Anyone with knowledge of, or experience in off-road driving will know the true purpose of a winch. Yes, these are magical machines which get you out of almost all problematic situations with just a push of a button, yes it’s that easy! Keeping in mind the added benefits a winch would bring to the capabilities of a vehicle, it is also important to understand the risks it poses to you and your vehicle if used incorrectly. The best way to understand the art of winching is to educate yourself on the various moving components of a winch to gain an understanding of how to make your winching experience more efficient and safe by using various other goodies that come along with it.

How does a winch work?

Using electric power from the battery, a series of gears turn the winch drum in two directions depending on user input. The winch cable is wrapped around this drum, which when turned, creates a pulling effect. There is a clutch on the side of the drum. When engaged, the gears are used to turn the winch drum and when disengaged the drum is free to move around. The best way to unwind the winch quickly, is to disengage the clutch, so you are able to pull out the winch cable with ease.

Gaining basic knowledge of winch operation is essential to understand the different techniques and equipment that are used in conjunction with a winch.

Synthetic Rope v Metal Rope

Initially when winches were introduced, they came with metal ropes. Although providing enormous levels of strength, they do have their drawbacks as well. Since it is metal, it weights a lot, which generally adds a lot of weight to the front end of the vehicle. Another drawback to using a metal rope would be the added risk factor from winch line breaks. If, for some reason, under load, the metal rope was to snap, it turns into an out of control missile which will cut anything in its path. Yes, there have been horror stories of individuals being beheaded because of an out of control metal winch cable. To avoid this, winch line dampeners can be used in an attempt to keep the winch rope at ground level if it snaps. To increase the safety factor and reduce weight, synthetic ropes were introduced. These provide equal or more strength when compared to metal ropes and hardly store any kinetic energy. This means that if a synthetic rope snaps, it will not fling out as vigorously as a metal rope. Having said that, it still almost essential to use winch dampeners along with synthetic ropes as well to ensure safety of users, bystanders and vehicles involved.

Snatch Block

This equipment is a piece of marvel. Looking at it, it won’t make much sense to the city driver. But show this to an off-roader, and you will see excitement! A snatch block serves two major functions.

Doubling the pulling line: Doubling the line will ensure a stronger pull in terms of more pulling power due to the employment of the pulley system from the snatch block. The pulling line can also be tripled or even quadrupled depending on how many snatch blocks are used. Normally speaking, a single snatch block will give its user enough pulling power to get unstuck from most demanding situations. A simple rule follows a snatch block - lower pulling speed, higher pulling torque!

Angled pulling: A lot of times, you find yourself on tracks which do not allow you to park your vehicle in that perfect position to pull your mate out. In situations like these, a snatch block will help you. Looking at the picture, it is evident how a snatch block plays an important role in angled pulling, no matter what the angle is.

Keeping in mind the benefits, again, it is necessary to use any recovery equipment with care and caution. Given the amount of pulling force going through a snatch block during a recovery, it is essential to properly anchor it. It can be properly anchored by using a tree trunk protector around the anchor point (in this case, a tree) and joining it to the snatch block using a shackle.

Other straps in your Winch Kit

Winch Extension Strap

Many a times, in open off-road situations, the anchor point for your winch may be too far away and pulling your winch all the way to the anchor nut on the drum is not advisable. In such situations, it is best suited to use a winch extension trap. Like the name suggests, this strap has one primary function, which is to extend the winch cable if it is too short to reach the anchor point.

Tree Trunk Protector

Again, like the name suggests, this strap’s main use is to protect the tree you may winch off of. Since the winch rope is very thin, when under pressure, tends to damage the surface of the tree. Thus, to protect it, a tree trunk protector, which is wider, can be used to safely winch out and not damage the environment.

Ground Anchor

A lot of times, especially when touring around the outback or desert driving, you find yourself stuck and in desperate need of a winch anchor. This is a hard task due to the open expanse of the desert. To be absolutely self-sufficient, a lot of people tend to carry a ground anchor. This creates an anchor for your winch when you need it, where you need it! Carrying a full size ground anchor will obviously create storage issues. Various reputed companies like Ironman 4x4, sell foldable ground anchors which make life a lot easier while carrying them around in your SUV.

After theoretically and practically learning about the above components which can be used in conjunction with a winch, the exercise of winching becomes an art. You can be unique and creative with techniques, and trust me a lot of situations demand for creativity while winching.

Do stay tuned to learn more about anything off-road.

Have a question? Write to us!

- Sujay Vasist, All Four x 4 Spares Researcher & Content Writer

Image Sources:
http://www.outbackcrossing.com.au/FourWheelDrive/Synthetic-Winch-Rope_versus_Steel.shtml
http://www.ironman4x4.com/products
http://www.extremeterrain.com/using-wrangler-winch-explained.html
http://www.arb.com.au/products/recovery-equipment/straps-accessories/