4Wheel & Off-Road Homepage

Hot Winching Tips & Tricks



Snatch blocks or pulleys are used to change direction of a winch pull or to increase the pulling capacity of a winch. The most common use is to reel the rope out to a fixed pulley (on an anchor or stuck vehicle) and then back to the winch vehicle.
Snatch blocks or pulleys are used to change direction of a winch pull or to increase the pulling capacity of a winch. The most common use is to reel the rope out to a fixed pulley (on an anchor or stuck vehicle) and then back to the winch vehicle.		A double line pull, as shown, increases the pulling capacity of the winch because there is twice as much cable out of the drum. This reduces the number of wraps on the drum, hence, greater mechanical advantage.
A double line pull, as shown, increases the pulling capacity of the winch because there is twice as much cable out of the drum. This reduces the number of wraps on the drum, hence, greater mechanical advantage.		On a triple line pull, as shown with two fixed pulleys, the mechanical advantage of the two pulleys doubles the pulling power as well as halves the effective recovery speed. In addition, the extra cable reeled off the drum increases the mechanical advantage by having less wraps on the winch drum. While effective, this method should be used carefully as twice as much stress is placed on all mounting points.
On a triple line pull, as shown with two fixed pulleys, the mechanical advantage of the two pulleys doubles the pulling power as well as halves the effective recovery speed. In addition, the extra cable reeled off the drum increases the mechanical advantage by having less wraps on the winch drum. While effective, this method should be used carefully as twice as much stress is placed on all mounting points.
You can even change the direction of a winch pull to move the rear of a rig around. When caught between a rock and a hard place, this can be the only way out.
You can even change the direction of a winch pull to move the rear of a rig around. When caught between a rock and a hard place, this can be the only way out.		Using a tree-saver strap as an anchor around a rollbar is trick, but make sure the bar is securely attached or major tweakage can result.
Using a tree-saver strap as an anchor around a rollbar is trick, but make sure the bar is securely attached or major tweakage can result.		Winches use energy and produce heat. They can suck a battery dry and melt their own wires if not taken care of. Keep the winching battery charged while winching by keeping the engine running at a high idle, and limit pulling times so as not to overheat the winch. If you end up with a dead battery or you smoked your winch, your vehicle is a lot more stuck than it was when you first entered the mud hole.
Winches use energy and produce heat. They can suck a battery dry and melt their own wires if not taken care of. Keep the winching battery charged while winching by keeping the engine running at a high idle, and limit pulling times so as not to overheat the winch. If you end up with a dead battery or you smoked your winch, your vehicle is a lot more stuck than it was when you first entered the mud hole.
Severe side winching can ruin your cable if you don't have a roller fairlead. The standard hawse fairlead acts like an anchor rather than letting the rope slide over it.
Severe side winching can ruin your cable if you don't have a roller fairlead. The standard hawse fairlead acts like an anchor rather than letting the rope slide over it.		If you use synthetic winch rope, an aluminum hawse is the best bet, as the rope can't get stuck between the rollers and the nylon rope slides well on the polished aluminum.
If you use synthetic winch rope, an aluminum hawse is the best bet, as the rope can't get stuck between the rollers and the nylon rope slides well on the polished aluminum.
Prev | 1  | 2  | 3
Discuss in Our Forums
Why Pay MSRP? Get free new car and truck invoice pricing quotes today

Related Photos

Jeep Front View Winch Tips Battery Winch Tips Dash Switch
Chevy Truck Mount Winch

Related Articles

2004 Dodge Durango Review- First Drive
Larger and more refined than the previous Durango, the '04 model trumps the competition in the... more
Nissan Dunehawk Concept Truck & Other News- Drivelines
Nissan Dunehawk: The Next Pathfinder?Officially, no. Officially the Dunehawk is a Nissan concept... more
4x4 Tube Buggy Custom Built- Kool Krawler
When Jake Hallenbeck of Reno, Nevada, got tired of wheeling his old Samurai, he decided to build a... more
1990 Geo Tracker - Readers' Rides
DiggerVehicle: '90 Geo TrackerOwner: Neil TackettTires: 31x9.50-15 Swamper TSL radialsWheels: 15x8... more

Off Road Forum

75 F-250 axles for YJ
I have a 1993 YJ and am able to get a set of axles from a 1975 F-250 4x4 standard cab for free. ... more
quadra trac
Im wanting to swap out my quadra trac, and put in a d-300. Anyone have any info on this swap. Its a... more
JEEP really does mean Just Empty Every Pocket
Well..... Where to begin..... I hate Jeep, period. I have owned a 1987 YJ for 3 years now and... more
81 wagoneer 208am tcase into 87 wrangler 4.2l help
ok.. i just picked up a 81 wagoneer and it has the 4.2l with an auto tranny and a 208 amc... more

Off Road Blog

Ultimate Adventure 2008
I finally made it home from the Ultimate Adventure after driving all day yesterday, I left Denver... more
Ultimate Adventure 2008
Yesterday I made way home from the Ultimate Adventure after a well-deserved day off in Colorado. ... more
Ultimate Adventure 2008
The staff is making its way back home from UA and we can’t wait to tell you all about the... more
Ultimate Adventure 2008 - Day 1 - Trail 1
You heard it correctly, we hit the first trail of the 2008 UA, and boy did it hit back! ... more

Car Research Guide