Winching Techniques & How They Work – 2021 Guide

If you drive or are considering an off-road-friendly vehicle or a heavy-duty truck with a winch, the benefits of such an accessory are endless.

With the ability to pull a vehicle out of the ditch, your own vehicle out of a ditch, and other practical applications, nothing beats its handiness.

However, certain situations require specific types of winching. And with these four winching techniques, you’ll always know the best method to get the job done quickly and safely.

Winching Techniques: 4 Most Common Types

Although winching has some advanced techniques for high-angle pulls or pulling a rollover vehicle back on its wheels, the following techniques should suffice in most scenarios. Find out what each type of pull is ideal for and how to execute it correctly.

Single Line Pull

A single-line pull is the most basic of winching techniques. As the name implies, it’s a single cable attached to whatever you’re trying to pull.

Single line pulls involve attaching your towing winch cable to an object in a straight line. While this doesn’t necessarily maximize the power of your winch, it’s the simplest to execute and works for most general purposes, such as pulling a vehicle out of the mud. In most cases, you won’t need any additional equipment outside of a few dampers for safety and a sturdy winch towing cord with a hook (typically included with your winch).

Advantages

• No additional equipment necessary
  
  
• Simplest winching technique to execute for novices
  
  
• Only requires a single anchor or mounting point

Disadvantages

• Doesn’t harness maximum power like other types of winching techniques
  
  
• May not work in certain scenarios
  
  
• Exerts extra strain on the winch compared to other winching techniques

Best For

The single-line pull is the quintessential place to start if you’re new to the art of winching. While it has its drawbacks in terms of usage, the single line pull is effective in many situations, including removing a stuck vehicle.

Double Line Pull

If you want to get far more power out of your winch, only a double line pull will do. Using a snatch block, this type of winching technique requires you to thread the line through the block (which acts as a pulley).

Advantages

• Doubles the power of the winch
  
  
• Uses less battery power
  
  
• Works well to pull your own vehicle out of a ditch

Disadvantages

• Requires extra equipment, i.e. a snatch block
  
  
• Can be difficult for novice individuals to execute

Best For

The double line pull is an excellent option to remove a hopelessly stuck vehicle. Also, it’s a great option to pull your vehicle out of mud, snow, or any other obstacle that you should come across.

Directional Pull

Also known as a redirectional pull, a directional pull uses an anchor point between the winch and the object being pulled at an angle other than 180 degrees. This is useful when a straight pull could be dangerous or impossible due to terrain or other obstacles.

Advantages

• Allows you to pull objects at various angles
  
  
• Provides a suitable solution when pulling an object in a straight line isn’t possible

Disadvantages

• Puts extra force on the anchor, which may pose a safety threat
  
  
• Requires attention to detail due to the safety threat
  
  
• Doesn’t double the power of the winch like a double line pull

Best For

When you have a vehicle that’s bogged down, whether it’s your own or another person’s, a directional pull is perhaps the only suitable method to pull the vehicle out. 

Double Directional Pull

Similar to a directional pull, a double directional pull utilizes the same technique but requires two anchor points instead of the single one needed by a directional pull.

Advantages

• If you need an additional angle to pull out a vehicle
  
  
• Ideal for tight areas where a single line or double line pull won’t work

Disadvantages

• Requires two snatch blocks to execute correctly
  
  
• Large area between the two anchor points, the winch, and the object being pulled poses a major safety threat
  
  
• Doesn’t double the power of the winch like a double line pull

Best For

The double directional pull is the best winching method if you need weight distributed more evenly across anchors. And like a directional pull, it’s ideal for pulling an object when a straight pull with either a single pull or double pull isn’t an option.

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Technique for Winching

When choosing the proper technique for winching, you have numerous factors to consider. But by making an in-depth analysis of the technique to use, you can maximize the efficiency of the pull, reduce wear and tear on the winch, and execute the pull safely.

Your Skill and Knowledge Level

If you’re a relative newcomer to winching, chances are that a single pull is your greatest ally. Not only do double line, directional, double directional pulls require more rigging and expertise, but they’re also dangerous if you aren’t confident in your abilities. Therefore, you should never try to execute a particular winching technique if it’s outside of your knowledge. Instead, opt for the simplest technique.

Where the Other Vehicle or Object Is

Winch Capacity or Maximum Winch Load

The maximum winch load or winch capacity plays another vital role in the selection of a winching technique. In general, your maximum winch capacity should be roughly 30% more than your gross vehicle weight (GVW). So if your vehicle has a GVW of 5,000 pounds, the winch should have a capacity of at least 6,500 pounds. (You can use this to guide you if you’re planning on buying a winch as an aftermarket accessory).

If you know the maximum winch load, you can decide on whether to do a single line pull or one of the other pulls listed above. Remember that a double line pulls effectively doubles this capacity, making it an ideal choice to winch vehicles that are far bigger than your own. However, a single-line pull is still an effective method if it doesn’t near or goes over your winch capacity.

Snatch Block Considerations

If you don’t have a snatch block, the choice is simple: you can only do a single line pull. If you do have a snatch block, you can execute both a double line pull and a directional pull. And only in the case of two snatch blocks can you do a double directional pull.

Winching Your Way to the Top With the Proper Technique

A winch is one of the most useful vehicle accessories for those who off-road frequently, live in rural areas, or require heavy-duty pulling for farming or a construction site. But before you jeopardize the safety of the people around you or the integrity of the winch itself, make sure you’re using the right winching technique. Not only will safety reign supreme, but you’ll also get the exact results you were hoping for.