OB Approved Recovery

[Robert OB 33/48]

One of the things we all like to do is getting stuck. Then we can work with our winches, sand ladders, kinetic ropes, and all these nice gadgets we have and we are eager to use.

So, after a few years of working with these materials I think it is time to have a go to have some thoughts about these tools.

Iam not going into brands, everyone buys what he likes and can afford, but I think we have to discuss the use of these items.

First, the most precious thing we all have on our cool looking Rig is the Winch.
They come in countless brands, strengths and shapes. Take a pick and use it.

I think there are some guidelines for using a winch;

1. Spool the cable/rope off and put it on in a proper way. So it wont get stuck on you and your drum isnt full before you have the cable complete in the drum. (this allows you also to check your cable or rope)
2. When using the winch, place a simple cloth or such over the cable to make it more secure in case of breaking. It will take a part of the momentum of the cable away.
3. Dont stand between the winch and the car/tree or whatever you winch or be winched.
4. Wear good sturdy gloves when spooling the cable on and off. (wear gloves Always during a recovery)
5. When in doubt, use a snatch block. Better slow and secure as faster and getting into a rpoblem.

If you take these in you mind when winching, it will be ok. This doesnt mean you will succeed in your recovery.

One of the things I got upset more and more during winching was the standard hook . It didnt feel so secure as I wanted it to be. So I was searching for a alternative.

So today I replaced the hooks on my winches to Shackles. Why you ask? Well this is very simple.
The hook is Always an open connection. Which means, your chain or straps can come loose when tention is dropped. This can occure during a recovery.
So, you think your recovery set up is secure, but due the open connection it isnt. That can cause a problem or security failure.

So, I searched on the internet for a replacement and I found only in the States a possibility. But that would be totally expensive. Item is called Factor 55 Prolink.

What is the simple, easy and secure alternative? Yes a Shackle.

Advantage is that you will use a shackle to make a strap around a tree or tow point. Then you only need to work with one shackle.
Straps stay in the shackle, the shackle stays in the tow point, other then a hook who can fall off.

So both the Van as the Frontera are now equiped with good shackles.

So let us start this topic about recovery.

 

[Lipek]

All good points, when it comes to gloves in addition to them being sturdy make sure they're loose fitting. In the event the cable or rope catches the glove you want it to slip of your hand vs wrapping it and possibly cutting it of. I know everyone likes the cool mechanix gloves (they're awesome for everything except winching operations) below is cheap and best option IMHO



Also I'm a huge fan of closed winching and replaced my standard hook with Factor55 flat link.

 

[Robert OB 33/48]

Correct. I learned the hard way.
So, another point. Take care of not to hold the calbe to close to the winch itself. So when caught by the cable you are able to stop before you get into the winch.
Think around 2 to 3 feet of the fairlead. And have in the other hand the controls or have the attention of the person who controls the winch.

 

[gandrimp]

I switched my cable to synthetic rope. Its lighter and if it breaks it just falls to the ground, it doesn't recoil like a cable.

Good topic BTW

 

[Lipek]

I switched my cable to synthetic rope. Its lighter and if it breaks it just falls to the ground, it doesn't recoil like a cable.

Good topic BTW

You'd be surprised... It is much, much safer but it can still cause damage if standing to close or near the point of failure.

 

[Overland-Indiana]

Eventually (maybe soon, depends on insurance) I may be replacing my stock bumper with a winch bumper. A winch is an awesome tool but my limited knowledge and experience with them worries me.

 

[Robert OB 33/48]

Jordan,
If you are afraid for your lack on knowledge, just do a basic training winching. They are done all over the place.

 

[Overland-Indiana]

Jordan,
If you are afraid for your lack on knowledge, just do a basic training winching. They are done all over the place.

Yeah I plan to once I get a winch installed. I am a sharp guy and learn quickly so it shouldn't be hard, I just have no experience with winches.

 

[ShawnR]

Eventually (maybe soon, depends on insurance) I may be replacing my stock bumper with a winch bumper. A winch is an awesome tool but my limited knowledge and experience with them worries me.

I belong to a local Jeep group and they offer different training all the time. Free too. When I first got my winch, I went to a Wednesday evening winching class. Learned a lot. I followed it up with searching out youtube vids of how to winch properly. I also learned to fasten the hook facing up in case it let's lose. This way it will travel to the ground instead of in the air. I have a synthetic line so it's not as dangerous. But still, safety first.

 

[MarkW]

I also learned to fasten the hook facing up in case it let's lose. This way it will travel to the ground instead of in the air. I have a synthetic line so it's not as dangerous. But still, safety first.

That's a very good safety habit to get into that most people it seems to know.

 

[Robert OB 33/48]

Hello folks,

As there are many vloggers on the internet/YouTube or elso who made good instruction videos about all kind of recoveries, I am not willing to make one myself. Because first of all, iam not a good video man at the moment.
So, I cheat a bit and give you besides the things I will write down out of my own experience, some videos from guys and girsl I follow on the Internet.
Here a little video from Ronny Dahl/Australia who is showing the basics of Winching.
Enjoy;

Next time we talk about Towing.

Greetings from Robert

 

[maktruk]

Next time we talk about Towing.

That's one topic I'm well versed in as well [emoji4]

 

[Robert OB 33/48]

That's one topic I'm well versed in as well [emoji4]

Well, you can write it then? Its no problem to me.

 

[Robert OB 33/48]

Hello you all,

Lately I am on FB with a german group of people who trying to make a network of people who can help with recovering a vehicle. And of course there will be plenty of videos where you see winching and towing.
However, I found that we in general grap very fast to winching and towing.
But, there are Sandladders, shovels and such which probarly would do the trick as well.
So, I was thinking, that maybe towing and winching are the easy way out, but put lots of strain on the vehicles. So. my question to you is. What do you do to prepare a winch of a tow, before the actual towing/winching.
Do you clear the way with Sandladders and digging out the car as much as possible?
Do you build a bridge of rocks, wood or whatever to make the tow/winching more easy?

I think that this could prevent winching and towing to go wrong.

Just let me know what you think and do.

 

[gandrimp]

This past weekend 3 of us had a camping/wheeling trip. The leader was the biggest and heaviest and had the maps of the area. He is way more experienced in all aspects of wheeling than I. He nosed in river crossing just a little off line and bellied up in sand. After tying off to 3rd vehicle, I pulled hard enough to nearly turn over his landcruiser. I could not see this happening, so a second set of eyes saved a turnover.

 

[Robert OB 33/48]

Which indicates that a clear view of the scene is something you really have when doing a recovery.

 

[Mademan925]

Awesome winch recovery info. I have found that its usually faster to put some maxtrax, stack rocks, or use a tow strap before resorting to my winch. I have also found that synthetic line is significantly safer, easier to use, and lighter then steel cable. I have had both and there is no comparison. Its worth the extra money to go synthetic. Also make sure to use a tree saver when winching and keep the truck in drive or neutral do not put it in park when winching another vehicle. In addition a pulley or snatchblock will give you valuable options when winching.

My recovery gear:
4 traction boards
Shovel, axle, 12 inch chainsaw
Two 30' tow straps
One 10' tow strap
Two 5' tow straps
4 D-rings
smittybilt x20 10,000 pound winch with factor 55 fairlead and flatlink
48" highlift with base
A set of snow chains
ARB on board air
Tire repair patches & tools

A recovery I was apart of last summer. Took 3 winches to get him moving up the hill. By the way the truck was completely drivable once we flipped it over after rolling 4 times.

 

[IronPercheron]

Awesome winch recovery info. I have found that its usually faster to put some maxtrax, stack rocks, or use a tow strap before resorting to my winch. I have also found that synthetic line is significantly safer, easier to use, and lighter then steel cable. I have had both and there is no comparison. Its worth the extra money to go synthetic. Also make sure to use a tree saver when winching and keep the truck in drive or neutral do not put it in park when winching another vehicle. In addition a pulley or snatchblock will give you valuable options when winching.

My recovery gear:
4 traction boards
Shovel, axle, 12 inch chainsaw
Two 30' tow straps
One 10' tow strap
Two 5' tow straps
4 D-rings
smittybilt x20 10,000 pound winch with factor 55 fairlead and flatlink
48" highlift with base
A set of snow chains
ARB on board air
Tire repair patches & tools

A recovery I was apart of last summer. Took 3 winches to get him moving up the hill. By the way the truck was completely drivable once we flipped it over after rolling 4 times.

Bad to the bone lil pickup right there

 

[Gunnermoose]

However, I found that we in general grap very fast to winching and towing.
But, there are Sandladders, shovels and such which probarly would do the trick as well.
So, I was thinking, that maybe towing and winching are the easy way out, but put lots of strain on the vehicles. So. my question to you is. What do you do to prepare a winch of a tow, before the actual towing/winching.
Do you clear the way with Sandladders and digging out the car as much as possible?
Do you build a bridge of rocks, wood or whatever to make the tow/winching more easy?

I think that this could prevent winching and towing to go wrong.

My personal opionion,

Winching is the last resort, unless it is deemed the only means such as roll overs. When someone gets stuck I find it best to use other methods shovel, sand ladders, dynamic pull strap and even a jack. I think we as a community naturally grasp for the winch because it is a high dollar item and there is a need to justify having it. In my 20+ years of off-roading I have only had winches maybe 25% of the total time on any of my vehicles. In all of that time I can count the times a winch was neccessary to use on one hand. I think I only used a winch once for a recovery. I use it most when for pulling firewood to an accessible area for cutting.

The idea that we naturally go straight to the winch also brings up another good point worth mentioning about recoveries. Time. Sometime, I am guilty on occassion, to think we need to jump right out and recover a vehicle. We need to remember to stop and assess the situation first. There are times when getting into action are warranted due to safety concerns, but for the most part we need to remember to slow down. The key is practice, practice practice. You do not need a lot to do this.

My final comment, ensure you match the winch to the vehicle and the effort. I have seen too many times the case of a 2,000lb winch because it was cheap. They then over compensate with snatch blocks. That is also if they properly assess the situation. I have also seen the other spectrum of a Jeep with a 12,000lb. Maybe money not needed to be spent.

Great discussion Robert!

Regards,

Eric

 

[Scott]

I have recently purchased a soft shackle and kinetic recovery rope to add to my recovery gear. I have seen these in use and they are just awesome. My next step is to convert my winch cable to synthetic rope and a closed winching setup. There's no such thing as being too safe.