Recovering a bogged 79 Series the slow, safe way

Getting bogged isn't a failure. Panicking is. The difference between a ten-minute recovery and a broken winch — or a broken person — is doing it slow.

Stop and look first

The second the wheels start spinning, stop. Spinning digs you deeper and glasses the sand. Get out, walk around, and actually look at how she's sitting.

Air down before you pull

Half the recoveries I see never needed a snatch at all — they needed 18 psi. Dropping pressure floats the tyre on top of the sand instead of cutting into it. Try driving out gently first.

If you snatch, do it right

• Rated recovery points only. Never a tow ball — that's how people get killed.
• A dampener over the strap.
• Everyone well clear, off to the side, never in line.
• Gentle take-up, not a flat-stick run-up.

Carry the boring gear

Long-handled shovel, MaxTrax, a decent strap and shackles, and a tyre gauge. Unsexy kit that turns a sunset disaster into a campfire story.

Slow is smooth, and smooth gets you home.