A winch accessories kit includes all the tools you need for recovery.

With a few tools and accessories, your winch can get you out of just about anything. See below for some of the winch recovery tools we recommend keeping on board with you. You can either wrangle up these items separately or purchase a recovery winch kit.

Gloves

First off: protect your hands. Wire winch rope can be nasty to work with if it’s got burrs or cut wires. Make sure the gloves are made with heavy duty leather. Wire rope can slice right through flimsy gloves.

Wearing gloves also protects your skin from extreme cold and extreme heat. Steel cable conducts temperature extremes easily.

Hook Strap

Rule of thumb: Never let your fingers get too close to the winch. Avoid getting your fingers caught by always using a hook strap to spool out cable and wind it back in.

Be careful when working around any moving parts of the winch, and always make sure the power to the winch is disconnected before making any adjustments or repairs on your winch.

Snatch Block

A snatch block lets you do two things: (1) increase the pulling power of your winch with a double line pull, and (2) redirect the winch line so that it spools directly into the winch.

If your rig is stuck in the mud, you might need a little extra “oomph” to get it out. That’s where a double line pull with a snatch block comes in handy. And if you’re trying to winch at a sharp angle, a snatch block helps you straighten out the pull and take the strain off your winch.

D-Shackle

When using your winch, you’ll need a way to connect the cable hook to a tree strap, chain, or snatch block. That’s where a D-shackle (also known as a clevis) comes in. The D-shackle is designed with a threaded pin that makes it easy to remove.

Choker Chain

Chains are durable, strong, and versatile. Use a chain to hook up to another vehicle or a sharp object for an anchor point.

Just don’t use a choker chain to anchor your vehicle to a living tree. Chains cut into the bark and can damage or kill the tree.

Tree Strap

For hooking up to trees and other anchor points, use a tree strap. These straps are typically made with high-quality nylon, with a loop at each end for attaching the D-shackle.

Heavy Blanket

As an extra safety measure, drape a heavy moving blanket over the midpoint of the winch cable. Place the blanket over the cable before the winch rope is under tension. If you don’t have a blanket, you can substitute a heavy object, such as a weighted backpack, chain, or dead tree branch.

Dampening the winch cable slows down the backlash in case the rope breaks during use. A dampened winch cable can still cause damage, so make sure all bystanders are standing well out of the path of the winch cable before you start the recovery process.