Sand Winching, best sand anchors off-road 

The US Army FM 20-22 Vehicle recovery handbook is priceless. You can find them easily in PDF form. It covers all these methods, plus so much more.

When stuck in mud, sand or snow after youve found a good anchoring point to hook your winch line to lay the winch line over the top of your spare tire about 5 feet in front of your rig . It will lift your vehicle up out of the mud , sand or snow before its starts being pulled forward. Its amazing how fast a vehicle is recovered using the spare as a lifting point

you don't have to dig the DEAD MAN out. just winch on one of four straps. it will come out -All the way from Sri Lanka

I notice whenever someone is testing the Deadman it's always in nice soft sand and on a sunny beautiful day. If only life was that convenient, lol!

Must have for any recovery kit- two other mugs to do the digging!

Try a builders tonne bag. We use the for delivering sand to building sites in the UK. The other plus about them is they are strong and practically free.

very good video, thanks. I may note that on all buried recovery points the resistance to withdrawal is improved greatly if a trench is dug to ramp up the rope rather than the rope coming vertically out of the hole. with a ramp the anchor is pulled through the ground rather than pulled up through the back-filled material. Ramping the trench at a 1:3 slope (for every foot deep ramp out to 3 feet or the equivalent ratio in metric) would easily double the withdrawal resistance due to the shear capacity of the undisturbed ground. it is also easier on the rope and does not embed as much sand into the fibers.

Thanks for going to so much effort in this video guys, wow what a workout!

Back in the old days around 1975, I did what you guys are doing with my 1956 long wheelbase Land-Rover, the difference being I had a Capstan winch, and a 100 meters 25mm dia manila rope we buried the spare wheel 750 X 16 halfway through the pull, the chain broke around the buried wheel, so moral of this story add a 2nd rope independent of the first rope and leave it above the suffice, so you don't spend the rest of the day looking for the said buried wheel Australia

When you berry anything for an anchor you need to dig a small channel for your strap or cable to lay in so it's not trying to pull it up and out of the hole

A good video and public service. One thing i would add is bury your point as far as possible from the stuck vehicle. Use as much working strap as you can. The reason being is if you get stuck again digging that hole a second time is a real pain in the butt... from first hand experience. ;-)

Thank you for this. I've got a winch installation ordered and the Deadman is already in my van. Your videos are very helpful for someone not a hardcore off roader but someone looking for modest adventure in the pursuit of other goals.

I have seen the Dead Man used by the manufacturers, but this video sold me on it Ronny! RIP High Lift jack. You died for science!

I think the hi-lift jack would have worked if it was burried deeper. the other critical component that was missing from these attempts was that you didn't dig a lead line trench from the depth of the anchor in the direction of the winch. this would have given less of a vertical (lifting) force component and it would have engaged more passive resistance from the earth you are trying to anchor in. another easily stored option that would require a lot less digging is a tilting plate passive earth anchor. I have seen these used for heavy equipment tie downs with great success as long as it is installed correctly.

First time I saw Ronny without a hat. Can't unsee.

Lesson from snow & ice climbing: make sure the lead from the dead anchor is buried so that the pull doesn't just lift the anchor out of the snow/sand - the anchor needs to stay below sand level, so line up the pull rope/strap accordingly. And make the anchor want to bury itself rather than pop out by leaning it away from the pull direction.

Agreed, Deadman should pay you for advertising their product. Great kit and thanks to your team for showing the viewers the difference in sand winching.

The Dead Man Tool is so greatfully..best thing for towing in sand i ever seen! Thanks every time for your very very good Videos Ronny!

Ronny - I carry a normal everyday boat sand anchor... Simple to use... Dig a good hole and bury it and your winch cable with the shank at a 45 degree angle and out you pop... The pull of the winch forces the blade deeper into the sand and they work well without having to bury a bloody big tyre...

Great vid - Deadman is a winner. Typical Sandgroper weather, blowing a gale at the beach!

Thumbs up just for the amount of work put into this video. Thats a lot of digging.

Wow im impressed, not too many peeps have heavy vehicles like you do. Thx for the test. If you get stuck on the beach on low tide you can say goodbye to your vehicle

What a beast the Dead Man is, going to buy one. :)

Love your work. It’s all to do with surface area 🎉

Just have recently added a winch to my truck love all the tips and tricks very useful info

An idea tried in Mexico was HI lifting each wheel filling hole with sand and topping with Max Trax. Worked like a charm..

I buried a log once, took me 4 hours to did the hole deep enough. Had a winch but there was nothing solid within winching distance. I now have 60m of winch extension and after this I’m buying a deadman. Thanks Ronny.

Great vid mates! I live in the states and I’ve been shown how to use the dead man anchor with a spare tire AND the high lift jack. Ideally, you dig a trench perpendicular to your vehicle and wide enough for the spare and high lift jack to fit into. Dig the trench to a depth of 12 inches (30 cm) deeper than the spare tire size. Run the high lift jack through both loops of your tree saver. Then run the big loop that you’ve made through the back of the spare. Connect a soft shackle through the big loop and connect your winch to it. The strap will pull the high lift against the spare tire. This works well in soft earth and partially muddy (not boggy) trails. Bob’s your uncle and you’re free! Cheers to the great vids!!

From USA - keep up the good work

Great recovery system. Always great videos.

Thanks guys for doing this. I bought a Deadman when they were doing a Kickstarter.

great effort Ronny, the deadman works tops and easy to store in a recovery kit, etc

Bulka bag $20 at sand or brick suppliers- will give that a try, I have seen them lift 2 tons. Also if you can't get a bulka bag out, just leave it there ( with regard to the environment, ie if tide beating ya, Good stuff!)

Learn something new everyday when I watch your videos...you are amazing 👍👍👍

You put a lot of effort mate… Thank you for the info…!

We always feed our deadman before putting in the hole to add more heft,, nice video, Thxs for posting this, really good info,

Great video! Learned a couple new techniques.

I think you just sold a whole bunch of Deadmen :)

Awesome video... I work with cranes and rigging, we use shackles, what you referred to as a D ring- there's all sorts of different types- but we use them to keep the slings from burning against itself- enough pressure and they'll melt together. Can totally understand why using metal could pose a hundred different hazards in off road applications..

Real world testing...well done chaps!

Thanks for posting this guys. In need a sand anchor to move a beached sailboat. Haven't had much luck but this looks VERY likely.

So a land anchor looks priceless 👌 when you dont have to dig.

I had a similar situation on a SA beach ,with waves lapping at the back wheels we used a ground anchor (brand name I think) It`s a heavy steel thing with folding wings . It saved the 130 but my buddy had to ride it , we also needed a snatch block. It also showed me the treachery of beach driving ,70 kph to dead stop in a very short distance , no we didn`t cross a stream .Thanks to you & your hardworking crew for making this video.

Wow that deadman was amazing.

I love how honest your reviews are. Keep it up.

It's great that you guys take the time and so much effort to demonstrate what works.

Another unbiased demo, thanks for your thoughts on blankets too, common sense but not always that common, cheers Ronny, the deadman was excellent btw 👍🏼

Best use of a high lift jack ever.

That dead man works a treat!!! Might have to buy one!! Thanks again for the awesome video Ronny and crew 👌👍

Awsom man thats a life saver for the tire hack. From Saudi the Deseret land

I did something similar but buried a 8 foot 12 inch diameter log and it worked great!

Well done Ronny and crew!

Thanks for all the hard work.

Ohhh that Deadman is fantastic, I'm going to order one right now. Hang on.............I don't have a winch..................damn 😢

Wow wasn't expecting the deadman to work that good, best part is it just folds up and you cam chuck it behind the back seat no bulky storage issues

That was really interesting, impressed by that deadman yoke!

Super impressed with the Deadman! Thanks Ronny.

Thanks Ronny greetings from Holland Jan

howdy my understanding with them Recovery damper u should put sand in them as well to stop the rope coming fly back at the car

I've seen people winch off of buried maxtrax too... cool stuff.

the dead man is good for many reasons: easy to pack & carry, many different applications, it isn't stored underneath the vehicle when you weren't planning on getting stuck, no risk of wrecking the valve stem on the spare tire, or bending the wheel, easy to wash, could be used to secure other items tying a load down, possible ground sheet to stay cleaner if working under your vehicle, close off a broken window opening, a miniature tarp for rain protection, and even as an apron for cooking...apparently...yeah, so far I like it.

Wayne, you deserve a beer after all that digging.

Another good video Ronny & the team, because viewers will watch this for years, it might be worth updating a pinned comment that says the original video had the deadman incorrectly used upside down (should be the face up and the smile closest to the car) and that to remove without digging it out you attach the winch rope to just ONE of the legs and the manufacturers say it will pull out fairly easily! Cool looking product with multiple uses

FANTASTIC !!! GREAT Work. Thank You.

Excellent recovery stuff for the road ... what a great idea ! Thanks Ronny !!

Thank you very much for this. I learned a ton here.

i think maxtrax combined with a smaller tyre like a 32 to help with the lateral drag would work really well in wet sand, but that deadman is the ultimate beach kit, thanks for sharing the knowledge gents

Good Stuff,Great Tips😄👍🏿

I used a dead man ounce when I got stuck, the problem I ran into was when I exerted enough force to pull myself out all four of his limbs came off. Great video mate, it’s alway great to see reviews, knowledge, and experience being put out there for the community.

Awesome recovery, hope Dillon got out of that last Deadman recovery hole ok :) always great to learn safety from your videos Ronny, Cheers.

I wish there were more videos based around sand, since i live in the middle east and sand is pretty much all i got.

Thank goodness for trees! Good show!

The Deadman is the only thing I'd use in sand or even mud. After seeing the demo by the company (buried way deeper than rig was) it was truly impressive for the money. Since then I've used it heaps (not just for myself) & it's never failed nor is it even worn (just fyi). Best purchase I ever made!

Hum, 12:40, the hi-lift does not appear bent, the tube arm does, thus, it is good. Wow, the Dead Man is a winner-winner!

I'm impressed with that deadman.

I don't play in the sand but you just sold a Dead Man. Great review Ronnie.

The deadman is upside down, the reinforced straps are on the back

That’s a must have recovery gear!

Hi Ronny, great video as always. When pulling out dead man from a sand you should use only one corner, not two to recover it from sand. They showing it on their channel at the end of one the review. Cheers

Great vid - small suggestion - when burying your tyre use your tyre lever behind the hole in the wheel to attach your strap to. this way the strap wont damage your tyre.

The tire method was definitely born of necessity

Malcolm Douglas did the buried tyre recovery on one of his shows about 40 years ago. It has been burned into my memory all that time as a way out of trouble.

That was impressive

You buried the Deadman in shoreline wet sand while the other stuff you pulled away from shore. Much like your shearing tow ball video, you always stack the deck to achieve your results!

Great job ronny loved the video, i liked the sense of humour in it keep it up

love the name of your truck. with the parachute anchor (deadman) you can also run the back legs through the front legs if you are short on shackles. as you saw trying to pull it out with the winch that is not an easy task. a log is the original deadman anchor. I have also seen a largish loose rock wrapped with a strap and buried. the highlift should be a last resort item unless you own stock in the company. they will get bent most every time doing that.

You had me at everyone should have 2 recovery dampeners 🤙 best thing I've heard had a couple of arguments over people think 1 in the middle is sufficient it's definitely not..20 meters apart 10mtrs of air time will drag that dampener with it .. should always use 2

Must have been pretty tyre-ing digging those holes..

Excellent review with tips and tricks mate. Deadman for next birthday for sure. Cheers Moose.

dunno why you put the tire vertical would buried it flat, and dug a small strap wide trench for the strap so you are pulling against everything instead of just poping out the tire top

Great vid Ronny!

That fabric and nylon webbing Deadman has been used for twenty years (that I know of) to sand-anchor big display kites. Very effective anchor, and packs up nicely for storage.

That deadman system is great , less work than a tyre , if your all alone you go home . Not everyone has a winch though , back to shovel and max tracks or wait for a tow out , a lot of 4WDrivers will help anyone anywhere , great bunch :-)

Love the deadman recovery idea that’s just common sense really fucking brilliant though good video lads

Nice tire recovery

looks like you were enjoying the challenge!!

really nice video thanks Ronny

Hi Ronny, a little Swedish in you I can guess. If you will or can put some links where you buy your stuff from hade been great. Thanks for having this show on RU-vid. Learned so much from you, thank's.

Great video

Enjoyed this Great work guys!!