Boulders make great winch points – if you can get around them safely. Given that it’s NEVER a good idea to winch with a tow strap (when it breaks, it’ll sting a little more than a rubber band snapping) we believe the Deadman is the safest way of anchoring to a large rock. The Deadman uses its massive surface area and multiple straps to give the rock a big ol’ hug and stay put. When used in conjunction with a winch line extension and snatch block (our preferred method, currently), the Deadman becomes the foundation of a self-balancing anchor, lessening the risk of dangerous shock loads. So now that we know the Deadman isn’t going anywhere, do us all a favor and make sure you find a rock that’s just as strong.

We’ve been using the Deadman as a Ground Hugger™ (e.g. ground anchor) for many years now, so we KNOW it works. But it wasn’t always like that… we learned the hard way, through trial and error, how to effectively use the Deadman in various recovery scenarios. Along the way, we also learned how to screw things up. We love our customers, so we figured it might be nice if we shared with you what we’ve learned, so you don’t have to make the same mistakes! “Sharing is caring!”

So let’s say you don’t need a ground anchor – you only travel in areas where there are trees or rocks aplenty. The Deadman utilizes two extra-long 15′ slings, acting as TWO 19,800lb tree straps. This gives you a 2x increase in raw capacity and gives you something else a tree strap doesn’t: redundancy. Straps can break, especially when you introduce abrasive surfaces. The Deadman’s tarp does a far better job of protecting the tree — AND the straps — than any other tree saver on the market. We don’t know about you, but we feel better having two straps for redundancy when we’re in a jam.