ATV Winching Tips

If you are serious about ATV camping, then an ATV winch is really a necessary accessory. Every since i have was little I have always attempted to make my stuff better. Whether or not this was my bicycle, motorcycle, car, truck, or ATV, I had to change it in some manner to make it better, faster, more rugged and durable than stock. In this way I then always needed to test my creations to locate its limitations and since most of my toys were for offroad that usually meant driving it until it wouldn't go any further or in other words, until it had been stuck! Having done this many times in all kinds of situations I became very familiar with the benefits of having a winch. A winch is most likely one of the most important accessories to have on your utility 4x4 ATV since a utility 4x4 ATV can take you to definitely some very extreme places particularly if you are ATV camping.

But having a winch does not guarantee to get you out of a stuck situation. You have to also provide the proper winch accessories, knowledge of proper winch usage and a couple of friends with cameras to make sure you are making the very best of a stuck situation. A good pair of gloves, recovery strap, snatch block, d-ring shackles, shovel, and a tree saver strap are just some of the winch accessories you will need to carry inside your rack bags. I've put together a list of a few things i have discovered over the years about proper winching techniques and accessories:

1. Make sure you have a good strong battery, preferably the biggest ATV battery with the highest "Cold Cranking Amps" to supply the very best initial pull from the winch.

2. Try to use just as much winch cable or rope as possible because the more cable that's off the drum (always leave a least one layer of cable on the drum) the more pulling power the winch has. The use of a snatch block increases the pulling power from the winch. Remember whenever using a snatch block the rate from the pull is decreased while the pulling power is increased.

3. Whenever you can have the front tires pointed in direction of the pull.

4. Never pull a heavy load with a winch for more than 1-1/2 minutes at a time. Permit the winch to cool between pulls and this also allows time for that battery to recharge.

5. Apply the throttle lightly to assist battery throughout a pull.

6. Throughout a pull, if at all possible the stuck ATV should be driven in the direction of the pull using moderate throttle until unstuck, where time the winch cable or rope ought to be disconnected.

7. Whenever you can keep the winch cable or rope perpendicular towards the drum of the winch throughout a pull and keep an eye on the drum to guarantee the spooling from the cable or rope is even. Pulling at an angle causes the cable to spool unevenly which can lead to binding from the winch and damage to the gears.

8. In the event a pull must be done with the cable at an angle to the drum, turn the front tires in the direction of the pull and pull in small amounts and reposition the cable often to avoid uneven spooling.

9. When securing to a tree, always employ a minimum 3" wide tree saver strap with D-Ring shackles. To prevent severe damage to a tree never wrap the winch cable or rope around a tree. Protect our environment!

10. When pulling the winch cable or rope out for any pull always inspect the line for kinks, frays, and worn areas. Always wear gloves when coping with winch cable.

11. While using the winch to pull out another ATV, secure the ATV with the winch to some tree or other object using the appropriate accessories prior to starting the pull.

12. If stuck in deep snow or mud, seek out around the tires and if possible find some rocks and/or branches to stick underneath the tires for traction during the pull.
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