For those of us that regularly head off the beaten track it goes without saying how important it is to be prepared for a recovery situation. If you wish to drive through very deep mud or climb a slippery slope and you know your vehicle will not be able to do it without some assistance then use of a snatch block to change the direction of pull may be the

solution. A useful piece of recovery equipment that should be included in your recovery gear is a snatch block which enables you to retrieve loads that are double a winch’s capacity by reducing the load on the winch by half.

Designed in Australia by ARB engineers, the Snatch Block 9000 features a revolutionary, computer optimised two-piece polymer pulley design for increased functionality and safety during a vehicle recovery. The Snatch Block 9000 has been tested to withstand the extremes of off-road competition winching. The snatch block features rounded safety edges to protect against pinch points during recovery situations, and also allows for easy one handed loading and unloading of the cable or rope. The working load encountered during winching also has a positive effect on the snatch block by causing the plates to press together for extra support.

Suitable for use with bow shackle sizes up to 8.5 ton, the snatch block features high strength, low density materials which reduce the total weight of the block by up to 50% over other comparable rated snatch blocks. The design includes self-righting plates to eliminate the need to correctly position the block while introducing cable tension, while the inner pulley is made from self lubricating crystalline polymer to enable operation under high loads without the need for lubrication.

The following uses and advantages are associated with using snatch blocks:

• Doubles pulling power.

• Winching from difficult angles.

• Overheating of electric winches reduced.

• Current draw is reduced and are therefore kinder to batteries.