There is nothing like a off road winch that can make a vehicle go up a steep slope with low adhesion or go down when the slope is too steep to drive safely; there is no equipment that can make the vehicle go down like a winch. Get out of the bumper-deep mud, from the stream when the ignition system is flooded, or from the snow-covered roadside drain to get the vehicle out of trouble, or pull them away when rocks or tree trunks block the way; there is no equipment like a winch, to rescue your friends’ vehicles that have been trapped or those vehicles that don’t have a winch.
The off road winch is the fifth drive of the off-road vehicle.
Before driving off-road, apply your common sense and explore the road first, so that the vehicle will not get stuck in the first place. But if you are trapped or cautiously crawling on wooded mountain roads, then winches, high-lift jacks, 2-3 tow straps, and D-shaped lifting eyes and pulleys will let you pass the majority of obstacles.
What kind of winch to use?
Please read the related articles to help you decide which off road winch to buy. Make sure that the pulling force of the winch is 1.5 times the full load of the vehicle. When the full load of the vehicle is 6,000 pounds, then at least a 9,000-pound winch is required.
The fairlead is a plate installed in front of the winch, and the winch cable passes through the opening of the fairlead. Roller fairleads have rollers in four directions of the opening; another type of fairlead called a chain fairlead just has an opening, through which the winch cable passes, just like the anchor chain hole on a ship. It is best to use a 4×4 winch with a roller fairlead because it can reduce the wear of the winch rope when using the winch.
Some people like the concealed winch, installed under the front of the vehicle or wrapped in a reserved position in the extra-large bumper. The concealed winch looks neat, but it will have a big problem. When using the winch, it is not possible to see how the winch line is wound. If the winch line accumulates on one side, it will entangle the drum and the winch will stop working. Entangling or abrasion when the winch rope is wound on the drum will weaken the strength of the winch rope, and the winch cable may break during use and cause catastrophic consequences. I personally prefer an exposed winch. You can see how much of the winch rope is on the drum when you pay off, and you can see the winding situation when you take up the rope.
The concealed winch is installed behind the front bumper, limiting the approach angle and reducing the vehicle’s front-end passability. The winch installed at a low position close to the ground is likely to be buried in the mud when the vehicle is stuck in the swamp, so you can only fumble around in the mud to pull out the winch rope and plug the winch remote control wire. Into the hole stuck in the mud-this is exactly when you need to use the winch the most.
If you want your vehicle to look particularly cool in the supermarket parking lot, then you can install it hidden; and if you plan to go off-road, it is best to install the off road winch outside where you can see it.
Winch and airbags are now installed in the vehicle winch have become more complicated, because most 4X4 vehicles are equipped with airbags. It is easy to damage the sensor of the airbag when installing the winch. Winch manufacturers are cooperating with 4X4 manufacturers to develop winch equipment matched with airbags. If you plan to install a winch, you should be sure that the person installing it understands the potential airbag problem. If you plan to install it yourself, consult the winch manufacturer and vehicle manufacturer first. If you have no experience in repairing airbag systems, it may be wiser to have a professional installation.
Double the battery to ensure there is enough power to drive the winch. Large winches need to consume a lot of electricity, in the case of only one battery; it is easy to run out of electricity if the winch is used for a long time. A larger generator or dual battery system should be installed, or both should be installed at the same time.
When using a winch, keep the engine running and increase the speed to supply power to the winch. If the motor of the winch is struggling or slows down (called hard drag), it is a signal that the battery is almost out of power and the winch cannot get enough power. At this time, the battery should be fully charged before using the winch. When the winch is hot to the touch, you should stop taking up the winch rope, let the winch cool down first, and charge the battery at the same time, you can pour water on the winch to speed up the cooling process of the winch.
4×4 Winch control
the majority of the winch operation is performed by a switch on the remote control, the other end of a long cable with a remote controller connected to the winch inserted in the jack. The long remote control cable allows you to stand back when using the winch, away from the dangerous winch steel wire rope.
The winch controller usually has a toggle switch that can be moved in two directions. One direction uses power to wind the winch line, and the other uses power to release the winch line. This function is needed when putting the vehicle down a steep slope. You must be familiar with the direction of the switch before operating the winch.
Some winches are now equipped with a wireless remote control switch, allowing you to stand further away from the winch line. When using it, absolutely ensure that no one nearby is using the wireless remote control switch to operate the winch at the same frequency! If someone is using it, you and your partners will be in a very dangerous situation, and you may suddenly find that the winch moves and stops at will.
Wired remote control and wireless remote control switch can allow you to operate the off road winch while sitting in the vehicle. If necessary, you can move the vehicle with the power of the engine while the 4×4 winch is working. It can also protect you when the winch rope is broken and pulled into the vehicle.
Using the tree trunk protector strap when the tree is at a fixed point of the winch, the winch cable should be connected with tape wound on the tree trunk strap, winch does not directly wound on the tree, the tree to hold the nylon band plays three roles:
1. People who pass the road behind you can still use the same tree as a fixed point because the nylon tree strap can protect the tree. People who are not aware of this should reflect on their attitude.
2. Help follow the principle of “ecological off-road”! Will not leave permanent marks on the tree.
3. Protect your winch cable. Winding the winch rope around the tree and hooking it on the winch rope will cause the winch cable to be kinked and damaged.
It is very convenient to use a tow strap as a tree trunk strap. There are two different views on the use of nylon tree trunk straps. One thinks that the nylon tree trunk strap should be put on the tree, and the other thinks that the nylon tree trunk protector should be wound 1-2 times on the tree; per capita holding these two views Think their method is better for trees. Those who believe that “the tree trunk strap goes around behind the trunk” believe that only hanging the tree-holding belt behind the trunk can protect the bark in front of the trunk; those who insist on “winding around 1-2 times” think their method is OK to Distribute the force along the circumference of the tree trunk to better protect the bark. The loops of nylon straps on the tree trunk rub against each other to prevent the tree from being squeezed by improper tension.
Nylon tree trunk straps and tow straps should be sewn into strong loops at both ends. Pass the D-shaped shackle through the loops at both ends so that the nylon loops are placed on the curved part of the steel shackle, and bolts are screwed on the open ends of the steel shackle. After tightening, return the bolt by half a turn or a turn, and withdraw half to a turn to avoid the bolt from jamming after heavy dragging.
The nylon strap wrapped around the tree and the iron chain wrapped around the boulder or log should be long enough to avoid the formation of obtuse angles at the D-shaped shackles. The sharp angles will be stronger. In other words, the loops at both ends of the nylon strap The further away from the tree, the stronger it will be.
Winch rope connected to the fixed point
maybe single or double-stranded synthetic rope winch. A single rope winch means to pull the winch rope to a fixed point and hook it directly on the D-shaped shackle. It is a single rope from the vehicle to the tree.
The double rope can double the pulling force of the winch. The use of double rope requires a pulley, a powerful pulley with a metal hook, or a pulley connected to the D-type shackle with other interfaces. Hook the hook of the pulley on the bolt of the D-shaped shackle on the tree belt, pull the winch rope to the pulley, open the pulley opening and pass the winch rope around the pulley.
Pull the winch rope back to the vehicle and hang it on a front trailer hook attached to the frame. If your vehicle does not have a front tow hook, hook the winch rope to a certain part of the frame instead of hooking it to the front axle, steering rod, shock absorber, or bumper. These parts cannot withstand the pulling force of the winch. Will be bent or broken. The tow hook of the winch rope should be hooked up to the tow hook so that when the winch line is stretched or the tow hook slips down, it will bounce to the ground instead of flying into the air.
Get the maximum force
relatively easy drag can be a single line, you should use the more difficult haul pulley and rope. When using a small-load winch or towing a particularly large load, even three ropes can be used to obtain greater pulling force. Pull the winch rope out of the vehicle, return to the front of the vehicle through the pulley connected to the tree trunk strap, pass the pulley hung on the trailer hook, and then return to the tree trunk strap. This method can deal with most of the need to use a winch However, keep in mind that this method will overload your winch.
When using two-rope or three-rope, the price of increasing the pulling force is the loss of speed. The speed of pulling the vehicle forward on two lines is half of that of single lines, and the speed of three lines is one-third of that of single lines.
In addition to the mechanical principle of multi-rope, the reason that double ropes or three ropes can obtain greater pulling force is that when using multi-rope, the winch rope must be pulled out more from the drum. This is beneficial. The inner layer of the drum The winch rope has a greater tensile force than the outer layer. The tensile force marked on the winch refers to the tensile force generated by the innermost layer of winch rope wound on the drum.
The bottom layer of a 12,000-pound winch can produce 6 tons of pulling force. Each additional layer of winch rope on the drum reduces the pulling force by 1,000 pounds. When there are four layers of winch rope on the drum, the outer layer of winch rope produces only 9,000 pounds of pulling force. However, at least 5 turns of winch rope must be left on the drum at all times. Pulling out the winch rope will loosen the winch rope from the drum.
Another problem that occurs when the winch rope is fully pulled out is related to the automatic braking on some winches. If the winch cable is discharged from the drum in the wrong direction, the brake will not work. When the winch rope is fully pulled out, the rope may be retracted in the opposite direction because the switch is forgotten before the winch rope is taken up. There are icons on the winch to indicate the direction of the line. The Warn winch rope is let out from under the drum. Be sure to look at the icon. When changing the winch rope, make sure that the winch rope is retracted onto the drum in the correct direction.
