ROCKS, RUTS AND ROLL-OVERS

IT’S SIMPLE ADVICE, BUT IT MIGHT SAVE YOUR VEHICLE, OR YOUR LIFE

We asked some of the guys around the office for their top recovery tips for when you hit the tracks – so here are six make-or-break recovery tricks that every 4WDer needs to know!

1: STOP, BREATHE AND ASSESS THE SITUATION

Sometimes when things go really wrong off road your first instinct can be to quickly reach for the safety gear and act as fast as possible. This might be for good reason too, you might be moments from tipping over or water is flooding into your pride and joy. Making a rush recovery decision when you’re in a panic is the biggest mistake you can make off road. It’s much better to analyse the situation and take the time to get your decision for best recovery practice right, than to rush it and cause more damage or injury.

On a recent trip on a sketchy section of track, one of the vehicles ended up on its side, we went through every recovery scenario and idea for 30 minutes before we did any wireless winching with our Domin8r X 12,000lb winches. The results was one of the best roll-over recoveries a bloke could ask for that went exactly to plan, minimising any damage and eliminating as many risks as possible

2: SOLO SOFT SAND RECOVERIES

Sand is perhaps one of the easiest situations to get stuck in and I doubt there are many of you out there that haven’t been chassis deep at some stage. The beauty of sand of course though is that it can be moved relatively easily.

A shovel and some grunt work can move any amount of sand but while that’s an option, I’m a fan of leaving that as a last resort. First and foremost, let your tyres down. I don’t mean knock a few PSI out I mean let those suckers down all the way if need be, we like to use the Kwiky Tyre Deflator to do this fast and accurately. The difference this will make is enormous. Also, don’t put your right boot through the floor and hold it there, this isn’t a burn out comp! As soon as you feel wheel spin, stop and revaluate because you are only digging yourself in deeper. Gentle back and forward motions with greatly reduced tyre pressures will get you out of just about all sand bogs; failing that, it’s time to jump on the shovel and start sweating.

3: WINCH YOURSELF SIDEWAYS

Usually recoveries are forwards or backward, but what if you can’t do either without significant damage? That’s where you’ve really got to think outside the square and look for an option sideways, which let’s face it, is easier said than done. This usually happens when you’ve fallen out of a rut or get way too close to a tree or rock that is going to bend panels if you continue to drive. If you’ve got a front winch and two pulley blocks you can opt to slowly winch your own 4WD sidewards. Winching your vehicle sidewards will put a lot of stress on your vehicle (and winch) because you’ll be dragging your vehicle as a static weight and not a rolling weight. The key is to do it little by little alternating the tow point from the front and rear of your vehicle to pull it sideways in small increments.