Table of contents:
How To Winch A UTV
16 November 2022
Getting the best experiences out of your UTV can sometimes mean taking the rig out onto the roughest trails you can find. These trails can often require you to winch the UTV up a cliff side or winch the UTV to get it out of deep mud or use the UTV winch to help a buddy out of a sticky situation.
No matter what the scenario, knowing how to winch a UTV is a great skill to have for anyone exploring the rockiest, muddiest, and most extreme trails you can find. This allows you to go out riding with more confidence and, better yet, come home with both you and your UTV in one piece.
Develop a plan
The first thing you want to do when needing to winch a UTV is come up with a good plan for extracting your rig. You are going to use a lot of common sense in this practice, but we all know how so many people are lacking that.
Keep in mind the direction in which you need the UTV to be headed, and what obstacles may be in the way. If you need to adjust the UTV as you are moving it, make sure you have enough hands to help out.
You always want to determine one person as the lead who is using the winch. This should either be the person who has the most experience, or the person who owns the UTV.
Take out the line
Pull out the line to where you are going to be winching the UTV. The winch is the strongest when the line is pulled out to its maximum length, so you may want to find something far away to attach to.
After you’ve attached it to your object, it’s good to hang something in the middle of the line like a jacket. This will absorb some of the energy in case anything breaks and will be less detrimental.
Attach to a fixed object
Most often this object will be either a tree or another UTV. If you’re ever hooking up to a tree, be sure to use a tree strap that will prevent the tree from being damaged and your line from being embedded in the trunk.
Engage the winch
All you have to do now is clear the area and start the process. It’s a good idea to start the engine while using the winch in order to avoid draining the battery too much.
Now you can start the winch slowly and get everything moving. Stay close to the drum to ensure that the line is winding evenly across it. As the rig is moving, watch out for any obstacles that have moved or come into your perspective. Keep going until your rig is safe and clear of its spot.
Finally, re-wind your winch line and get back on to keep riding!
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