4WDing isn’t for the feint hearted. You need to be prepared from the start, right to the end. The key is the ensure you have the right gear that’ll work when you need it to work. Because you really never know when something will go wrong.
4WD Recovery Board
This is probably the cheapest and best value piece of recovery equipment money can buy. It’s simple, never really fails and most importantly, you don’t need another 4WD with you to get your 4WD recovered. We always recommend you go adventuring with at least another car, but sometimes you just want to go by yourself.
When the terrain gets rough, steep, boggy, wet or slippery, a 4WD recovery board can be easily placed underneath the tyres to gain traction safely and easily. Useful for most situations and never really fails. Take a 4WD recovery board on your next trip, no questions asked. Can be attached to the roof or right next to the rear door to easy grab it.
4WD winch
Although we don’t have any in stock (yet), I would highly recommend a 4WD winch. These pieces of 4WD recovery equipment is probably for the tougher recoveries, when a recovery board might not cut it. Although on the more expensive side and requires a reinforced bull bar to attach it to, this is a piece of equipment that everyone needs.
The key here is to ensure that your winch is working before every trip. Place the winch on free spool mode and pull the rope out as far as possible. Check for any rips or cuts in the rope. Make sure any wiring near the actual winch isn’t broken and frail, as you don’t want it to fail when you need it most. After each 4WD trip, follow the above steps as well as cleaning the rope and winch thoroughly to remove any mud, sand or dirt in the mechanism and you’ll be good to go.
Snatch strap
This is a lightweight, easy to pack piece of recovery equipment that all 4WDers should pack in their car. Although it’s best to carry a 4WD recovery hitch with you so you can safely snatch your car out of harms way. Never snatch a 4WD using the tow ball, it can suddenly come loose and cause damage to you or your 4WD.
Always clean your snatch strap after your 4WD trip and ensure it’s completely dry before storing, and always check for rips or tears in the strap so you know it’ll work the time you need it most. Get the full kit with our 4WD Recovery Kit with Bag.
4WD winch dampener
This piece of recovery equipment goes hand in hand with the winch above. A winch dampener goes on the top of the rope when you are winching. This basically places weight on top of the line, reducing kinetic energy going through the rope if it ever flicks or suddenly snaps. This is a really crucial piece of 4WD recovery equipment that most people forget. Safety is so important when you’re out in the bush, medical help is really far away!
Our 4WD winch dampener comes with a reflective strip so you have superb visibility even at night.
4WD Tyre Deflators
Most 4WDers spend thousands of dollars on tyres, and yes they are one of the best investments you can make on your 4WD. But to step up your 4WD game, deflating your tyres depending on the conditions can make such a huge difference to grip levels, tyre wear, and comfort inside the cab.
You want your tyre PSI’s to be as accurate as possible - a 4WD tyre deflator will take all the guess work out of it.
A general rule of thumb is to aim for 20-25 PSI on general dirt roads and easy tracks, 15 PSI on harder tracks and anywhere between 8 and 12 PSI on sand, mud or really steep sections. But use these numbers as a guide, different PSI work on different types of tyres and terrains so test and see what works for you.
These 5 essential pieces of equipment for 4WDing are curated because of personal experience, and you may find yourself taking different gear on different trips. That’s totally fine! You tailor the type of gear you need for the type of trip you’re going on.
We have a range of gear that suits a whole range of 4WD trips.