Getting Your Jeep Unstuck

Recovery Strap and Hi-Lift / Jack All

Let's face it - if you're going to drive off-road, you will get your jeep stuck at some point. Note, your Jeep will not get stuck unless you put it somewhere and insist it not move...LOL

Seriously, the number one way to get unstuck is to avoid it in the first place. Take a look at that obstacle BEFORE you venture into or over it. Five minutes of walking might save you hours of recovery work and possibly, even some money.

Besides a tool kit, map(s), and some basic emergency items, the three most important things to have when traveling the back country trails and roads are:

Let's look at an example...say you are exploring a back country trail and you slide into a deep rut...THUNK! Do you:

A - throw your hands up, walk out and try to find a tow truck (for about $400);

B - grab any old blanket and bush and throw them under the tires hoping it'll work;

C - get your partner/wife/husband/kids to push on the bumper, spinning the tires, furiously slinging mud all over the place; or

D - have a plan and equipment to easily get unstuck and moving again

If you answered "D", you're on your way. Options A,B & C ensure that D is the best route to follow.

If another vehicle comes along, or you are traveling with a buddy vehicle, the recovery strap comes into play. Never wrap a strap or other recovery tool around the stock bumper, steering components, springs, spring hangers, or axles. Only use a frame-mounted tow hook, or use a short sling and tuck it up around the frame, avoiding wires and hoses. Then connect it to the recovery strap with an adequate "D" shackle. The other vehicle can then yank you out. The strap absorbs the impact, allowing the yank motion.

Never use chain, underrated rope, or worn strap. Don't use ball hitches. I've seen people yank bumpers off, use dog chain leads and clothes line, all to no good. I've seen trailer ball hitches go through radiators and crack a cylinder head. The square tube of the Class III receiver hitch will accommodate the looped end of the recovery
strap. Slide it in and use the pin that comes with the hitch to hold the loop.

The Hi-Lift/Jack All and accessories can be used as a hand winch, but this is a last resort, usually.

By connecting the jack between the vehicle and a strong anchor point (tree, rock, stationary vehicle), using properly rated slings and chain, you can pull the vehicle out, either forward or backward. Don't try to use a recovery strap with this method. The strap stretches too much. For this method, you will need two slings (2" x 8'), 25 feet of chain, and three 3/4" "D" shackles to start with. All the hardware should be rated at a higher capacity than the jack. Most 4-wheel drive shops or an industrial hardware supply company will carry the needed items.

Here's a quick tip to use when you need to sling 2 recovery straps together. If you simply loop them together, then pull, you'll spend hours trying to get the straps apart again at the loops - the strain from the pull makes the "knot" so tight, most people give up.

By taking a 1" diameter dowel with you (or snagging a 1" wide tree branch (you'll need to REMOVE all the bark and smooth it totally), you can easily make this headache a thing of the past. While you're snaking those recovery straps around each other, slip the dowel into the two end loops being put together. After the pull, a quick twist of the dowel will pull it free, leaving the straps slack enough to un-loop the ends easily.

Winches

The recreational market has exploded with new winch styles and types.

There are winches made today that are lightweight, electric operated units that make 4-wheeling a little bit easier. And there are still PTO and hydraulic winches available for your rig. But I like using the electric operated winch because if (when) the engine stalls in a bad situation and won't restart due to mechanical failure (Murphy's Law), the batteries, if in good shape to begin with, will usually have enough juice left to winch out of the situation. You will then be on better ground to work on the rig!

When folks think of building a rig, they start thinking of all the accessories they want to make their truck the biggest, baddest, toughest rig on the trail. Everyone wants to be a trail hero, but realistically, the only thing everyone has in common, is that they WIlLL get stuck - what are those big tires and lockers doing for you now? Digging you deep - that's what. I would suggest a winch go on ahead of lockers and pretty much anything else save tow-hooks. THE WINCH WILL ALWAYS GET YOU OUT, the other things will always get you stuck! If you don't have a way to get unstuck, then what good are all those fancy traction devices and all the power in the world? Stuck is stuck is stuck!

Purchase a winch that is rated at least 1 and 1/2 times the GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT (GVW). Take the rig to a truck scale and for about $5.00, weigh it. Load your Jeep like you're going on a trail-ride - including passenger's etc.. Multiply that weight by 1.5 and you have the minimum rating for the winch, usually around 8000 or 9000 pounds for most Jeeps. For the big rigs like full-size Jeeps and the big military-variant trucks, think 10,000 or 12,000 pound winch. Of course, with the correct accessories like pulley blocks (not SNATCH blocks) you can double the capacity of any winch.

You have now ascertained what size winch you want, now what make? It is really up to you,the availability of the product and your wallet.

I do know that some winch companies rate the winch at the capacity of the unit and that is where it will "stall." Others rate it at working strength which puts the stall speed much higher, giving a higher capacity overall. In other words, some winches will stall at the rated 9000 pounds and other winches will stall at a higher weight limit, say 11000 pounds, but be rated at 9000 pounds. So do your research and choose your winch wisely.

The line speed and amperage draw under load might be important to you. I figure speed is not too important a feature unless I enter a competition; as long as the winch pulls me out I'm happy!

Amperage draw is a point to consider. Under normal recreational winching, the average alternator and battery will do the job. You should have at least an 800 or higher rated Cold Cranking amp rating on the battery. Batteries like the Optima can sustain larger draw than some higher rated batteries. The stock alternator on my old Jeep worked fine at 85 amps cold rating.

Alternators are rated when they are "fresh" (that is, cold). When they get hot, they lose capacity fast, so some of the stock units will only put out 30 or so amps when you need it the most. High capacity altenators may not lose their capacity as fast. If you anticipate doing some serious winching, which comes with serious 'wheeling, then change over to heavier componentry. For the average recreational 4-wheeler, the stock battery and alternator will do fine. Understand, though, that the engine should be running at least 2000 RPM above idle to help the alternator charge the battery.

A short aside about dual batteries - Anyone who will be winching a lot should have them as well. If winch at night, pull 2 or 3 vehicles back to back out of holes, etc., you may need dual batteries. Optima recommends NOT using an isolator with their batteries. I don't like using an isolator because I like all the juice to come evenly out of the batteries, and to charge the batteries equally. What will sometimes happen with isolators is that the current flow will slowly drain off the "isolated" battery even while you are using the other. Remember that the current flow for your vehicle (neg earth systems) flows from ground (earth) to positive, just like lightning! So even with an isolator, you can conceivably drain the other battery. Some will refute this statement, and that's OK, I will stick with what I know and obviously what the Optima Company knows!

You've selected your winch, decided on the alternator and battery set up, and now you are ready to mount it. Here, I will get more flak! I do NOT like the receiver hitch mount winches! There I've said it! They are potentially dangerous! Think about it. First off you have to pick the thing up from the back of the rig or out of the trunk, etc., about 80 pounds. Then you carry it slip-sliding away to the receiver that you want to use, front or rear, find the receiver full of mud or rocks because it is mounted lower than your bumper, clean it out, then insert the winch in the hitch. And here comes the fun part.

All class three (class III) hitches are DOT (you know them) rated at 5000 pounds. You just put a 9000 or 8000 pound rated winch in a 5000 pound hitch. Now you're going to try to pull a 6300 pound vehicle out of the mud that has a resistance force equal to or exceeding the weight of the vehicle. And you're going to do all this from a dinky 2 1/2 inch tube bolted to your frame probably with grade 5 hardware. NOT WISE! It's recommended that if you want to use the receiver type winch, which is actually a good idea for total function, you mount two channels front and rear and make the winch mount frame the same, thereby doubling the strength of both the hitch and the winch, and leave the single receiver for the boat or the sleds!

Mount your winch securely, either using a brush guard mount assembly from the winch manufacturer or a bumper made to accept a winch. Install the roller fair lead. Use of the "Hawse" fair lead will eventually abrase the wire rope, so spend the extra money and get the roller. Use the proper hardware, like grade 8 bolts and "nylock" nuts. I don't like the split style lock washers as they will vibrate loose over time. Some people prefer the grade 5 hardware because it tends to stretch but the rating of the grade 8 stuff is worth the extra pennies to install.

The shiny new winch is on the front of the vehicle and you're ready to go. Not so fast pal! What about the accessory kit? Yes, you will need to have a wide tree protector strap, at least 3" wide by 8 feet long. I like to use a 6" wide by 20' long strap, as that really helps protect the trees. You'll need a pulley block rated at twice the capacity of the winch, some "D" shackles, heavy gloves, short length of 3/8 chain. Usually when you buy the winch, the store will have an accessory kit. Maybe they will give you a good deal for buying the whole package.

Well, you have the winch, the accessory kit and basic skills to use it in the back country! First, go out to the alley or back lot and pull the cable out almost all the way, connect it to the phone pole and pull your rig to it. Wind the cable up under light load, keeping it nice and tight, laying the cable right next to it self, no gaps, no overlaps. Wind it up tight to just before the hook goes in the roller fair lead. Then hook it to the tow hook or some place on the bumper and just snug it up, not super tight, just snug. Do Not leave the clutch lever open!

You can now cover the winch from the elements and sleep soundly knowing that when someone gets stuck, you'll be a true trail hero. Make sure you have the other basic items along, too, like the Hi-Lift or Jack All, tools, common sense, respect for property and the rights of others.