When watching telly shows where 4WDers get their 4WD’s stuck in the thickest mud and on the steepest cliffs and jump out and cowboy up an anchor point on some loose tree roots, and don’t use any winch dampening blankets, rated recovery straps. Or even use dynamic straps in static recoveries.

We’re here to clarify some of the misconceptions many people may have about how to set up a 4WD Winch recovery in the safest way possible for not just keeping yourself and your passengers safe, but also to avoid damaging your 4WD winch, and even the keeping the tracks in good nick so the next time the land management team come through they don’t give us good 4WDing people a bad name!

It’s important to note that improper equipment operation may cause personal injury and equipment damage. Read the following steps, carefully before attempting to operate your winch and take some notes for future reference;

1. Dress Properly:

• Don’t wear loose clothing or jewelry. They can be caught in moving parts.
• Sturdy footwear with good grip is recommended (don’t go barefoot).
• Tie long hair up, and tuck it away, no one needs an emergency haircut in the tracks!

2. Keep a Safe Distance:

• Ensure that all people out on the tracks stand well clear of the winch rope and away from the load during operation. The rule of thumb is somewhere around, 1.5x the line length is recommended. If a loaded cable breaks it can whip or propel metal recovery components and cause serious injuries or a death.
• Never step over a winch rope as sudden tension can seriously injure.
• All visitors and onlookers should be kept well away from the recovery area.

3. Don’t Abuse the Controller:

• Never carry your winch controller by the cord or yank the cable to disconnect it from the control box as damage can occur!
• Keep control wire away from hot surfaces and sharp edges to help prolong usable lifespan.

4. Don’t Overwork winch motor:

• If the winch motor becomes uncomfortably hot to touch, stop and let it cool down for at least 15 minutes as overheating will lead to a reduced motor lifespan.
• Don’t maintain power to the winch if the motor stalls – this can overload the circuitry.
• Don’t exceed maximum line pull ratings shown in tables. Shock loads must not exceed these ratings.

5. Avoid Unintentional operation:

To prevent any damage to your winch motor the winch clutch should be disengaged when not in use and fully engaged when in use, as a cable that is fully spooled in will stall the motor and possibly damage the internal components.

6. Check For Damaged Parts:

Before jumping in and using your winch in the fury of battle, you should double check your winch and recovery equipment carefully for any damage. Any part that you identify as damaged should be properly repaired or replaced by an authorized service center.

7. Repair Your Winch:

When repairing a winch the incredible loads that are experienced means you should only use identical replacement parts or catastrophic failure may occur causing considerable danger for the user –

8. Respooling your Cable:

To respool the included synthetic cable correctly, it is necessary to maintain a slight tension as it is wound back onto the drum.

Hold the rope with one hand and the wireless remote-control switch with the other hand.

Start by holding the winch hook and keeping tension towards the centre of the winch drum.

By keeping a steady pull on the rope as the winch is powered in you prevent the cable from spooling loosely as well evenly winding onto the drum.

Winching on a flat even surface is one method winching until all but 1m of the cable is wound in.

Unload the cable and rotate the cable spool in slowly for the last meter or so – When fully spooled you can disconnect the controller and disengage the clutch mechanism to remove any risk of loading the winch when not being used!

Warning: The use of any other accessory or attachment other than those recommended in the instruction manual may present a risk of personal injury.

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Operating the winch.

The Domin8r X 12,000lb Winch is one of the easiest winches to use for SOLO recoveries, simply set up your recovery anchor on the thickest and most stable tree that is alive and has a reasonable thickness in a straight line from your vehicles winch. By wrapping your Rated tree trunk protector as low as possible on the tree trunk, you will maximise it’s strength and improve the safety of your recovery.

With your winch clutch disengaged, you can freely un-spool your cable all the way to your anchor point.

Or to a winch extension strap – by hooking your winch hook directly to your anchor point you reduce the amount of weight in your recovery setup meaning your entire setup contains less energy and is less dangerous – also make sure to always use a winch dampener on your winch recoveries.

Head back to your 4WD and re-engage the clutch, if your controller is disconnected, now is the time to reconnect it and engage your battery isolator to power up your winch solenoid controller box.

Jump in your 4WD’s pilot seat and build the engine RPM to provide more power to the Domin8r X’s 7.2HP motor – with your wheels pointed straight, hit the winch controllers spool in button your 4WD will slowly begin to pull itself free.

We like to engage 1st gear 4WD Low range, and let the clutch out as we begin winching, this will give you a clear idea of when your 4WD has regained traction and will also reduce the load on your winch drawing less current.