It seems like you see front-mounted self-recovery winches on many a vehicle nowadays; heck, even the Dodge Power Wagon comes from the factory with one. It wasn't too long ago that only the hard-core backcountry explorers and experienced wheelers mounted a winch on their rigs. But now the show rigs and trailer queens sport a reeled-up bunch of cable on the front and rear, even though we'd bet a beer they aren't even hooked up, much less ever used. Regardless of who has them, self-recovery winches are a blessing and a curse to those of us in the wheeling world, and the proper use of a winch is essential to safe operation. What's more is that there are many tips and tricks an experienced wheeler can give you for using a winch to make it work quicker, better, cooler, and more powerful. Here's a roundup of items from our files, the manufacturers, and our dusty memories.
First things first: Mount the winch the right way. Use an approved mounting kit for your specific vehicle, or make something strong enough for double the rated line pull you intend to use. Having the winch and mount dangling from the electrical cables instead of being securely on the front of your truck is a great way to ruin your day. | 
Follow the manufacturer's recommendations for the electrical hookups or hydraulic lines. Running the positive and negative cables directly to the battery is the only way to ensure full voltage and proper operation of the winch. In fact, if you use the chassis as a ground instead of direct to the battery, you may not be able to spool the cable back in! | 
If you're really tricky, a switch can be added to the dash for controlling the winch from the driver seat without plugging in a cable control. If you do this, it's nearly mandatory to install a kill switch to make sure only the operator can control the winch. |
Ramsey offers two ways to safely cut the current to your winch to prevent unauthorized use (like in a parking lot while you're off shopping). These two battery kill switches are easy to install and use, (A) a remote model with a solenoid and switch for the dash... | 
...or (B) the super-simple lever style (the lever is removable for safety) which can be mounted under the hood. | 
One hot item from Ramsey is this remote wireless control for your winch. It can even be adapted to other brands, and makes it possible to be up to 50 feet away from the winch and still 'power' in and out. If you've ever had to pull cable by yourself to get unstuck, you know how handy this can be. |
Get yourself an accessory kit for your winch-you'll use it more than you think. Most popular winch manufacturers and others like ARB and Extreme Outback Products supply a snatch block, tree saver strap, shackle, and gloves, while some include a chain and a yank strap as well. Always use heavy gloves to handle cable, not just to protect your hands from stray wire-rope punctures, but also to keep your hands from getting drug into the winch and losing fingers. | 
Warn offers a red tag for the winch hook which should always be used instead of your fingers around the hook. This keeps your hands out of the fairlead in front of the winch, or from getting pinched when attaching the hook to an anchor. Use this tag; it could save you fingers! | 
And speaking of anchors, make sure they won't move. We've seen more than one guy winch a tree down onto their Jeep, as well as rolling a rock or two off a cliff. Always use a tree-saver strap on a tree to protect the shrubbery, and mount it as low as possible for maximum strength. The higher a strap goes, the more leverage is induced to pull the tree over, while even little shrubs can hold a good amount of weight if the strap is placed low around the base. |