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The Basic Recovery
A simple scenario first. Let's suppose a friend is stuck in some deep ruts following you.
Remember, if you have a winch fitted it is always safer and more controllable to use it rather than resort to using towing ropes. This is especially true on tracks within woodland, where stumps, roots and rocks could be trapping the underside of the stuck vehicle.
Turn your winch-equipped vehicle around so you are facing the stuck vehicle and take great care that you are square on to your load. You can do this by sighting down the middle of the bonnet to the proposed recovery point on the stuck vehicle.
When you get back to your winch, turn the freespool lever to 'engage' and ensure that the wraps of wire rope are laid evenly and tightly together as you take up the slack. Remember to wear stout gloves all the time you are handling wire ropes.
Jump back into your driver's seat, taking the hand control along with you and ensuring the control cable is laid over the bonnet out of harm's way. This is to make sure the cable cannot fall down on to the winch drum or roller fairleads, where it could be caught up and damaged, possibly causing a dead short.
With the engine at a fast idle and your left foot lightly on the footbrake, either give the thumbs up to the other driver and get a similar reaction back, or use the CB to confirm you are both ready to winch.
As winching continues it is important that the other vehicle doesn't overrun the wire rope should it be driving to assist the recovery. If it does and the rope goes slack, the wire rope on the drum will become loose, leaving gaps between the turns. If this happens, when the load comes on again the rope will be dragged down into lower layers and is likely to be squashed and kinked. You must avoid this.
More Difficult Situations
Perhaps the recovery is more difficult and it is obvious that the winch is more likely to pull you into the mire as well. In this case you must secure your winch vehicle to something solid.
This would usually involve a tow strop or chain attached to your rear tow ball, pintle or jate ring and connected to a webbing tree strop around the base of a substantial tree. Should a convenient tree not be available you can either rig to a set of T-stakes driven well into the ground or chain your vehicle to another vehicle in line to give 'dead weight' behind.
Perhaps you may be asked to recover someone else who is well and truly stuck in a boggy area. In this case, you really will have to ensure your winch vehicle is secured to a good enough ground anchor and you will undoubtedly have to use a snatch block to give a double line pull or, if need be, two snatch blocks to give a triple line pull.
This is where the extension wire rope comes in useful because it allows you to reach further. You can use the extension either within the loop of a winch to snatch block and back, or from the snatch block to the load. Remember to use, if thought necessary, an old blanket or coat part way along the rope as a safety precaution
(c)Goodwinch Limited 2006