X-BULL 4WD Recovery Kit Kinetic Recovery Rope With 14500LBS Electric Winch 12V Winch 4WD 4X4 Offroad

A snatch recovery needs a second vehicle. Alone on a track at last light, that is not an option, which is the point at which a winch stops looking like a luxury. This kit puts a 14,500 lb X-BULL winch alongside the kinetic rope gear, so the bogging is covered whether there is help behind you or nothing at all.

The winch, and what 14,500 lb means

Rated single line pull is 14,500 lb (6590 kg), which X-BULL quotes for the first wrap of rope on the drum; every layer above that pulls less. The motor is a 6.4 HP series wound 12 V unit driving through a 265:1 three-stage planetary gear train, and it wants a battery of at least 650 cold cranking amps behind it. Worth knowing before you order: the title and the specification both state 14,500 lb, while a heading inside the supplier's own description says 12,000 lb. Work to the 14,500 lb specification figure, and read it as a pull rating rather than a lift rating.

Gearing, drum and line

265:1 across three planetary stages means three gear sets each take a share of the reduction, which is what lets the winch sit at a slow heavy pull long enough to drag a loaded 4WD out of a rut without punishing a single gear pair. The drum holds 80 feet (24.4 m) of 9.5 mm rope on a 64 x 244 mm barrel and finishes in a 3/8 clevis hook with a spring-loaded safety latch, replaceable when it wears out. Sound rating is 85 dB and the unit weighs 27 kg on its own.

The recovery kit that travels with it

Alongside the winch sits a 7/8 inch by 30 foot kinetic rope at 34,000 lb, two Spectra fibre soft shackles at 34,000 lb, a 3 inch by 8 foot strap at 30,000 lb, a dampener, heavy duty gloves and stickers. Those are all minimum breaking strengths rather than working load limits, and none of them carries a named testing standard. The rope's stated 35 percent stretch is what makes a snatch easier on both vehicles than a rigid strap, and it is also what stores serious energy while the line is loaded.

Key features

• 14,500 lb (6590 kg) rated line pull: quoted by X-BULL on the first layer of rope, for vehicle recovery on trucks and larger 4WDs.
• 265:1 three-stage planetary gearing: three gear sets share the reduction, so the winch tolerates long slow pulls.
• 24.4 m of 9.5 mm rope: enough line to reach an anchor that is not directly in front of you.
• Spring-latch clevis hook: 3/8 inch and replaceable, so a worn hook does not retire the winch.
• Kinetic rope kit included: covers the recoveries where a second vehicle is available and a winch anchor is not.
• Aluminium fairlead: supplied with the winch, along with control box, hand switch, remote and mounting hardware.

Specifications

• Rated single line pull: 14,500 lb (6590 kg)
• Motor: 12 V DC, 6.4 HP, series wound
• Gear train: 3-stage planetary, 265:1
• Drum: 2.5 x 9.6 inch (64 x 244 mm)
• Rope: 0.375 x 80 inch-feet (9.5 mm x 24.4 m)
• Hook: 3/8, replaceable, with spring-loaded safety latch
• Fairlead: aluminium
• Battery requirement: 12 V DC, minimum 650 CCA
• Sound rating: 85 dB
• Winch weight: 27 kg (59.5 lb)
• Winch dimensions (L x D x H): 540 x 160 x 257 mm
• Mounting pattern: 10 x 4.5 inch; the supplier's metric figure is cut off in the source data
• Application: vehicle recovery, trucks and SUVs
• Kinetic rope: 7/8 inch x 30 ft, 34,000 lb minimum breaking strength
• Soft shackles: 2 x Spectra fibre, 3/8 inch x 22 inch, 34,000 lb minimum breaking strength
• Strap: 3 inch x 8 ft, 30,000 lb minimum breaking strength
• Kit packed size: 55 x 24 x 23 cm, 10 kg

What's in the box

• 1 x kinetic recovery rope
• 1 x snatch strap
• 2 x soft shackle
• 1 x winch dampener
• 1 x pair heavy duty gloves
• 5 x stickers
• 1 x 14,500 lb electric winch
• Winch pack: 1 x remote control, 1 x hand switch, 1 x aluminium hawse fairlead, 1 x clevis hook, 1 x control box, 1 x set of bolts, 3 x motor leads, 1 x power leads, 1 x user manual

Winching and snatching safely

• Walk the length of the winch rope and every strap before use; cuts, burns, flattened sections and broken strands all mean that item is finished.
• A dampener goes over the winch line or the rope on every pull, positioned near the middle of the loaded span.
• Nobody stands over, straddles or steps across a line that has tension on it, and bystanders wait well outside the arc.
• Anchor to rated recovery points or a tree protector only. Tow balls, tow bar tongues, bumper bars and bolted-on brackets are not recovery points.
• Straps and ropes are never joined to one another with a shackle.
• This winch is rated for pulling, not lifting. Do not use it as a hoist, and keep the drum to at least five wraps of rope so the anchor bolt is never taking the load.

Between the winch and the rope kit, most of what goes wrong on a track has an answer here. Mount the winch to structure rated for the job and check the battery and leads before the first trip.