Skill drill
Redirecting a Winch Pull with a Snatch Block
When the only big anchor is off to the side, a snatch block on a second anchor in front turns the line so it feeds into the winch straight.
11 steps, about 3 minutes
Rig it in 3D one decision at a time. Choose wrong and you will see what happens.
When to use it
When the anchor you have is off at an angle and the vehicle needs to come out straight. The block hangs in front of the vehicle so the line enters the fairlead square, and the vehicle travels toward the block. A redirect adds no pulling power.
The steps
- Gear up
- Plan the pull
- Protect the anchor
- Hang the snatch block
- Spool out
- Connect
- Damper on
- Clear the area
- Take up the slack
- Winch it out
- Secure and spool in
A drill is practice, not certification. Read your own winch's manual, and learn it hands-on from someone experienced before you rely on it.
The written guide
Step by step
- 1
Gear up
Put on heavy leather gloves and clip the hook strap to the hook. Use the strap any time you handle the hook, never let the line slide through your hands, and never hold the hook itself.[1, 3, 4]
Winch lines carry burrs and broken strands, and the fairlead is a pinch point. The hook strap keeps your fingers out of it.
- 2
Plan the pull
Do not pull straight at an off-angle anchor. Secure a snatch block on an anchor directly in front of the vehicle, then run the line through it to the main anchor, so the line comes into the winch square.[1, 3]
A side pull piles line onto one end of the drum and drags the vehicle sideways. The block puts the pull back in line.
- 3
Protect the anchor
Wrap a tree-trunk protector strap around the base of the trunk, as low as you can get it and without twisting it. Never wrap the winch line itself around a tree and hook it back onto itself.[1, 4, 5, 6, 7]
A low strap keeps the tree from levering over and spreads the load so it does not cut through the bark. Hooking the line back onto itself crushes its strands.
- 4
Hang the snatch block
Attach the snatch block to the strap on the front anchor with a rated shackle.[4]
The block's anchor takes the load of the line turning around it, so it needs the same protection and hardware as the main anchor.
- 5
Spool out
Put the winch clutch in free-spool and walk the line out by the hook strap, keeping a little tension on it so it does not kink or tangle. Leave at least 10 wraps of synthetic line on the drum, or 5 of steel.[1, 3]
The point where the line is fixed to the drum is not built to hold load. The wraps hold it. Slack line walked out loosely can twist and wind on badly later.
- 6
Connect
Pass a rated shackle through both eyes of the strap and the hook. Tighten the pin snug, then back it off slightly. Set the hook with its open throat facing up, the latch closed and the load in the throat, never on the tip.[1, 2, 5, 8]
A pin cranked all the way can seize under load. A hook loaded on its tip or latch, or set throat-down, can fail and send the rigging flying.
- 7
Damper on
Lay a line damper, a recovery blanket or weighted bag, over the middle of the line before you put any tension on it.[1, 2, 3]
If the line or a piece of hardware fails, the damper's weight pulls the line toward the ground instead of letting it whip back at the vehicle. Never walk up to a loaded line to move one; slack it first.
- 8
Clear the area
Before the line takes any load, move everyone back at least 1.5 times the length of line you have out. Nobody stands in front of or behind the vehicle, near the line, or near a snatch block, and nobody steps over the line.[1, 3, 4, 7, 8]
Anyone near a loaded line is in its path if something fails. Sources set the keep-out distance anywhere from the full length of the line to twice it; this drill uses 1.5 times, the Victorian government's figure.
- 9
Take up the slack
Engage the winch clutch, pass the remote cord in through the window, and spool in slowly just until the slack is gone. Stop, and check the anchor, the strap, the shackle and the hook before you load it.[1, 3]
A slack line that suddenly loads hits the whole rig with a shock. Checking at light tension catches a bad anchor before it carries the full pull.
- 10
Winch it out
Keep the engine running and the transmission in neutral. Winch in steady pulls, pausing to let the motor rest and to check the line is winding evenly onto the drum.[1, 3, 9]
A running engine keeps the battery up under the winch's draw, and short pulls with rests keep the motor from overheating. Jerky loads are the ones that break hardware.
- 11
Secure and spool in
Put the vehicle in park or a low gear before you release the line tension. Then spool in, walking the line with the hook strap so it winds on evenly, and stop with the hook about 3 feet from the fairlead.[3, 4]
The vehicle has to hold itself before the line goes slack. Powering the hook into the fairlead can damage both.
Avoid these
Common mistakes
Pulling straight at an off-angle anchor
Side pulls pile line onto one end of the drum. If it builds toward the mount, stop, take the load off, and re-rig toward the center.[1, 3]
Standing inside the angle
A block under load is a hazard point. Keep everyone well clear of the line and the block.[3]
Watch & learn
Redirect pull on video
Picked from our video library. These are other creators' videos, so where one differs from the drill, the drill's sourced steps are the ones to follow.
How To Perform A Winch Line Redirect Using Factor 55 Rigging Accessories And A Winch
Warn Industries
0How to perform complex winching techniques | 4X4 Australia
4X4 Australia
0How to Change Direction of your Winch Recovery Pull using a GearAmerica Ultra Snatch Block
GearAmerica
0
Keep practicing
Other winch techniques
Start hereSingle-line pullThe basic self-recovery: one line from your winch straight out to a solid anchor in front of the vehicle.10 steps
Technique 2Double-line pullThe line runs out to a snatch block on the anchor and back to the vehicle, roughly doubling the pull at half the line speed.11 steps
Technique 4Vehicle as anchorNo tree in reach, but a second vehicle on firm ground can be the anchor, as long as it is set so it cannot be dragged.10 steps
Technique 5Buried anchorOpen ground, no trees, no second vehicle: bury your spare tire across the line of pull and winch to the ground itself.10 steps
Learn it hands-on
Nothing replaces practicing with someone who has done it. Browse off-road tour operators and parks near you and ask whether they run recovery training.
Find off-road tours and parksSources
Where the checkable claims above come from. Rules and figures change, so confirm anything you are about to rely on against the source itself.
- Basic Guide to WinchingWARN Industries (warn.com)
- Basic Winch TechniquesWARN Industries (warn.com)
- The Basic Guide to Winching Techniques (62885A6)WARN Industries (quadratec.com)
- Electric Winch User's GuideSuperwinch (Westin Automotive) (westinautomotive.com)
- Recovery Basics: Part IARB USA (arbusa.com)
- Winching Basics: Protect Those Trees and Be SafeTread Lightly! (treadlightly.org)
- SOI-034: 4WD Vehicle Winch (Safe Operating Instructions)Victoria State Government, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (files-delwp.em.vic.gov.au)
- ATP 4-31: Recovery and Battle Damage Assessment and RepairUS Army (published by the North Carolina National Guard) (ng.nc.gov)
- Winch User Guide (9923644)Polaris (publications.polaris.com)
