What are good mates for? This is a how to guide, in becoming the mate that everyone wants and needs with them on the tracks!

So get ready for the flood of invites to come out 4WDing, thanks to these handy tips!

All the gear no idea!

Don’t be that guy! Plenty of people head out on the tracks with a vehicle full of top notch gear but have no idea on how to use it when it counts the most!

It is important that you know the ins and outs of every piece of gear (recovery or not) that you bring with you when you hit the tracks, this makes sure that you have the right tool for the job first time, every time.

By bringing a simple kit like the Hercules Essential Recovery Kit, or the Hercules Complete Recovery Kit to compliment your 4WD winch like the Domin8r X 12,000lb unit, on the tracks you will be equipped for about 95% of off road recoveries.

With the ability to pull even a fully loaded 4WD out of trouble using a double line pull whilst using anchor extensions to get the most ideal anchor location, with a comprehensive 4WD recovery kit even snatch strap recoveries are trouble free.

To make sure you know exactly how all the components in your Recovery kit work, you can take a 4WD recovery course from a reputable school in your area, where they will teach you all of the ins and outs of the most efficient methods for getting your 4WD free from trouble!

So learn the ins and outs of all the components of your recovery kit, to make sure when the pressure is on, you know how to setup in the safest way possible!

Get out and practice!

Just like with Formula 1 and MotoGP nothing beats track time, for getting better results and coming out on top!

In the 4WD world those who spend more time on the track often come off looking the best, combining experience and practice makes the best platform for figuring out the safest recovery methods on the tracks!

When you head out 4WDing in non-time critical situations you have the ability to slowly piece together an arsenal of knowledge about, what the best anchor looks like, and with all of this experience you can easily identify when something looks unsafe on the tracks.

Preparation is always KEY!

Ask any successful athlete, builder, architect, or business owner just how far a small amount of preparation can take you. The same applies for off road recoveries, by locating your 4WD recovery kit in an easy to access location in the back of your 4WD you are prepared for any eventuation. however, when you are on a section of track where it looks like you will be seriously challenged, preparation is key to getting past the section!

Here are some tips to make sure you are ready… plus you’ll look really cool to those who don’t know much about 4WDing!

Snatch Prep!

If you haven’t got a winch fitted to your vehicle yet, you aren’t destined to be stuck for good, there are a few specific tools you can pack to make sure you can get your vehicle free and safe on uneven terrain.
but the most useful tool if you have multiple vehicles is a snatch strap kit. With the ability to yank even a fully loaded 4WD free from a lot of situations, it can be more useful in certain circumstances than a winch!

To prep your snatch strap, it pays to pre-hookup your shackles and strap on the side of your vehicle that there is help, for example, if you are on the tail end of the convoy, hook your snatch up to your front rated recovery points with a shackle. Don’t forget to thread the bolt back out by half of a turn!

You should also connect your spare rated recovery shackle to the free eye. This acts as ballast in case you need to chuck your snatch to a location not close to where you are stuck!

Winch prep!

If your vehicle has a winch fitted, unspool your winch cable most of the way and engage the clutch mechanism, you can usually coil your winch cable around your bull bar, or in a figure 8 around your LED Spotties. We’ve even seen people pass the coil of winch rope through their vehicle window to make it accessible to other 4WDers outside the vehicle, and if it was me I would also plug your winch controller in, to make sure you don’t have to go for a free dive in mirky, silty, muddy water, blindly trying to find the controllers socket when it is semi submerged under the muck you are trying to escape.

Prepping this means if you get stuck, all you have to do is chuck your winch rope to a friend, wait for them to hook it up to a solid appropriate anchor, and you’re off scott free!