Learning Winching Techniques and Basics

Part of the off-roading lifestyle is the inevitable jam that you may find yourself in. So if you find yourself in that jam and stuck, if you have a winch or a buddy with a winch, you are in good shape. Having the recovery gear is a good start, but knowing some of the core basics of winching will save you time and energy so you can get back up and running on the trails. Let’s face it - getting stuck is half the fun anyway! Read on for some basic techniques utilizing the GearAmerica Ultimate Recovery Kit.

Single Winch Line Pull

This is probably the most basic of winching techniques and a great place to start. Once you find yourself stuck, all you’ll need to find around you is a good solid mounting point for the winch. Take a good look around, this could be a secure boulder or a sturdy tree. You want to start by removing one of the shackles from your bumper, keeping all small parts secure. If choosing a tree, take your tree saver and wrap it evenly around leaving the strap ends apart. Do not choke the tree by looping one strap into the other. Using one of your shackles, connect the two ends and secure with the pin. Disengage the winch and set to free spool and pull your winch line out and connect to the shackles. At this time, be sure to place your damper bag on the winch line. With the amount of tension be applied, should the line break, the damper bag will weigh down the line to avoid damage to your vehicle or injuring yourself or a bystander. Once complete, engage the winch and you will be back on the trail in no time!

Double and Triple Line Snatch Block Assisted Pulls

Sometimes you get really stuck and need the extra boost in power for your winch. By using these techniques you will be able to double your winching power! This is a similar process to the single pull, however for this you are going to use your snatch block. The GearAmerica Snatch Block is designed to work with both metal cable and synthetic winch lines. The technique is just as easy as the single pull. Let’s take a look.

You want to start by removing both of the shackles from your bumper, keeping all small parts secure. Again, if choosing a tree, take your tree saver and wrap it evenly around leaving the strap ends apart. Do not choke the tree by looping one strap into the other. Pivot the snatch block and attach to the line. Using one of your shackles, connect directly to the snatch block and secure with the pin. Run the winch line back to your vehicle and attach to your bumper with the second shackle. At this time, be sure to place two damper bags on each of the ends of the winch line. Again, this is to avoid damage to your vehicle or injuring yourself or a bystander. Once complete, engage the winch with double the pulling power and get yourself unstuck.

For the Double Snatch Block Pull, everything will be the same and very similar to what you did for the double snatch block pull, with the exception of using two trees, two snatch blocks, and three shackles. Following the instructions above, once you pull your winch line back to the jeep, at this point your will attach another snatch block to your bumper using a second shackle. Finally, you will run the winch line out to the other tree saver and secure to a third shackle using the same process of attaching the line to the shackle. You will have a total of three lines, so you will need to secure three dampers for this. This is the best way to get good compound pulling power for when you are really stuck in a jam that requires extra power. When using this technique, remember to check that none of the lines are crossing at any time.

GearAmerica Quality

No matter what you get yourself into GearAmerica is here to help you recover. BE prepared for any off-road emergency with GearAmerica’s Ultimate Off Road Recovery Kit, which was specially designed to help you safely recover and tow your stuck Jeep, Truck or SUV. When it comes to safe recovery of your vehicle, don’t take chances – get our rugged recovery gear you can rely on. All of our products are independently tested and offer a hefty safety margin, so you can rest assured it will handle even the toughest recoveries.