As 4WDers we push our vehicles pretty hard sometimes. Whether your idea of fun behind the wheel is punching up a tough low-range track, lifting wheels and spitting rocks as you go, using your 4×4 winch to its extreme, or that remote dirt track into a perfect empty campsite, we ask a lot of our 4WDs. Certainly a lot more than the vehicle manufacturers ever honestly think we’re going to use them for! Let’s look at two of the worst-case scenarios that could occur when 4WDing, and how you can safely use your 4WD recovery gear to get going again.

RECOVERY GEAR – A WEARING ITEM

Back when it cost more than a hundred bucks for just a single snatch strap, it was pretty common to hold onto your old, worn recovery gear. Problem is, snatch straps, winch extension straps, tree trunk protectors and the like are wearing items. They deteriorate as they get used, and things like mud or abrasive terrains like sharp rocks quickly exaggerates that wear. These days when you can pick up a full recovery kit from places like 4WD Supacentre for less than $80, it’s not even worth risking it. After a muddy recovery session, soak your straps in a 20L bucket filled with clean water to get the mud out, and let them dry in the shade. But if they’re really grubby, or are showing signs of fraying and wear, don’t risk it – shout yourself new a new set of 4×4 recovery gear and stay safe.

4WD ROLLOVERS

Push hard enough and there’s a good chance you’ll put your 4WD on its side – or worse, the roof – at some stage. It’s incredibly scary when it happens, but here’s how to deal with it.

It’s crucial that you act carefully when the vehicle comes to a stop. First, make sure it’s not about to roll any further. Grab a winch extension strap, run it around a big tree and secure the other end to the vehicle at a high point. That could be a chassis rail, a wheel, suspension or even the B pillar. Take as much slack as possible out of the strap before you secure it – wrap it multiple times around a tree if you have to. When you’re certain the vehicle is secure, get all occupants out, and ensure they exit from the high-side of the vehicle. At no time should anyone ever be under the low-side in case the ground gives way and the vehicle rolls again

The correct way to winch a vehicle onto its wheels is to choose a solid anchor point high up, and winch it down low. If the vehicle’s on its side, that may be one of the wheels in the air, or the upper chassis rail. Position the recovering vehicle in a way so that when the 4WD winch is wound in, it pulls the vehicle down into the ground. If you’re winching from up above, all you’ll end up doing is taking the weight off the ground and risking the vehicle sliding further.

During the winch recovery, there’ll come a moment where the weight of the rolled vehicle transfers and it over-runs the winch rope, dropping down onto its wheels. You should never let this happen un-checked, because it’s likely the momentum of the weight transfer will cause the vehicle to roll the other way. The ideal scenario is another vehicle with another winch on the other side, keeping tension on the rolled vehicle and letting its winch out as the main recovery vehicle winches in. If you don’t have a second vehicle, you can achieve the same thing by taking a winch extension strap, securing it to the opposite side of the vehicle, then wrapping it tightly around a big tree eight or ten times. You can then ‘lock’ the strap in place without much effort, or let tension off slowly to allow the vehicle to be righted.

OFF THE EMBANKMENT

Yikes, this one’s a heart-starter for sure! Whether it’s being kicked off line and ending up over the edge of a track, trying to duck around a fallen tree or you’ve pulled up and the ground collapsed underneath you, a vehicle that’s gone off the edge of an embankment is a common extreme recovery scenario.

First step is to secure the vehicle so it won’t move any further. This is extremely important as the terrain just off the side of a track is typically extremely soft and can break away at any time. Do this the same way as described in the Rolled 4WDs section, with the use of a winch extension strap. Attached it to the high side of the stuck vehicle, then take the strap back to a large tree and wrap it around multiple times, taking as much slack out of the strap as possible.

You’re going to be working against physics here, so it’s extremely important that you take all steps to be as safe as possible. Doesn’t matter how good your 12,000lb winch is, there’s a limit to how much force your vehicle can take before it starts sliding forward with the brakes locked up. That’s why it’s essential that you anchor the recovering vehicle to a large tree to properly secure it. The best way is by backing up to a tree, wrapping a tree-trunk protector around the tree then bringing both eyelets back to a suitable rated recovery point on the rear of the vehicle.

Before you start winching the vehicle straight back up the path it took when it went over the embankment, consider the angle it’s sitting on. The last thing you want is the vehicle to come free and act like a giant pendulum, swinging on the end of the winch rope. Often you’ll need to counter-act the camber of a hill, and that typically means winching the vehicle straight up the hill instead of directly back on the path it took over it.

To achieve this, you’ll need a snatch block to change the direction of the winch pull. Park on the track about two car lengths behind the stuck vehicle, and choose a suitable winch anchor tree directly above the track, in line with the stuck vehicle. Run the winch line out forward from the winching vehicle, through a snatch block anchored to the selected tree and then through a 90° turn down to the stuck vehicle. In this way you can change the direction of the winch line pull without having to awkwardly angle the vehicle pointing directly where you need to winch from.

You’re working against a whole heaps of physics here, so there’s a good chance that even a winch line doubled up through a snatch block might not good the job. If a second vehicle is available then by all means introduce a second 4×4 winch and set of 4WD recovery gear into the recovery. Position the electric winch lines so that they don’t work against each other, but instead provide stability to the recovery process. Attach the second winch, for example, to the front of the vehicle. Don’t have both winches pull at once, because with all the noise it’s way too hard to properly control everything. Winch in one 4WD winch at a time, pulling forward a foot or two then stopping and letting the next winch spool in to catch up.