Winches
There are several different sorts of winch and all of them can be used for self recovery. They can of course also be used for pulling other vehicles out of ditches, or for helping them out of mud or loose sand.
The most common sort is the front mounted winch which is mounted on the front bumper. This can be powered electrically, hydraulically, or mechanically by a power-take-off (PTO).
The drawback with all these front mounted winches is that they can only really be used for pulling the vehicle forward. If your vehicle has become stuck in a soft muddy area, or in sand, it is very difficult to use the front mounted winch to pull you out backwards. If the ground a short way ahead becomes firm again, then winching forward could get you out, but if the terrain becomes even worse, then winching forward will only take you in deeper. There is no solution in a situation like this other than to have a second vehicle winch or tow you out backwards, or to have a portable winch (like a Tirfor). This winch can be attached to the rear of the vehicle and anchored on a tree or any other firm object. It can also be attached to the front of your car, or any other which is immobilised. The portable manual winch may require a little more effort and take a bit more time, but in our opinion its relatively low cost and versatility make it the most suitable in many cases.
Whichever type you choose, you can double the power of your winch by employing a pulley block. (This will however require a greater length of cable as you must reattach the end of the cable to your vehicle once it has passed through the anchored pulley block).
One hint on winching which may prove useful : if you find yourself stuck in soft sand and there are no trees or other solid objects close enough to anchor your winch, there is still a way out. Unwind your winch cable (and hook) as far out from the vehicle as it will reach. Then remove your spare wheel and roll it out to where the hook is. Attach the hook to the spare wheel and then bury the spare wheel, and the end of the cable, at least one metre (3 feet) deep in the sand. You can then start to winch in the cable. The spare wheel and last few metres of cable should be buried deep enough to stop it being pulled up out of the sand when the winch starts.
Always take great care when using a winch; cables under tension can be extremely dangerous. It is also a good idea to keep an old pair of gardening gloves in your vehicle. The cable's steel fibres can sometimes "splinter", and they invariably become very dirty.
Finally, after using your winch make sure that the cable is neatly and evenly wound back onto the drum. It is rarely possible to do this while pulling yourself out of the mud as the cable often bunches up at one end of the drum. If this happens, you should unroll the cable as soon as your vehicle is on firm ground and then wind it in again carefully, spreading it out evenly over the width of the drum.
If you would like more detailed advice on using winches please see our Links page and choose one of the winch manufacturer's sites like Superwinch.
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