Tech Tips: ATV Winching

Step by Step to Mastering the ATV Winch
By: Jason Giacchino

As ATV riders we like to kid ourselves into believing that no terrain is beyond the grasp of our machines and yet each day there are countless ATVs around the world sitting motionless on account of overzealous riders getting in over their heads.

When this happens there are only a few choices and of these even fewer could be considered pleasant. Speaking from experience getting off and pushing is option 1, having someone else with a strong ATV and stronger tow strap to give you a tug is option 2, and leaving your ATV in the mud pit till the dry season arrives may work for some. Then there are those among us with the foresight to realize life is full of surprises and the trails are filled with much worse.

The winch concept is nothing new with records dating back to 480 BC (predating even the 3-wheeler) and early hand-driven versions were eventually replaced by electric, hydraulic, pneumatic and internal combustion drive systems. The winch on an ATV will most likely be of the electric persuasion thanks to weight savings of the electric motor and the fact that most ATVs come equipped with the requisite battery to power the winch.

So why then, if the winch is such a crucial tool in “un-sticking” a stuck ATV, aren’t they found on every quad or UTV made? Well the reasons vary from a machine lacking the battery/ frame design to support a winch to riding disciplines that never encounter sloppy conditions.

We here at ATV Connection wish to remove another common reason riders seem to shy away from the winch ideal: The fear of being unable to master it when the situation demands it. As anyone who’s spent time trying to push a buried ATV to dry ground can attest, it sure beats the alternatives!

Step 1: Know Your Winch

That manual that came with your new winch wasn’t written to try to cut into John Grisham’s book sales. Read it from the luxury of your couch, as it’s much easier to retain key points there then when you and your ATV are sinking in quicksand. All winches are unique in terms of their controls and thresholds, just because you had one on your 1979 Jeep, don’t assume you’re still an expert.

Step 2: Anchor Point Selection

Select the strongest/ most-stable-looking object in the vicinity with which to fasten your winch hook. Remember that the goal is to select an object so unmovable that the laws of physics dictate your ATV being drawn in its direction rather than the opposite. Selecting something inadequate (such as a small tree) will yield you little more than a stuck ATV with a sapling tied to the front bumper.

Step 3: Release the Rope

As you should have learned by reading your winch’s manual, there is a button or lever that allows the winch to free spool. Hit it and begin unreeling your winch’s cable toward that immovable object you selected in Step 2.

Step 4: Tie Her Up

In a perfect world that anchor point you selected will have an integrated heavy-duty tow hook. More likely you’re going to have to wrap your winch’s cable around a nearby tree or rock. We typically like to select objects that will allow you to circulate the cable around completely then attach the winch’s hook back onto the cable itself.

Step 5: Down to Business

It’s time to let the winch do its thing. Some models demand that you return to your ATV to activate the winch, while others are remote operated. Either way, make sure your ATV is running when you begin the winching process, as it doesn’t take long to drain down a non-running machine’s battery. Hopefully by this point of the mission, your stuck ATV is smoothly heading toward your anchor. Try to maintain steady forward momentum once the machine begins to budge and if you’ve got a long haul before the vehicle is back to solid ground, pause on occasion to allow the winch a chance to cool down.

Step 6: Sweet Freedom

Congratulations, if you’ve made it this far, your ATV should be back on rideable terrain and you should be grinning because of your accomplishment. Now unhook the winch from your anchor point, return the cable to the spool with the same button-press that yanked your machine free, and away you go until the next time your winch is called upon, at which point you can proudly start at Step 2.

Do you have any tips to share about winching? Let us know by clicking here!