Pro tip: throwing a winch line straight vs at an angle on a recovery

I was pulling my buddy's stuck Rancher out of a muddy creek bed near Chattooga River last weekend and realized my first angled pull did nothing but spin the tires. Once I walked the line out straight and used a snatch block to redirect, it came out smooth in about 10 seconds. Has anyone else noticed how much easier a straight pull is compared to trying to yank from the side?

2 comments

2 Comments

charles_green2d ago

The bit about the winch smoking made me wince because I've been there. What nobody talks about is that an angled pull doesn't just waste power, it creates a sideways load that can bend a winch's drum or snap the cable off the side of the fairlead. I had an old Ramsey winch that started binding up after a few side pulls in the Georgia clay, and the repair guy told me those side loads are what kills them more than straight pulls on muddy days. Most folks don't think about the winch itself getting hurt, they just focus on the stuck vehicle.

maryadams2d ago

Oh man, I learned that one the hard way last fall. Dragged a stuck Honda Pioneer through a mudhole at like a 45 degree angle and just made a bigger mess, almost flipped the thing onto its side. Felt pretty dumb standing there in the rain with the winch smoking and my buddy yelling from the driver's seat. Took a snatch block and a tree to straighten it out, and yeah, it came right on out like it was nothing.