Most winching techniques are universal no matter what you're driving (or riding), but not all equipment is the same. In this video, one of our product managers, Tom Paasch, demonstrates basic winching techniques for powersports vehicles specifically — in this case, a Polaris RZR UTV.

When it comes to vehicle recovery, knowing which rigging equipment to use is important. WARN and Factor 55 both make rigging specifically for powersports vehicles. This means winches, shackles, ropes, straps, and other recovery gear designed specifically for the weight capacities of UTVs and ATVs. Whether that's an AXON 55-S winch for your side-by-side, a Factor 55 fairlead, or another accessory, these are engineered for the demands of powersports vehicles.

With different controls, specific demands, and specialized products, powersports vehicles present a host of differences when it comes to vehicle recovery — but WARN and Factor 55 have the gear you'll need to go prepared. Have a look at this video, Powersports Basic Rigging Techniques.

Video Transcript

Introduction

I'm Tom; I'm a product manager for our powersports products here at Warn Industries. But I'm also an off-road enthusiast. I've owned more dirt bikes, Jeeps, side-by-sides, and trucks than I could count.

Today we'll be covering winching basics, accessories, rigging, and important safety considerations. The winch we're going to be using for our demonstration is an AXON 55-S, which comes with synthetic rope.

A couple of the parts of the winch to be familiar with: we have our motor, our transmission (which contains our clutch), our synthetic rope, our drum, which then goes to the fairlead, and attached to our hook with the hook strap.

There are a couple different ways to control ATV and UTV winches. Most ATVs will use a handlebar switch, whereas most UTVs will use a dash-mounted rocker switch. For either option you can always use a wired remote — which is what we're going to be using today — or you can use a HUB Wireless Receiver in your phone.

Must-Have Accessories

Gloves: needed to protect your hands from cuts and abrasion.

A hook strap: used to more safely handle the hook. This keeps your hands away from pinch points like on the fairlead.

Shackles: you can choose from a traditional bow shackle or a synthetic soft shackle. You need shackles to connect the looped ends of cables or straps. For this demo we will use a metal bow shackle.

A tree trunk protector: used for attaching a winch rope to a variety of anchor points.

A winch damper: used to prevent rope recoil in the rare event of rope failure.

Setting Up a Single Line Pull

Put on your gloves. Disengage the clutch to allow freespooling of the winch drum. Free the winch hook from its anchor point and attach the hook strap to the hook.

While holding the winch hook strap, pull out enough winch rope to reach your anchor point. Try to keep a certain amount of tension in the rope — otherwise it may become twisted and over-wrap when slackened, leading to rope damage.

Choose an anchor point that's strong enough to hold you while winching. Natural anchors include trees, stumps, and rocks. Secure the tree trunk protector or choker chain around the anchor. For strength, place the rigging as low as possible on the anchor.

Attach the shackle to the two ends of the strap and through the hook loop, being careful not to over-tighten. Tighten the pin and then back off a half turn. Attach the winch rope and hook to the shackle with the winch hook opening facing up. Remember: "hook up and you'll never screw up."

Lock the winch drum by rotating the clutch dial on the winch to the engaged position. Lay the winch damper over the winch rope midway between the winch and the anchor point. Connect the remote control — be careful not to let the remote-control cord dangle in front of the winch.

Using the winch-in switch on the remote control, slowly wind the winch rope until no slack remains. Once the winch rope is under tension, stand well clear and never step over it.

Winching Operation

With the engine on and light tension already on the winch rope, begin winching slowly and steadily. For additional assistance, the winching vehicle can be slowly driven while being pulled by the winch. Remember to avoid overheating the winch motor — for extended winching, stop at reasonable intervals to allow the motor to cool down.

Avoid shock loads by using the winch control switch intermittently to take up the rope slack. Shock loads can momentarily exceed the winch and rope rating. If winching from a slight angle, the rope may stack up on one end of the drum. This stack can become large enough to cause serious damage to the winch. Stop winching if the winch rope comes close to the tie rods or the mounting plate. To fix an uneven stack, spool out that section of the rope and reposition it to the opposite end of the drum, which will free up space for continued winching.

Continue pulling until the vehicle is on stable ground. If you can drive the vehicle, the winching operation is complete. Once recovery is complete, be sure to secure the vehicle's brake.

After recovery, you'll need to rewind the rope. First, release tension in the winch rope. Disconnect the winch line from the anchor, arrange the winch remote lead so it cannot be caught in the winch, and arrange the winch rope so it will not kink or tangle when spooled. Be sure any rope already on the drum is wound entirely and evenly layered — tighten and straighten the layer if necessary.

Keep the winch rope under light tension and spool the rope back onto the winch drum in even layers. Stop frequently to tighten and straighten the layers as necessary. Spool the rope until the winch hook is a couple feet away from the winch. At this point, switch from holding the winch rope to the hook strap. Walk the winch hook towards the fairlead holding the hook strap, carefully spooling in the remaining rope by pulsing the remote-control switch. Finally, stow the hook at the fairlead. To prevent serious injury, never put your fingers inside the hook area as you're powering in against a fairlead.

Congratulations — you're ready to go prepared and use your winch for the first time. Remember though: everything we talked about today is basic and high level. We always encourage you to read the owner's manual, especially for the important safety considerations.