how to use your winch and recovery equipment

[orangesonoma]

credit goes to www.4wheeloffroad.com

Use it or lose it. If ever that axiom holds true it’s when winching. Sure, lots of times you only pull the cable to hoist your nimrod friend’s rig out of a ditch after he unsuccessfully tried to show off for the girlies by driving with his feet. But other times it’s to prevent a nasty rollover, keep you from spending the night on the trail with hungry critters, or tackle a make-it-or-break-it obstacle.

So what are these tools and how do you use them? First and foremost is a winch rated to about 1 ½ times your trucks
loaded weight (for most fullsizes that means a 9,000- to 10,000-pound winch) and a winch mount that isn’t going to rip off during a pull, sending a 100-pound missile at someone’s head.

Thankfully, most of the other tools you’ll need most are available in kit form.





Most winch accessory bags come with the basics you'll need for safe and proper winching. Included in the Warn kit (clockwise from top) is a carrying bag, a shackle, a 15-foot tree saver, a snatch block, a recovery chain, and heavy leather gloves. We've also used Mechanix Wear Impact gloves (bottom left) and its new deerskin gloves (top left), although an errant winch wire can penetrate their thinner palm material



A shackle, also known as a D-ring, is horseshoe-shaped sturdy metal with a threaded pin that closes the open end. They can be used to hook a winch cable to any number of things. To use, simply unthread the pin, slip the shackle through the eyes of a tree saver, tow strap, tow hook, or whatever else you're attaching your winch hook to, and screw the pin back in.



If your tow strap is too short and you need to lengthen it by attaching two straps together, don't use a shackle. If the webbing on the strap eyes breaks under load it could send the shackle flying into someone's skull. Instead, thread the second tow strap through the eye of the first one, then again through itself. Insert a large stick to prevent the knot from becoming too tight to be undone.



In addition to having a 5-, 10-, or 15-foot tree saver, you should also carry along a longer 20- or 30-foot tow strap. In this instance, our tree saver didn't fit around the trunk of the tree we needed to winch to, so we used the tow strap instead. If your tow strap seems too long, simply wrap it around the trunk a few times to shorten it up.



A snatch block is simply a pulley that you can run your winch line through and attach to a tow strap or tree saver. They double the pulling power of your winch, but cut its speed in half. You can use them to pull your own vehicle out of really bad stucks, winch from angles, winch around corners, or even winch the vehicle in front of you forward while you're behind it.



To rig a snatch block, insert the winch cable, then close the ends. Attach the eyelet ends of the snatch block to a tow strap or tree saver with a shackle.



Your vehicle should have at least one tow hook mounted securely to the frame or winch mount. Use mounting hardware that is Grade 5 or better. Avoid welding tow hooks to their mounts because if the weld cracks or is contaminated, it can send the tow hook flying under a hard pull.



If your vehicle has a receiver hitch in the front or rear, you can get a receiver shackle bracket from almost any off-road shop. However, when using a receiver shackle bracket, remember that your winch attachment will only be as strong as the hitch in which it is mounted.


also remember....never remove all of your winch cable or rope....always leave atleast 5 wraps or cable or rope
how-to install roperetainer http://www.muddyoval.com/articles/ge...peretainer.htm

and when ever respooling your winch...keep it under a constant load..

more tips..
http://www.difflock.com/offroad/bowyer/winching3.shtml

snatch blocks..
http://www.dodgepowerwagon.com/glovebox/snatch.html

arb products
http://www.offroadtuff.com/recoveryacc.htm
it also shows the use of snatch blocks and how to tripple the pull power of your winch

[clskgl]

Sweet.but i already new that,lol,but its a very good descriptive tutorial,i cant think of anything to add!GREAT JOB!

[Eroq]

Cool, this was copied directly from my 4x4 club's website http://www.wegotmud.com

Quote:

Please take the time to read this or at least skim through it

below is the intro, click on the link for the article


INTRO:
I decided to do this article because of the overwhelming number of incredibly dangerous things I see people do during vehicle recovery - in my own club, in magazines, and in pictures on the 'net. This is another one of those area's where there is an incredible amount of misinformation out there - and you know how I HATE misinformation. Common things I see people doing wrong all the time include:

1) Improper selection of gear, without understanding load ratings and safety margins

2) Improper use of gear - side loading shackles, improper use of wire-rope clips, hooking straps and cables to themselves without understanding the significant loss of load rating incurred, etc.

3) Unsafe practices - not keeping the area clear, handling wore rope with bare hands, etc.

This article will attempt to clear up all of these and more. It focuses on the proper selection and use of equipment for off-road vehicle recovery using an electric winch. It does not go into great detail about how to actually operate the winch or rig a winching operation - there are many other good sources for this information including:

- The U.S. Army vehicle recovery manual, Warn's Guide to Winching, Magazine Articles, and other web pages.

What it will focus on is all the other important info that isn't contained anywhere else, or at least not in any place or format readily accessible to recreational four wheelers. The information regarding rigging and equipment apply equally well if applying the force with a come-along, Hi-Lift jack or hand winch. So - without further ado....

click here for full recovery article <<<<<<<=============

click here for Military recovery article <<<<<<<=============