything else is re-rigging — plan the job in pulls, not in one motion.
Our verdict
Buy the Wyeth-Scott if a come-along is a lifetime tool in your kit, the Maasdam rope puller when reach beats tonnage, and the TEKTON pair or the NEIKO for honest budget work — planned against working loads, not box maxima. Read every rating twice, once for drag and once for lift, and no come-along in this guide will ever surprise you.
Sources
- Wyeth-Scott More Power Puller data via the maker and lifting.com spec blocks; Maasdam catalog: maasdam.com
- TEKTON 5541/5547 data via TEKTON and retailer spec blocks; NEIKO 02256A: neikotools.com
- Owner reports: Tacoma World and IH8MUD, linked in the sections above; category safety framing per Harbor Freight’s cable-puller guidance and ASME B30.21 scope.
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