When off-roading, every terrain type presents its own challenges. Sand makes it easier to lose control of the vehicle without the right tyre pressure, especially if your 4×4 or pickup is particularly heavy, or the sand is softer. Mountain trails aren’t much better, with the steep inclines and jutting rocks offering plenty of trials and tribulations for off-road enthusiasts.
Mud is one of the most challenging off-road terrains around, with its incredible ability to go from well compacted to a slippery, sticky slurry in minutes presenting the ultimate test for your vehicle and off-road driving skills.
If you do get stuck in the mud, using the following extraction tips and upgrades could be a real lifesaver when venturing way off the beaten track.
Rely on the winch
The winch is an essential piece of recovery equipment for any regular off-roader. If you become stuck in the mud, the availability and use of a 4×4 winch could mean the difference between abandoning your vehicle and pulling it to safety.
Here Take the Truck explains how this seemingly simple mechanism could help you should you become trapped when travelling off-road:
“At its most basic an electric winch utilises an electric motor to rotate a drum via a series of gears, which in turn either spools winch line in or out through the fairlead to a specified anchor point with the intention of moving either the vehicle the winch is attached to OR the anchor point (in the event of recovering another vehicle or moving a downed tree that’s blocking the trail).”
The pulling power of our premium winches makes light work of self-rescue and recovery. Don’t forget to secure it to your vehicle with one of our winch bumpers or hidden winch mounts.
Cut straight to the point
A rated recovery point is one of the self-rescue basics no 4×4 should be without. Recovery points can be fitted to the front or rear of your vehicle to facilitate the attachment of essential recovery equipment before being used to winch or snatch-strap your vehicle to safety.
For a secure connection point that’s made for recovery and self-rescue, explore our vehicle-specific ARB recovery points.
Get on board with recovery
When trapped in mud, putting something between your tyres and chassis and the terrain that’s preventing your vehicle from budging is vital for successful extraction. That’s where our TRED Pro Recovery Boards come in!
Recovery or traction boards are essential for vehicle extraction, especially in mud or sand. By choosing quality above all else, you’ll be able to use your recovery boards without the risk of them becoming brittle, bent or broken.
When combined with airing down, you’ll have all you need to extract from sand, snow or mud. They’re also great for gaining clearance and escaping from rocks or ruts.
Complete your 4×4 recovery kit
There are many more accessories and upgrades that can positively aid your recovery from muddy terrain. Our ARB and Saber recovery kits provide everything required to free your vehicle, from essentials like snatch straps, tree trunk protectors, snatch blocks and D-shackles to specialist kinetic recovery ropes and cut-resistant soft shackles.
You can shop all the extraction essentials detailed above by browsing our full recovery range.
