| Whether your vehicle is the king of 4x4 off roaders | | | | bogged in on a beach then first you need to deflate |
| or a low range off road vehicle, one thing is for sure | | | | air from the tyres to the required pressure. As long |
| – mud sticks. It does not matter whether you | | | | as the vehicle is not too deep and the axle is not |
| are an expert or novice driver, if you get stuck there | | | | buried underground, some digging with your spade |
| is nothing you can do and it is nothing to be | | | | can get the vehicle out. Dig out around the wheels |
| embarrassed about. More often than not drivers | | | | and attempt to reverse the vehicle. If this method |
| who are more experienced are the ones who tend | | | | fails then you need to use a winch. Always clear a |
| to find themselves getting stuck as they are far | | | | path with your spade before using your winch. |
| more adventurous. | | | | Over extended axles |
| When it comes to off roading there are no rules set | | | | Whilst out off roading the most common way of |
| in stone when it comes to vehicle recovery as no | | | | getting bogged down is where you find yourself in a |
| two recovery operations are the same. However, | | | | situation where the wheel has no weight on it – |
| skills required by the driver are common sense and | | | | known as over extending the wheels articulation. |
| the correct equipment for recovery situations. It is | | | | The best way to get out of this situation is to place |
| imperative that safety remains paramount and the | | | | material under the spinning wheels. |
| utmost priority. | | | | Hung-up |
| Using tow bars for recovery of vehicle | | | | When a vehicle attempts to traverse uneven terrain |
| The first rule of using tow bars for recovery is | | | | and exceeds its break-over angle and the chassis |
| simple, never us a tow ball for winching or when | | | | between. The recovery procedure in this situation is |
| using a snatch strap. Quite simply the tow ball is likely | | | | to dig away the round from under the vehicle or to |
| to snap during recovery when using a winch or | | | | raise the vehicle with a high-lift jack and place |
| snatch strap. Tow balls are constructed from mild | | | | material under the wheels. It is important to never |
| steel not suitable for high stress pulling. | | | | climb under a vehicle supported only by a high-lift |
| Using a spade in recovery | | | | jack as this can be extremely dangerous. |
| Instincts tell us that if you are stuck in mud, using a | | | | When off roading and your vehicle does get stuck |
| spade to dig out the vehicle will help the recovery. | | | | then ensure you always take safety precautions |
| However, when out off roading there is a lot more | | | | before attempting any type of recovery of the |
| to it. When in the field almost all recovery operations | | | | vehicle. Only use recovery equipment that has been |
| require some digging or clearing of the path directly in | | | | designed to recover your vehicle. If using winches |
| front of the vehicle. More often than not it is only a | | | | then ensure they are in perfect working order before |
| small amount of digging that is required. If you get | | | | you go off on your adventure. |