Hands on instruction is the only way to properly learn how to recover a vehicle in off road situations. Although here, we can cover some power winch theory to gain an understanding of how things work together for a safe and painless recovery.
1. The first thing to figure out is the correct rating for a winch for your intended use. As a rule of thumb you should choose a high quality winch that is rated at least 1.5 times the GVM of your loaded vehicle. For example; Ram 1500 GVM is 3450 kg. You should select a winch with a rating no less than 5175 kg. Most winches on the Australian market are rated in pounds, so this equates to 11409 lbs. So a 12000 lb winch should do the job. If you are towing, your GCM is now relevant to add into the equation, that's where more advanced winching tecnique will need to be employed.
2. Winch manufacturers rate the pulling power of each winch from the first layer of rope on the winch drum. This means that your 12000 lb winch will only work at maximum efficiancy when all the rope is payed out and you are winching off the first layer on the bare drum. As each layer of rope winches on, the required effort increases until the top layer can be as much as half of the original capacity. For this reason, if it is deemed the recovery requires the full power of the winch, it is good practice to winch from the farthest anchor point as possible.
3. Always find the best available anchor point. Try to detirmine a straight line from your vehicle minimising any angle of the winch line to an accessible anchor. If this is a tree, make sure it is in good condition and sturdy enough for recovery use. Visual inspection is the only option. Always use a tree proctor strap and keep the attachment point low on the tree where possible. Add a winchline damper before commencing the recovery. Try not to overtake the winchline and keep an even tension on the rope until you are safely clear of the obstacle.
4. Advanced winching techniques may need to be employed if your anchor point is difficult to access or your recovery includes extra load. Additional payload, deep mud or steep inclines can quickly overwhelm the capacity of your winch making recovery difficult. Applying another approach, the most common way to increase the capacity of any winch is to use a snatch block. This technique is simply secure a snatch block to the anchor point with a rated shackle then run the winchline from the vehicle through the snatch block and back to a rated tow point on the vehicle. This halves the winching line speed but effectively doubles the rated line pull of the winch. In doing so, extreme caution should be taken to confirm the suitability of the anchor point.
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