Winch Rigging and Anchor loads

[ghosthunter]

One more

[KFhunter]

If you are putting wheel blocks under a vehicle you are trying to pull out, you have bigger issues than the strength of the anchor it is attached to!!!

Why would I put an anchor or wheel blocks on the vehicle your pulling out ,that's crazy.

And yes I would block the wheels on the vehicle with the winch ,doing the pull.

Let this blow your minds.
If I cut a block of wood 32in long ,basically twice the length of a piece of firewood. Split into quarter,snug them under the tires ,like a glove.

Do you think your winch is gonna have a harder time dragging that truck.

When you do that ,you making the surface area of your tires wider,and the firewood is gonna bite into the ground better than your tires ever will.


You should hook your winch to a tree,parking brake,emergency brake apply. Drag your truck a few feet.
Then do it block up as I described.
Tell me how much harder your winch had to work to pull it.

Like said in other comments.
There never is a tree where you need it to be.
You might have to compromise.

Your truck is an anchor,just have to figure out how to keep it from moving .

I was introducing humor to the thread since it was not clear what was being chocked...  I don't know you but I am pretty sure you would not chock the wheels of the vehicle being extracted!

I think he means if you're using your vehicle to pull another stuck vehicle out, using your truck as the anchor

[Rob]

Yep

[KFhunter]

I've slid my old Dodge lot's of times, holding the brakes, sliding all 4 tires winching.

I run my bumper up against a tree to anchor, or tie off to a tree.  I prefer to run my bumper against something but its a buckstop type of deal, not factory, not squishy.

17,500lb winch

[Rob]

That field manual link I posted had some interesting ways to improve holding power of the winching vehicle (deadmans, pickets, etc).  More involved that what I would want to build unless i was in dire straights with no alternatives.

[HntnFsh]

Thanks highclimber, appreciate the info.

Regarding Working load limits, here is what I settled on:  pick gear with a WLL equal to or greater than the force you expect to see.  The Max breaking load is your margin for safety.

In other words, if you expect to see 9 tons on a snatch block, get one with a 10 Ton WLL.  If the Max Breaking limit is 15Tons, then your safety margin is 6 tons.

Would you agree?

Yes that is a good line of thinking.
Also WLL or SWL is different for different components of rigging, they have different safety factors (shackles, slings, blocks, wire rope vs fiber rope etc)
Also, I guarantee that the winch line on your 12k winch isn’t rated for 12k lbs… probably closer to 2,500 or 3,000 FYI.  Most times when your stuck it won’t be an issue because the actual pull required might be less than that if it’s just a traction issue.  but if you are buried pretty good, consider starting with at least a 2 parted recovery to save your winch line.

Yes this and NO China stuff.  Im a retired crane operator and Ive seen many rigging failures.  Not to hijack, but FOR VEHICLE RECOVERY, as this seems to be mainly about, Im a fan of synthetic ropes, recovery rings, and soft shackles.  I have half a dozen soft shackles and over 100ft of ropes plus heavy nylon straps and recovery rings.  I have done winch less recoveries with comealongs.  I have used winches, but dont have one myself (except on quad) because Ive learned to avoid most bad things.  Good equipment is expensive but worth every cent if you need it.  A winch isnt always useable and a large number of stuck vehicles usually only need the assistance of another truck to give them a tug. I always carry what I need to be extracted by another vehicle, and Ill say if you are exceedingly adventurous, Its always best to go with another rig.  That being said, weve all been stuck on solos. 

Because of my many years of work experience, I dont advocate used worn out cables, especially if theyve been repaired or spliced.  You dont know how bad theyve yielded and you could easily end up injured.  Besides, anything not certified and in new condition wasnt allowed on the jobs, by law.

If you look around on youtube theres tons of stuff on synthetic rigging, even making your own eyes and soft shackles, plus and accident with a steel shackle that was launched by a break in the rigging and went through the windshield and killed the driver.  Another thing I didnt see mentioned is choking with cables.  That significantly reduces their capacity.

I also run cranes and do rigging.  If any components are not labeled or have China on them they get tossed.

I would use a lot of them for home stuff under some circumstances.

[MountainWalk]

Almost all logging cable is made in Korea and China. A little from Mexico. Strawline, haul back, straps, choker bells, hindus, you name it.