If you’re dipping your toes into off-roading as an amateur, you’re guaranteed to come across a device called a winch. Maybe a more knowledgeable friend or seasoned pro has told you to get a winch. But what is a winch, and how can you use it to save your skin in the great outdoors? We explain it all in this article. We show you the basics of truck winching, and how to use a winch strap as well. So let’s dive right in.
What Is A Winch?
When your tires lose traction, no amount of horsepower or trick drivetrain components will get you moving. They are the sole contact patch with the ground, after all. So how do you move your vehicle when its tires are spinning helplessly? This is where a winch comes into the fray. Typically mounted on your vehicle’s front bumper, although it may also be mounted on the rear bumper, it utilizes a rope or cable to pull your vehicle to safety. Your winch can also help a fellow off-roader, and in severely sticky situations, it’s not uncommon to see more than one vehicle winch used to help recover a stuck off-roader or truck.
There are a few types of winches that you should be aware of. The two major types are electric winches, and hydraulic winches. When installing a winch on your vehicle, you will need a bumper and winch mounting kit, so this is a good time to consider a front or rear bumper upgrade, as an aftermarket bumper will provide better protection for your vehicle. You will also need some winch accessories, which include controllers, synthetic winch ropes, straps, anchors, shackles, clevis pins and snatch blocks, among other things.
How To Use A Winch
You should practice using a winch in a safe environment, before actually needing to use in when your off-roader or truck is stuck. Winching is a dangerous activity if improperly done, and you can imagine the possible injury if you or someone else were standing in the way if a winch cable were to snap or come loose under tension.
Anchor Well
You should select a sturdy object to attach the winch rope to, and aim for a straight pull wherever possible, that is a straight line between your vehicle and the object. Avoid winching at an angle as far as possible.
The object that you choose can be another vehicle, a rock, or a tree. However, with trees, do not wrap the winch cable directly around the trunk, but use a winch strap. The reason for this is, imagine wrapping a thin, strong guitar string or fishing line around your finger and tugging it hard. It will cause injury, which is what a directly-wrapped winch cable can do to a tree, even killing it in the process. You don’t want to harm nature, do you? Using a winch strap spreads out the load, and you should attach it as close to the ground as possible, not several feet up in the tree where the branches are thinner and less sturdy.
Try to ensure that you have ample wraps around the winch barrel, as more wraps mean more leverage. For this, your winch cable should be suitably long, and the object you choose to winch from should not be too far away. Another factor to bear in mind is weight. Your off-roader or truck can easily exceed 6,000lbs, especially if it’s been modified, and loaded to the gills with camping gear. It’s always good to have a snatch block on hand for heavier winch pulls.
Once you’ve got everything hooked up, ensure that everyone is standing clear of the winch cable as you tension it via the remote controller. There should not be a direct path for a snapped winch cable to hit one of your party. Ensure that everyone takes cover, behind a vehicle, tree, or rock, for example.
You could consider winch cable weights to reduce the chance of a winch rope flying around if it snaps, as the weights tend to pull it down to the ground.
Things To Avoid When Truck Winching
The number one thing to avoid is rushing. Don’t keep looking at your watch and hurrying things. Winching is not a five-minute affair that can be done and dusted in a flash. So take a few deep breaths, relax, and attend to everything in a calm and collected manner. If you’re on a schedule, throw it out of the window (not literally – we don’t want to litter the forest).
If you select a tree to winch off, be careful of dead, or dying trees. You don’t want to attach your winch cable to one of these, only to discover that it gives way when tensioned and collapses right on top of your vehicle. Great comedic fodder, albeit expensive.
If you’re using a fellow off-road enthusiast’s vehicle as the immovable object, ensure that it is indeed immovable. Use the parking brake, place the transmission in gear, and chock the wheels too. The last thing you want is the two vehicles crashing into each other once the winch is under tension, which is hilarious for on-lookers, but less so for the owners.
Pay particular attention for any rocks or hard objects that the winch cable may lay across, as these can cause damage to the rope and eventually snap it. This is one area where many amateurs disregard. It’s always good to gently tension the rope until it’s taut, and check if there is any possibility of chafing before commencing the actual winching.
If you’re looking to purchase a winch, look no further than 4 Wheel Parts, where there’s a range of winch and winching accessories for you to choose from. With over 90 stores nationwide, there’s bound to be one nearby, and if you prefer to let your fingers do the walking, simply hit up the website and make your purchase from the comfort of your home, office or wherever you hang out. Six distribution centers ensure that your order is at your doorstep in a swift manner. 4 Wheel Parts offers a 100% price match guarantee, backed by robust customer service.
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