PRO TIP

WINCHING BASICS: KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

WORDS / PHOTOS: MERCEDES LILIENTHAL

Education is just as important as having a quality winch and recovery accessories. Knowing how to properly use your gear could potentially save your life or those around you. Winches and recovery gear should be understood, practiced with, and maintained. A worst case scenario comes when a precarious situation arises and you have no idea what you’re doing.

You need to have a solid understanding of a winch, an excellent discipline in safety protocols, plus solid knowledge of equipment ratings and materials when using recovery equipment. You know everything about your iPhone, right? Now, it’s time to learn basic winching principles to keep you winching safely and successfully.

Winch rope varies. Synthetic rope is lightweight and easy to handle, it won’t develop sharp barbs over time, but it is more prone to damage from abrasion. Steel rope is strong and abrasion-resistant making it good for utility applications as well as regular vehicle recovery. However, it weighs more and stores more potential energy. No matter which winch rope you run, using a heavy-duty set of gloves when winching is important. Have you ever heard of rope burn or metal slivers?

PROPER RIGGING IS IMPORTANT

Knowing your vehicle’s proper recovery points is also important. There’s a big diff erence between a tie-down point versus an intended recovery point. A vehicle’s owner’s manual should specify the location of your tow points (or the vehicle you’re recovering’s tow points) if they don’t have an off -road bumper. Make sure that all recovery or tow points aren’t rusted out and are up to the forces imparted by a winch. Next to your winch itself, it’s critical to keep these recovery points intact.

THE IMPORTANCE OF SHACKLES

Shackles are important to have during a recovery; they allow for diff erent rigging confi gurations and can be connected or disconnected quickly. Understand their working load limits and make sure their weight ratings are suitable to your adventure rig. Shackles can be made from soft and fl exible synthetic rope or forged or cast metal. Forged is best as the manufacturing process will push out any air pockets that may compromise strength. Having two to three shackles with you is important, hand tighten metal screw pins until tight, and then back off a quarter turn. Ever need vice grips to undo a shackle after a recovery? The pulling force against an already tight shackle pin has caused this.

RIGGING

Tree straps are an integral part of the winching process. They’re less damaging to trees and lighter than chains or wire ropes. Tree trunk protectors are non-elastic and shouldn’t be used for vehicle-tovehicle kinetic recovery as the lack of elasticity can damage vehicles. However, tree straps are great to anchor a winch line to a tree or large boulder during the recovery process.

Make sure your anchor point isn’t rotten or damaged. Affi x the tree trunk protector low on said object, connect it with a shackle, and attach your winch line for recovery.

WINCHING 101

Before you initially use your winch, you’ll need to stretch the line. Do this for either synthetic or wire rope. By doing this, you eliminate the rope dropping between other layers, causing it to potentially crush the line. Any time you winch, the following steps should allow for a smooth and safe recovery.

RECOVERY RINGS AND SNATCH BLOCKS

Several types of recovery rings, snatch blocks, or pulleys are on the market. Even though they’re diff erent, they basically work the same. These items are used to dissipate loads correctly across a tensioned winch line, and essentially double the pulling power of any winch or change the pulling direction without damaging the winch rope. But, using these items will cut your winch’s speed in half. The pulling capacity will eff ectively be twice your winch’s rating, but recovery will go half as fast. Know what works best with your

specifi c setup.

• Slow down and think things through.

• Always use the safest techniques possible when recovering a vehicle.

• Use gloves, they’ll improve grip and save your hands.

• Throw a winch damper (like a backpack, heavy jacket, etc.) on the line prior to winching—it’ll force the line downward in the event of rope failure.

• Know where your danger zones are before winching. Make sure everyone is at least the rope’s length away from your vehicle before you engage your winch.

• Don’t ever step over the line if under tension, or stand alongside the line if actively winching. Standing behind your door or inside the vehicle will shield you from harm if the line breaks.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

Practice using your winch. Exercise various recovery setups so you’re familiar with your equipment, their dynamics, and limitations. Be familiar with your winch. Know how it works before you need to actually use it. This will give you the confi dence to keep your head straight, play it safe, and be smart when a recovery is needed.