Winch Safety and Recovery Dangers

[m1010plowboy]

Winter recoveries

Weekly safety bump.

We got er' good. Had a prairie storm blow through big enough to stop a train in Saskatchewan http://saskatoon.ctvnews.ca/train-trouble-in-saskatchewan-1.1206930

and cause a big pile up on Highway 2, South of Edmonton.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/03/21/huge-multi-vehicle-pile-up-injures-300-people-near-edmonton/

It also put the plow to work and gave me the opportunity to test my new recovery knowledge, thanks to the Safety threads on Steel Soldiers.

Not sure how the pick up ended up in the hedge, but I do know IT WAS A GIRL that drove the jeep into the ditch.

Be safe on all your recoveries!

 

[John S-B]

Another note on recovery, if you are trying to recover a vehicle that has slid off the side of the road on a hill, and is in danger of sliding further down the hill, you WILL need TWO recovery vehicles. An MV with shackes on the bumper is easy, because you can just hook to those. Just hook to the the front bumper on the uphill side shackle, and then to a tow vehicle out in front. Then hook to the rear bumper shackle on the uphill side, and then to an "anchor" vehicle to the rear. You can then slowly pull forward with the front recovery vehicle, while the stuck vehicle slowly is driven back up to the road, and the anchor vehicle provides an "anchor" by light braking to keep the rear of the stuck vehicle from swinging down the hill, or to keep the vehicle from rolling over. With just one vehicle pulling, you risk the towed vehicle swinging down the hill like a pendulum, and possibly pulling the recovery vehicle with it. The recovery vehicles should be as big as possible, at least the same size as the stuck vehicle.

 

[Rambling Wreck]

I practice safe winching through abstinence.

I wish I had a winch though. Good tips for when that day comes.

 

[John S-B]

I practice safe winching through abstinence.

I wish I had a winch though. Good tips for when that day comes.

That's WENCHING...

 

[USAFSS-ColdWarrior]

Wenches vs. Winches..... Y'all sure make this hobby confusing

Vs.
​

You decide which (not WITCH) you're talking about.

 

[73m819]

Wenches vs. Winches..... Y'all sure make this hobby confusing

View attachment 419354 Vs. View attachment 419355
​

You decide which (not WITCH) you're talking about.

One can be as DANGEROUS as the other, depending how used, can be VERY deadly

 

[m1010plowboy]

Ever hear of a winch grabbing a pair of scissors and trying to.......well, you know...slash your tires or something!

Another video showing why it's a good idea to tie a blanket or tarp or heavy jacket to your pulling strap.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0FZyVrACVc

 

[TehTDK]

There are several TM's that cover tracked and wheeled vehicle recovery operations. There used to be a "Vehicle Recovery and Evacuation" course for Army wrecker drivers to attend. If you are going to use a winch or field expeident techniques to recover a vehicle reading one or more of them is not a bad idea.

So there isn't a specific TM just covering Winching and "wrecking"?.

While I am not an expert at this game I have at least tried it a few times as part of my military vehicle certification. But I am always willing and wanting to learn more about this particular "game", to the point of chasing down a recovery "manual" from the danish wreckers

Key rules we all learnt and got drilled into us:

1:
One man calls the shots, he/she is the boss of the recovery and their word is "law" in regards to the recovery and what is going to get done ie if you reverse pull or pull forwards, how long a strap, 1-2 vehicles etc

2:
ALL people must keep at LEAST a safety distance equal to the length of winch cable, or strap used for the recovery. The only 2 people that is exempt are the drivers of the vehicles trying to recover/being recovered

3:
Apply common sense

 

[m1010plowboy]

Willy's winching Deuce

I got a lesson in physics today so thought I'd bump the thread as a Thank You to all those experienced guys that take the time and patience to keep teaching.

We used an old Willys Jeep that weighs what, maybe 2500 lbs, to winch a boxless 10,000 lb deuce onto the deck today.

The PO of the truck had everything set-up so I got to sit and watch. It was like a 50's era recovery.

Safe winching.

 

[seano11]

I bet if you sent down to the local buffet you coulda picked up a real homely 400 pounder took her and a bucket of KFC and got that truck on without using the jeep

 

[USAFSS-ColdWarrior]

I got a lesson in physics today so thought I'd bump the thread as a Thank You to all those experienced guys that take the time and patience to keep teaching.

We used an old Willys Jeep that weighs what, maybe 2500 lbs, to winch a boxless 10,000 lb deuce onto the deck today.

The PO of the truck had everything set-up so I got to sit and watch. It was like a 50's era recovery.

Safe winching.

Thanks for posting up your physics lesson.

BTW: Those are some interesting MVs(?) in the background of your second picture. What are they? The red one appears to be a cab-over design. Thanks.

 

[quickfarms]

Check the condition of your cable regularly and replace it if it looks worn, has broken strands or is rusty.

Do not use a substitute shear pin

 

[zebedee]

......
BTW: Those are some interesting MVs(?) in the background of your second picture. What are they? The red one appears to be a cab-over design. Thanks.

Ah - that appears to be a Chevy "Blitz" as it's known overseas - don't know what "M"# it is though...

 

[shenkmen]

Here's how to recover a car that fell through a frozen lake.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0_oKHARhXw

 

[UNIMOG-GUY]

Make sure that what you have attached your winch cable to is a secure.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=47EEkq4ehlE

 

[USAFSS-ColdWarrior]

Make sure that what you have attached your winch cable to is a secure.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=47EEkq4ehlE

Gotta LUV a video set to a John Phillip Sousa March ! ! !

 

[bchauvette]

follow

 

[John S-B]

Make sure that what you have attached your winch cable to is a secure.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=47EEkq4ehlE

5 minutes with a shovel would've fixed that. Less time that it would take to run out and wind back up all that cable. Some people just have to do it the complicated way.

 

[m1010plowboy]

Unique recovery option

I had the great fortune of arriving home before my neighbour today and thought I'd bump the thread and share his recovery pictures. I would have dragged it out of the hole backwards so it was great to see a different perspective of recovery.

15 minutes before this picture, my big white chevy on the right (lighter after using the patracy diet), drove through this puddle and backed into the yard.



Under the puddle, a water main broke at some point, allowing me to park but eating up the big ol' dodge cummins when he came home moments later. I was already relaxing inside when the neighbour calls about my new swimming pool.

The unique part came when the tow operator chose to risk his truck and lift the dodge out of the hole, preventing further damage. He managed to extend enough to allow the dodge operator to double pedal the dodge, riding the brake as he gently throttled in reverse, away from the hole.


The risk was further collapse of the pavement or pulling the tow truck in. The reward was a perfect recovery.

It was a good thing, this gent did a 5' probe before hitting bottom. Waterlines are typically 8' deep.



Be safe with all your recoveries, take a life jacket!

 

[m1010plowboy]

Two years has passed and here is yet another video demonstrating the best way NOT to do things. It's only funny for the first 40 seconds then things get serious. The cameraman blows his task as soon as the window shatters so no gore is shown which makes this video perfect for family training.

https://www.liveleak.com/view?i=9cf_1489529540