{"id":8466,"date":"2021-09-26T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-25T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/?p=8466"},"modified":"2021-09-24T16:10:01","modified_gmt":"2021-09-24T06:10:01","slug":"extreme-4wd-recoveries-tips-and-tricks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/extreme-4wd-recoveries-tips-and-tricks\/","title":{"rendered":"Extreme 4WD Recoveries Tips and Tricks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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<\/a> <\/strong>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\u2019re going to use them for! Let\u2019s look at two of the worst-case scenarios that could occur when 4WDing, and how you can safely use your 4WD recovery gear<\/a><\/strong> to get going again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RECOVERY GEAR \u2013 A WEARING ITEM<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back when it cost more than a hundred bucks for just a single snatch strap<\/a><\/strong>, it was pretty common to hold onto your old, worn recovery gear. Problem is, snatch straps<\/a><\/strong>, 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\u2019s 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\u2019re really grubby, or are showing signs of fraying and wear, don\u2019t risk it \u2013 shout yourself new a new set of 4×4 recovery gear<\/a><\/strong> and stay safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4WD ROLLOVERS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Push hard enough and there\u2019s a good chance you\u2019ll put your 4WD on its side \u2013 or worse, the roof \u2013 at some stage. It\u2019s incredibly scary when it happens, but here\u2019s how to deal with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s crucial that you act carefully when the vehicle comes to a stop. First, make sure it\u2019s not about to roll any further. Grab a winch extension strap<\/a><\/strong>, 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 \u2013 wrap it multiple times around a tree if you have to. When you\u2019re 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<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s 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<\/a><\/strong> is wound in, it pulls the vehicle down into the ground. If you\u2019re winching from up above, all you\u2019ll end up doing is taking the weight off the ground and risking the vehicle sliding further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the winch recovery<\/a><\/strong>, there\u2019ll come a moment where the weight of the rolled vehicle transfers and it over-runs the winch rope<\/strong>,<\/a> dropping down onto its wheels. You should never let this happen un-checked, because it\u2019s 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\u2019t 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 \u2018lock\u2019 the strap in place without much effort, or let tension off slowly to allow the vehicle to be righted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OFF THE EMBANKMENT<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yikes, this one\u2019s a heart-starter for sure! Whether it\u2019s being kicked off line and ending up over the edge of a track, trying to duck around a fallen tree or you\u2019ve pulled up and the ground collapsed underneath you, a vehicle that\u2019s gone off the edge of an embankment is a common extreme recovery scenario.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First step is to secure the vehicle so it won\u2019t 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. <\/strong>Do this the same way as described in the Rolled 4WDs section, with the use of a winch extension strap<\/a><\/strong>. 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re going to be working against physics here, so it\u2019s extremely important that you take all steps to be as safe as possible. Doesn\u2019t matter how good your 12,000lb winch<\/a><\/strong> is, there\u2019s a limit to how much force your vehicle can take before it starts sliding forward with the brakes locked up. That\u2019s why it\u2019s 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<\/strong><\/a> around the tree then bringing both eyelets back to a suitable rated recovery point on the rear of the vehicle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before you start winching the vehicle straight back up the path it took when it went over the embankment, consider the angle it\u2019s 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<\/strong><\/a>. Often you\u2019ll 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To achieve this, you\u2019ll need a snatch block<\/a><\/strong> 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<\/a><\/strong> out forward from the winching vehicle, through a snatch block anchored to the selected tree and then through a 90\u00b0 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re working against a whole heaps of physics here, so there\u2019s 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<\/a><\/strong> and set of 4WD recovery gear<\/a><\/strong> into the recovery. Position the electric winch<\/a><\/strong> lines so that they don\u2019t 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\u2019t have both winches pull at once, because with all the noise it\u2019s way too hard to properly control everything. Winch in one 4WD winch<\/a><\/strong> at a time, pulling forward a foot or two then stopping and letting the next winch spool in to catch up.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":123456,"featured_media":8468,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8466"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/123456"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8466"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8466\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8469,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8466\/revisions\/8469"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8468"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8466"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8466"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8466"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}