New Winch App for Winching Safety
Easy calculation of recovery loads and pull force required for safe use of your electric winch. Easily calculates if your winch is up to the job and indicates when a snatch block or winch ring will be needed for heavy recoveries.

Easy input of winch capacity, vehicle weights (GVM) and terrain and angle calculations.


Check out the website or just download from the Apple Store or Google Play. Cost is $10 but well worth the investment.

Winch App

Dont Winch and Drive

You will see this a lot on YouTube and even on some TV Shows. But driving and winching at the same time increases the risk of equipment failure or breakage dramatically and when something breaks this may result in someone being injured or worse.
So why dont we winch and drive. Well there are number of reasons but the main one is if you are winching on a slippery slope and driving at the same time, your vehicle may hit a patch of the track where it gets grip and suddenly drives faster than the winch. This causes the line to go slack causing it to go under the vehicle where it can get tangled up around your wheels, steering etc. But most likely what often happens is the car starts to slide backwards when it looses grip again, causing the winch line to tighten suddenly where it can break or worse break the winch internals. Then you are really in a predicament, stuck vehicle and broken winch. Or worse the impact and forces involved under this stress cause a recovery point to break or the winch hook snaps and you have metal flying around like a gun being fired. Dont even think of the consequence if this hits a person, most likely you the driver. 
Other reasons are that the winch draws immense power from the battery and to avoid battery failure you should be winching with engine at 1200-1500 rpms with the car in neutral gear. This makes the winch draw the power from the alternator and saves the battery going flat. Obviously if you are driving you are most likely below this rev range and can cause the battery to go flat over time. You should be resting your winch every 30 seconds or so to give it a rest also.
The solution when faced with a struggling winch scenario is to use a snatch block pulley or winch ring to halve the effort required from the winch. 
We recommend that you do a 4WD Training coarse that includes winching and learn to winch the right way or join a 4WD club that includes training for members.

What Gear Do I Use Going Up Steep Hills?

When climbing steep slopes you need a reasonable amounyt of momentum to keep the vehicle in the best rev range whilst minimising spinning the wheels. When the wheels spin you loose traction and generally come to a halt. Then you have to reverse back and have another go. Or be recovered.

When climbing steep hills you should be in Low Range.

Manual Transmission
Its best to use as highest gear as will keep you moving and not stalling the engine.
This is usually 2nd or even 3rd gear (3rd gear in cars with lower gearing such as Jeep Rubicon)

Auto Transmission
In older models "D" or Drive works ok
In newer models with multi speed transmissions, you should manually select the gears and drive it like a manual.  You do this with the manual or sport mode on the auto selector or use paddle shifters if fitted.

Do's & Dont's When Climbing Hills

Dont
Use first gear unless climbing over rocks and obstacles -you don't get enough momentum and your wheels spin more easily braking traction.

Do
Use highest gear possible

Dont
In manuals don' push the clutch in if you stop. It' much safer to stall the car in gear so the gears hold the car on the hill. Gravity takes over very quickly and you can roll backwards out of control.

Do
In Automatics drive it like a manual to stop the car changing up to an overdive gear unnessesarily.

Dont 
In manuals - don't try and change gears unless on level ground

Do 
Keep the car steering straight up the track and avoid getting sideways 

Dont
Dont ever try and turn around on a hill. It is much safer to reverse down the hill using your mirrors and re-assess.

Dont Store Your Winch Hook Like This?

 

Stay Safe - Avoid Damage To Your Winch Rope and Your Fingers

We know that many winch makers and fitters hook up the winch hook to the recovery point and it does look cool.

BUT!

There are a number of reasons why we dont' recommend you store your winch hook attached to a recovery hook.

1. It can be easily damaged by another vehicle reversing against it while parked. This can damage the rope or it could get caught on a tow bar and be pulled out damaging your winch.
2.  It is exposed to UV rays which will damage a synthetic winch rope.
3. You could get bogged in a muddy hole and the hook is under the vehicle and will be a messy job to get it unhooked and usable.
4. It will cause a wear point where it comes over the fairlead causing a weakness in the rope.
5. Worse still, you could grab the rope in your hand and think you are winching out when in-fact the winch goes in squashing your fingers. Synthetic ropes have a habit of getting caught between rows and winding back on themselves so when you winch out you winch in.
6. One of our members lost the end of a finger doing this recently.

Changing Your Jeep Into Low Range

This is a very common issue that is easily solved by reading your Jeep Owners Handbook that comes with your Jeep.

 

The correct way to change your Jeep into low range is to stop on a slight slope.

 

Put the transmission lever into neutral, take your foot off the foot brake and let the car roll slowly while your select Low Range in your vehicle.

 

This works best in all Jeeps wether manual or auto. By doing this you will avoid nasty noises coming from the grears in the transfercase and it will go in smoothly.

 

After putting the vehicle in low range put your foot on the brake and then engage your gears and drive away

Joining Two Recovery Straps

Never join straps with a Steel Shackle or other metal objects.

Use  a stick or a bunch of twiigs, a rolled up magazine or newspaper or similar to go thrhough the knot loop as shwn in the image above.If you dont do this someone goes home with a really long strap and the other person gores home with no strap as you will never unjoin the straps.

The joining should be done with the starps looped through each other as shown. Its a bit like a monkey grip. You pass one end of a strap through the loop on the other and then it goes over the other end of the strap so through one and over the end of the second starp to form  the join shown. Your stick goes through the join sto make it easy to unjoin.

A  rated  soft shackle can be used as shown below.

Preparing For A Trip

When preparing for a trip make a list of things you need to take. This list should include the basics such as clothing for all weather, Footwear that is suitable, Food and water, snacks and drinks, etc.

 

Make a check list for Day Trips, Campimg Trips, Vehicle inspections and essential equipment such as recovery gear etc.

 

There are some extra things to pack, these are in addition to the mandatory equipment on your check lists, these include:  

• Suitable clothing and footwear for the day, be prepared for unforeseen changes in the weather.  
• A spare set of clothes, tracks can be muddy and slippery. 
• When arriving at the meeting point, you must have a full tank of fuel.
• Adequate food and water for the trip.  

 

Its a good idea to make a note of the trip leaders phone number (listed in the trip information on the website) in case you are running late for any reason, try not to run late.  

What Recovery Gear Do I Need?

Recovery gear comes in a wide variety of brands, colours and types. As a starter kit it depends on if you have an electric winch on your vehicle.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that the equipment meets your requirements and it is rated to Australian Safety Standards and meets legislative regulations. This information is mandatory and all recovery gear must have the appropriate safety tags attached. No TAG Dont Use It! Recovery straps have a use by date of 10 years.

 

No Winch Essential Equipment

Leather Gloves

Spade or Shovel

Recovery Strap / Snatch Strap Rated

Steel Shackles rated to 3.2 or 4.75 tonne

Recovery Dampner

Soft Shackles if suited to your recovery points

 

Electric Winch Fitted - Essential Equipment

All of the above plus

Winch Extension Strap Rated

Tree Trunk Protector Rated

Additional Shackles including soft shackle and steel.

Snatch Block Pulley or Soft Shackle Ring

 

You dont need any winch recovery gear if you dont have a winch.

As we always say by reputable brands and the best quality you can afford.

Soft Shackles Are Great!

But make sure you use them correctly.

First thing you need to do is ensure that any recovery equipment is rated to Australian Safety Standards with the appropriate label attached.  Soft shackles usually have a very high rating from around 10,000 kg to 16,ooo kg but you need to know how to use them. 



Make sure they are attached to rated recovery points. Most hooks and point on new vehicles are only tie down or tow points and are not rated. Rated recovery points can be purchased from 4x4 Accessory Retailers for most vehicles.

When you attach your soft shackle make sure there are no sharp edges on your gear that could damage the soft shackle fibres. Nice smooth rounded edges are best.

And as always buy the best quality gear you can afford.

See the diagram opposite for the correct use of soft shackle

UHF Radio Power Up

The club requires all vehicles have a +UHF radio installed in your vehicle with an external antenna mounted to your vehicle.

Low powered handheld radios are not suitable for long distance communications except for the 5 watt units which cost a similar amount to the in vehicle units.

In vehicle units are able to recieve and transit over greater distances.

When installing a UHF radio to your vehicle make sure that the power is connected directly to the battery rather than the accessory switch as you need the radio to be operating even when the vehicle is switched off. Direct to battery installation will not affect your cars battery overnight if left on.

The best type of in car radios now days have all the controls in the microphone unit so the compact base head unit can be easily installed under the dash or under the seat even using some velcro.

What Tyres Should I Get?

Like most four wheel drive accessories there is a wide variation of styles, types and brands and you need to decide how much 4X4 terrain use you will be requiring when deciding. The best way to check out tyres that may be suitable is researching and the best research is talking to other club members and checking iut their opinions. Also the internet is a great source for reviews and information.

We always recommend you buy the best quality you can afford.

What is legal?

If you are changing to a larger size tyre for your car you need to be aware of the Victorian roadworthy regulations regarding increased tyre size. BHig tyres may look cool but they could attract the attention of the highway patrol.

Check out www.vicroads.gov.au and look for vehicle modification regulations or download the document here. Vicroads Vehicle Standards Information 2022

You also need to consider suspension lifts or upgrades when increasing tyre size. Every modification has a consequence and often leads to other issues like increased tyre size has an effect on the vehicles torque, speed indicator, gearing and drivability and may require other mechanical upgrades to gear ratios etc.

Why Do We Lower Tyre Pressures?

8 Good Reasons Why You Should Air Down in 4x4 Terrain.

When you drive on 4x4 terrain you will benefit greatly from reducing your tyre pressures. You should lower your tyre pressures for any rough or loose surface such as corrugations, muddy tracks, sand, snow and rocky terrain. 

Benefits include:

• Better traction because you have a longer tread on the ground
• Softer ride for you and your passengers in rough terrain
• Reduces wheel spin by maintaining traction longer
• Causes less damage to track surface 
• Lower risk of punctures and damage to tyres by being more flexible
• Helps to minimise track surface corrugations
• Better grip on rocks
• Further reduction will assist when you are struggling for grip

What is the best pressure? This will change with the type of tyres fitted to your vehicle and the terrain.. A good way to start is reduce the pressure to 70% of normal road pressures for high range driving and around 60% lower for low range driving. For driving in sand use 18psi as a start and you can go much lower depending on the conditions and type of tyres fitted.

Vehicles that have 20" Low Profile tyres no lower that 28 psi as the tyre may be damaged from pinching the side wall on a sharp object.

What Are Rated Recovery Points?

To ensure maximum safety in the high stress of a recovery all vehicles should have Rated Recovery Points. Most manufacturers only fit Tie Down Hooks or Tow Hooks on the vehicle that are used for securing the vehicle on a ship or to flat tow the vehicle on to a tray truck. They are not made for recovery.

Many Jeeps come with rated recovery points from the factory such as the red hooks on the latest Wrangler or Gladiator. Some Jeeps dont have rated recovery points so check your owners hand book to check yours.

Rated recovery points must have a published rating from the manufacturer or have the rating labelled or stamped on it.

They should also be bolted to the chassis with high tensile bolts and not welded on. Welds can crack. Most Bull Bars dont have rated recovery point. Do not use any hook that is welded to a bull bar or other location on the vehicle.

Rated recovery points are available aftermarket for most vehicles.

Check out our FAQ/Tech page for more information on Jeep Hooks.

MJOC Training

In today’s world of social media groups, TV shows and YouTube 'experts' who may not have completed any formal 4WD training, and who often give personal views and miss-information it is important that we learn the best methods and skills to experience our 4WD vehicles safely and get the most fun from our driving.

Not all the information you will come across in the media is the safest or correct method of driving or recovering a 4WD vehicle so we willl teach you the right way to use your Jeep. We need to do this whilst appreciating and caring for the environment  and practising responsible four wheel driving.

it is also vital that all drivers going on a on a MJOC 4WD trip have a consistent level of driving and recovery skills to suit the conditions likely to be encountered.

Have a Question About MJOC?

 

Thinking About Joining MJOC?

There are lots of reasons why you should consider joining the Melbourne Jeep Owners Club.

Extend your Jeep experience by joining the Melbourne Jeep Owners Club. We are a family friendly 4WD club that caters for all Jeep 4x4 models and all levels of driver experience. And we all drive or own Jeeps, just like yours.

Members enjoy a wide range and variety of trips and events as well as member driver training.

Benefits include;

• Rated 4WD Trips
• Trained Trip Leaders
• Free Driver Training
• Social gatherings
• VicRoads Club Permit Scheme
• Volunteer and community stewardship
• Monthly members meetings
• Members only Facebook group
• Affiliation benefits with Four Wheel Drive Victoria
• Public Liability & Accident Insurance

Check Out Our Frequently Asked Questions Page 

MJOC Frequently Asked Questions