Winch Recovery - No Trees

[101RRS]

On a recent trip out in the desert I was thinking out winch recoveries where there are no decent trees etc for winching. I have 65m of cable plus winch extension straps so anm probably better fitted out than most winches but where I was winch points would be difficult to find if I was bogged in bad conditions and you were by myself.

Yes I know to dig and jack but what if you have to winch? What would you use as an anchor. Digging a hole and burying the spare is an option but in reality would be very difficult in most terrain except sand. What about ground anchors? Anyone use and carry them - are they worth carrying?

Other options??

Also - as recovery equipment/techniques/experiences is important to 4wding, is it worthwhile asking Incisor to create a section specifically dedicated to the topic?

Cheers

Garry

[Bearman]

Several star pickets driven into the ground in a row (at an angle away from you) then attach a rope/chain to them all at the bottom and to your winch cable. This is probably the lightest way.

[Basil135]

Several star pickets driven into the ground in a row (at an angle away from you) then attach a rope/chain to them all at the bottom and to your winch cable. This is probably the lightest way.

Have used this for many things where a good anchor is needed.

Just use the 3 - 2 - 1 method, pickets at about a 45 degree angle and you are set.

Make sure you have enough rope with you, and lash the first set to the one behind it, then repeat with the second set.

In the olden days, we lashed them together with 12mm sisal, and they would take the weight of a flying fox.

[mike_ie]

A technique that I used to use quite often in mountain rescue scenarios, and I haven't seen anywhere else, is the use of "hedgehogs", and I haven't seen them anywhere else on my travels. Effectively thy are two (or more) lengths of 50x50mm angle, with alternating holes drilled down each face, and a shackle bolted to the end. the idea was that you would lay two or more of these down flat on the ground, apex of the angle iron pointing up, and the shackle pointing towards your load. Then you'd drive foot long steel pins through the holes at each side of the angle iron, into the ground. Once both hedgehogs had been planted, you had two anchor points for your load.

Setup took five minutes, tear down took about the same, and these things were absolutely infallible in any terrain -bog, sand, loam, you name it. To give you an idea of how much I trust these things, we used to set these up at the top of a cliff, abseil two stretcher bearers, a stretcher, a first aider, and tie in and rescue a casualty halfway down a cliff, all off the same anchor points. And they were light enough that we'd carry them on our backs up the mountain and down again. As a test, we planted one in the ground one day, tied both rescue vehicles to it, and tried to pull it up. We failed.

I hope the description is enough to go on, as I Can't find an image on google, but I'll be making up a set pretty soon for my own trip, and I'll draw up a diagram.

[kaa45]

The Hedgehogs idea sounds great. Would love to see a set.

A section for recovery ideas and stories is a great idea, Garry.

Cheers,
Danny

[sschmez]

Variation on the "hedgehog" idea :

"proper" tentpegs through the links in a dragchain.

Stevo

[Basil135]

The Hedgehogs idea sounds great. Would love to see a set.

A section for recovery ideas and stories is a great idea, Garry.

Cheers,
Danny

Ditto

[chazza]

I use the 3:2:1 star picket method (has a load capacity of approx. 2100kg) frequently in the SES and I have also copied and made a picket-puller that can be used with a high-lift jack to get the blasted things out of the ground.

The hedgehog is a good anchor as well but how do you lift the pegs out afterwards?

Cheers Charlie

[windsock]

I found the problem with star pickets (or what we call waratahs over here) is that they bend, and you have to pull them out afterwards with something. Been there done that... had to be a better material...

I made up six 20mm mild steel round rods approx 500mm long and welded an eyelet to them 50mm from an end. This welded lug point gives a lifting point when finished and also a point to attach a chain via a 750kg rated shackle.

In a post above about the hedgehog idea is fine until you strike a rocky/gravelly river bed, or any alluvial based soil type with rocks present. If you have predefined holes to drive the steel stakes through, there is a big chance of striking a rock and not getting depth. I use the stakes individually so I can move them about enough till I can find a place for each (roughly in a line with the pull) to be hammered into the riverbed and then chain them all together and winch off the chain. This method works well as any bend left in the rods can be sledge hammered out later. Con of all this is they are heavy to carry around but in a riverbed there is no chance of digging, most conventional soft-earth anchors are useless, and many of the trees on the banks are either too far away or in soft bank material and likely to pull out with a heavy winch load.

I have also used them to stand a wheel on that I have hi-lifted out of a hole. Two or three rods under a wheel and the remainder laid across the end of the hole you're driving out onf forms a sort of bridge where in the past you'd have used driftwood or forest debris. Works well, again any bends arehammered out later.

I've used the same six rods many times for such duties no worries.

[mox]

Variation on the "hedgehog" idea :

"proper" tentpegs through the links in a dragchain.

Stevo

Good to have strong tentpegs for these ideas. I have some better than bought ones. Made from broken tines off finger wheel hayrakes. These inevitably eventually break due to metal fatigue on the bend just out of the supporting ring and many of the remaining bits just become steel scrap when tine is replaced.

They can be cut /ground off to remove the rest of this bend and possibly sharpened. Are 6.5mm high tensile steel that hacksaw will not cut and good length for tentpegs. Also the other end that clamps into the rake wheel hub is bent like a typical tentpeg.