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Recovery Experience and Request for Input

1K views 17 replies 11 participants last post by  H8SPVMT 
#1 ·
My basic question -- when your vehicle is being pulled out of a ditch, by another vehicle with a winch, is it advisable for the vehicle in trouble to "help" the recovery by putting on the gas, if every so slightly? Before everyone jumps all over me, let me explain the situation.

I drove down a short but steep embankment. Couldn't get back up because the last 10 feet were very sandy and there was an outcropping of rock at the very top. My buddy (who had wisely not followed) agreed to winch me up but I was concerned that once I hit the sand the wheels would stop turning and the winch would be trying to just drag my vehicle up a 30-degree incline for that last 10 feet. So I tried to give the winch an assist by putting the car in gear and putting on the gas (keeping tension of course) for that last 10 feet.

In retrospect, I don't think I helped it at all. The wheels spun, I burned some serious rubber on those rocks at the very top, and made a lot of dust and smoke. Was this a bad idea or a noble effort? Would the winch have got me up regardless of the fact that it was pulling me through sand?

I am expecting to get flamed badly here, so be gentle, dear, it was my first time.
 
#2 ·
It's really case by case. In some cases, the extra pull from the tires helps. In other cases, spinning the tires just digs deeper holes for the winch to have to pull you out of.

What really matters is that you don't shock load the winch cable or over-stress the recovery points. If you start to help, causing slack in the cable, then push in the clutch and roll back, you can damage the winch line. Synthetic winch lines in particular do not like to be shock loaded and will break. You can also damage the recovery points by shock loading them with a sudden jerk. Winch cables, steel or synthetic, do not have much stretch so the loads can easily break things.

Without seeing the situation I couldn't say whether what you did was right or wrong.

Here's the best manual I know of for vehicle recovery. The old US Army Field Manual 20-22.

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/upload/misc/FM20-22.pdf
 
#3 ·
Nothing wrong with asking. Recovery is inherently dangerous so making sure you're doing it right is prudent. (the only thing I would expect you to get flamed for is calling your Jeep a car lol)
Didn't have time this morning to look at the link posted above but here is another link with some good info. BillaVista.com-Recovery Bible Tech Article by BillaVista
 
#6 ·
That's good advice. It's OK to have the wheels rotate very slowly

typically your not going to help much and makes it more dangerous by trying to spin your wheels while winching.
 
#9 ·
Could you be a bit more specific about "shock loading" and "bury the wheels"?
 
#10 ·
Let's say you are on a bank, pointed up hill. The bank is loose enough that you can't drive forward but firm enough you can roll back. Let's say you are driving a manual transmission, in 1st 4hi.

You stab the gas trying to help the winch. You gain a couple feet but your tires start to spin, you let off the gas and push in the clutch but don't hit the brakes because you don't want to bog down the winch from dragging the tires. Your vehicle would roll back until the winch line snaps tight. That 'shock' from the line coming tight puts huge amounts of stress on the line, the winch, all all the mounting points. To avoid the shock load you could hold the vehicle with the brakes until you feel the winch line come tight then let off. Even rolling back with just a couple inches of slack can generate huge amounts of force.

Same situation, let's say instead of letting off the gas you keep it matted and give 'er hell until the pumpkins are resting in the dirt. You just increased the 'mire' factor, making the situation worse. Now the winch has to pull you out of the holes the tires made and up the bank simultaneously. It will take a lot more force.
 
#16 ·
Dan, thanks for clarifying. I can visualize what you are saying. Unfortunately, I made the very mistake you mention, trying too hard to help the winch once it was straining at the top. I was careful about slack but I probably DID dig ruts as my wheels spun.

Next time I will do what the others suggested. I have an auto transmission so I will leave the vehicle in 4LO1st and just steer.
 
#17 ·
Tarpon, roger that. I am of the opinion that, while using a winch is cool, a strap or a hi-lift jack are preferable UNLESS they will not work.

That was our situation. We were on a shelf road bout 20 feet above flat brush. Someone had cut a descent down to a cool overlook, and I just impulsively took it. The descent was perpendicular to the road. On the other side of the road from the descent was, of course, the rising mountain. Strapping not possible.

In fact, winching was hard enough. We were in Southern California scrub country and there are no trees. So we had to angle my buddy's vehicle just to provide room for my rig once it reached the road again.

I'm an intermediate jeeper with about 10 rescues to my name. I drive my buds crazy because they always want to whip out the winch. But I'm of the opinion that if you get high-centered on a rock. the winch will just continue to scrap the part of your undercarriage currently under load. So I always insist on the high-lift first and foremost.
 
#12 ·
When someone else is recovering me I ask them what they want.

If I'm self recovering I always give it some gas to help out! My goal is to quicken the process and less load on winch. But I stop if I start making ruts.
 
#14 ·
Lots of good advice ..and some of it slightly different than others....kinda confirms one of the first responses that mentions it varies/ each situation is different.

When I am doing the recovery, I try and stay within speaking range of the driver in the vehicle that is stuck. That is sometimes difficult, however the wireless remote for the winch does help. If I feel the driver can help a little I will ask the driver to do so...IMO 4lo would always be best. There is less chance the Jeep will "out run the winch" but it can still happen. The biggest concern is SAFETY!! Try and think about what you are doing/ the other guy is doing and what is going to happen!! And go SLOW!!
 
#18 ·
At some point in time the wire of the winch (from your description) is going to actually be trying to pull your front end thru the crest of the hill. It is a straight-line pull.

That may be why you smoked your tires but it sounds like you applied too much gas.
Recovery operations are a controlled event. Spinning tires usually isn't as much a help as doing what others suggested. 4LO and let the transfer case do the work along with the wire.
Optimally your buddy should (if there was room) had rigged the wire thru a snatch block it a tree higger than the breakout of the crown between the winch and your bumper. Another way would be to dig out a trench for each wheel if it had to be done.
 
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