School me on safe recovery and rigging

Tob

Tob

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Couldn't find a thread like this so I figured it'd be a good idea to make one and get some input from everyone. Especially now that I have a winch, I want to be knowledgeable on safe recovery and rigging techniques before I go out and start using it. I've read through Warn's 'The Basic Guide to Winching Techniques', but I feel like it left a bit to be desired.

So to start off with some general rules of thumb I've picked up:
  • Make as few rigging connections as practical
  • Establish no-people zones around vehicles, straps, and winch ropes during recovery
  • Keep your hands out of the fairlead
  • Avoid side pulls
  • Don't use snatch straps in conjunction with a winch
  • Lighter connections are safer
What's some other rules to keep in mind? Also, I'd like to hear your stories of recoveries gone wrong; what were the mistakes and consequences?
 
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Some random thoughts...
  1. Stop, look, think.... so many failures due to not thinking
  2. use a tree saver
  3. hook to the base of a tree and look up at the tree... make sure it's healthy, you don't want the tree crashing down on you
  4. don't use your winch line like a tow strap
  5. if you need to "get a run at it" when pulling someone out of a hole, make sure you're using a kinetic rope, not a flat yellow tow strap :(
  6. If you can't avoid a side pull (even with a snatch block to redirect), stop occasionally and check the line in the winch, if it's bunching up too much you should let line out and respool evenly before pulling again to avoid breaking your line or winch.
 
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My advice would be to know how to operate your winch. Be comfortable and familiar with the controls and accessories. Needing it in a critical situation is not the time to be learning the basics. Know what's in your gear bag and what it's used for.

I actually had a guy tell me he wouldn't pull me out because he had never used it yet.
 
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Tree saver is a good recommendation. I always see cable marks on trees at obstacles because people dont know any better.

We were on a trail once and stopped for a bit to watch rigs tackle an obstacle. 3 Cherokees drove up, the first one made it thru, the second one took the bypass, and the third took the hardline and got stuck. They broke out the winch, and before we realized what was happening, the recovery cherokee drove off like a bat out of hell trying to pull the stuck cherokee out by the winch. It was a ridiculous scene. Someone who was outside of their wheeling group tried to intervene and give tips on a safe recovery, and the damn recovery vehicle still kept trying to pull his buddy out by driving forward while the spotter was in between the cherokees. The spotter gave them a pretty good yelling IIRC, to which the driver said "this is our backyard, bro. We know what we're doing"
 
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I would highly recommend respooling your cable/rope under light load prior to first use.

This is best done with two ppl by hooking up to a tree with one person in the Jeep gently riding the brakes to apply load and the other with gloves ensuring nice wraps on the drum.

I remember the first time I had to use my new winch to do an actual pull (as opposed to just testing it in the yard) I had to winch a Land Rover out of a mud bog that had gotten stuck up to its frame... the outermost layer of wire rope was under so much tension it dug through into the underlying layers that apparently were not very tight from the factory, and when I finally got back to camp to unspool/inspect, my brand new wire rope had earned some broken strands on the first pull.

I would also look for the Billavista Recovery Bible as that is a very good read.
 
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RubiconRic said:
I would highly recommend respooling your cable/rope under light load prior to first use.

This is best done with two ppl by hooking up to a tree with one person in the Jeep gently riding the brakes to apply load and the other with gloves ensuring nice wraps on the drum.

I remember the first time I had to use my new winch to do an actual pull (as opposed to just testing it in the yard) I had to winch a Land Rover out of a mud bog that had gotten stuck up to its frame... the outermost layer of wire rope was under so much tension it dug through into the underlying layers that apparently were not very tight from the factory, and when I finally got back to camp to unspool/inspect, my brand new wire rope had earned some broken strands on the first pull.

I would also look for the Billavista Recovery Bible as that is a very good read.
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I’d say respool it before every significant trip. Gives you a chance to knock the dust off and inspect for any issues.

Plus when you need it, it’ll be ready and not bound up.
 
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If you could carry only one strap/rope would it be a tow strap or a kinetic rope? I have both but carry only the strap all the time and bring the kinetic rope when going offroad.
 
If I had to choose just one or the other, I'd chose a tree saver. I've found that most often all that's needed is a small tug to get unstuck whether it be in mud or rocks. A tree saver is versatile and can be used when winching or as a tug strap with another vehicle. I really like my KRR but I can count on one hand how many times it's been absolutely necessary for a recovery.

Edit: I'm rethinking this one. Unless you have a tree saver that's 20ft long, which most are not... Go with the KRR. Most of those are a more useful length than your standard tree saver and they can be used for more applications as stated below.
 
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Viking Jeeper said:
If you could carry only one strap/rope would it be a tow strap or a kinetic rope? I have both but carry only the strap all the time and bring the kinetic rope when going offroad.
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Kinetic. It can be used as at tree saver, rock anchor wrap and a tow strap. It may stretch a bit in those applications but it will still work with no issues. The same can not be said for a non kinetic.
 
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Is there a such thing as preloading to much with synthetic? When I respool I pull my Chevy S-10 up a small incline for tension.

I would not think so giving the purpose/application but just looking for input.
 
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J R said:
Is there a such thing as preloading to much with synthetic? When I respool I pull my Chevy S-10 up a small incline for tension.

I would not think so giving the purpose/application but just looking for input.
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I do it the other way, park my 1ton at the top of my driveway which has a moderate incline, then pull the Jeep up to it.
 
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This is a great resource. The gear for correct SAFE recovery isn't cheap and people get by all the time with cheap stuff but I prefer the safety factor of having properly rated gear. My preference is for the winch line to be the weak link vs the tree saver, shackle, or snatch block so I make sure those are plenty strong. Also, spend the extra money on USA made steel shackles if you aren't using soft shackles. Chinese made shackles are banned in most places I've worked because they're known to fail due to imperfections so I don't trust them in recovery operations either.

http://www.billavista.com/tech/Articles/Recovery_Bible/index.html
 
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Captain Phoenix said:
This is a great resource. The gear for correct SAFE recovery isn't cheap and people get by all the time with cheap stuff but I prefer the safety factor of having properly rated gear. My preference is for the winch line to be the weak link vs the tree saver, shackle, or snatch block so I make sure those are plenty strong. Also, spend the extra money on USA made steel shackles if you aren't using soft shackles. Chinese made shackles are banned in most places I've worked because they're known to fail due to imperfections so I don't trust them in recovery operations either.

http://www.billavista.com/tech/Articles/Recovery_Bible/index.html
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Not for nothing but Warn has been selling Chinese recovery shackles for at least 20 years that I know of. I've also never seen a single reported failure of one used in a recovery.
 
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mrblaine said:
Not for nothing but Warn has been selling Chinese recovery shackles for at least 20 years that I know of. I've also never seen a single reported failure of one used in a recovery.
Click to expand...

Maybe Warn has exceptional quality control in their Chinese factories but I still don't trust them. I only need a few, the extra cost to buy Crosby is minimal. Besides, I can get an equal size Crosby shackle that's twice as strong as any Warn I've seen.
 
Captain Phoenix said:
Maybe Warn has exceptional quality control in their Chinese factories but I still don't trust them. I only need a few, the extra cost to buy Crosby is minimal. Besides, I can get an equal size Crosby shackle that's twice as strong as any Warn I've seen.
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Got a link to that Crosby 3/4" shackle rated at 9.5 tons WLL?
 
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