4X4 Technique: snatch blocks are one of the most versatile tools in your recovery kit. They work as a pulley point that can redirect your winch line for a multitude of uses.
For example: say you come across a downed tree blocking the track. It’s too big to cut with a chainsaw and there’s no way you could drive over it, so what do you do? Using a suitable anchor point on the side of the track and your snatch block, you can redirect your winch line to pull the tree off to the side of the trail. You’ll be back on your way in a few minutes.
There’s also the ‘Slingshot pull’. Imagine you’re driving up a tough track, and old mate behind you gets stuck. You can’t turn around, rear-mounted winches are definite overkill, and using a snatch strap probably isn’t the best idea. But using a snatch block, you can use your front-mounted winch to bring your mate behind you backwards.
Arguably the most useful use of the snatch block is using a recovery technique called a double line pull. This is when you run your winch cable from your stuck vehicle out to a suitable anchor point. You then feed your line through the snatch block and run it back to a recovery point on your 4×4. By using this technique you effectively halve the load on your winch, so it’s pulling with much less effort and more effective torque. The offshoot is that it’s going to pull at half the line speed of a single line pull, but hey, when you’re in the bush you’re probably not in a massive rush anyway so there’s nothing lost but a little bit of time. This is the best technique for winching heavy loads or when you’re really stuck.
