Bush Winch FAQ's

Will the Bush Winch fit my vehicle’s wheels?

The Bush Winch uses specially designed wheel nuts/lugs that permanently replaces those on your vehicle. The head of these wheel nuts/lugs have a slot cut into the top of them which the winch slots onto. The head of wheel nuts/lugs must protrude out from the wheel rim sufficiently for the Bush Winch to attach to.  In addition each vehicle has specific wheel stud/lug pattern and PCD (Pitch Centre Diameter).  The correct pattern and PCD has to be supplied for your particular vehicle.

Will I be able to get a Bush Winch to fit my vehicle model in the future?

If you are unable to purchase a Bush Winch to fit your vehicle’s wheel rim or  PCD please sign up to our mailing list and let us know about your requirements. We are constantly expanding our range and need to know where the demand is so we prioritise our work.

How strong are the wheel nuts?

The wheel nuts/lugs supplied are engineered to accept the loads imposed by use of the Bush Winch. They are considerably stronger than what was on your vehicle previously and do not normally distort or break at all. By design the limiting fail safe factor is actually the strength of the winch ropes supplied with the winch. Given that the engine can provide a lot of power in an overload situation the winch rope will break before the wheel nuts/lugs will bend. This design element is to reduce the risk of damage to your vehicle and the reason specific instructions are given for use of the winch rope supplied and not any other rope, chain or strap that will have non-conforming strength and elastic characteristics. However, after winching it’s advised to check that the wheel nuts/lugs have remained secure. Bending of the wheel nuts/lugs will cause them to grip on the steel base plate of the winch and make it a bit harder than normal to rotate off.  Replace the wheel nuts/lugs if this occurs

How vulnerable is my vehicle to damage by using the Bush Winch?

The Bush Winch recovery system is carefully designed to minimise the chance of damage to your vehicle. However, winching vehicles imposes great stresses in a dynamic situation and their is always some risk which cannot be entirely mitigated. You must accept this risk if you chose to use the Bush Winch. The winch rope supplied is by design usually the weak link and will break first when excessive loads are experienced. The winch rope supplied (between 4mm and 6mm) is incredibly strong but if it breaks the small diametre relatively inelastic nature of winch rope has low levels of kinetic energy that would cause whiplash damage.  The forces otherwise imposed on the vehicle transmission, wheel nuts/lugs, steering etc. are otherwise within the tolerances engineered into your vehicle’s normal use. In 4WD’s and AWD’s  though we do recommend using the back wheels to winch from so that there is no additional load on the steering system and maximum maneuverability is maintained.

Can I use the Bush Winch on my 2WD?

Yes, the Bush Winch can be used on any vehicle including 2WD, AWD and 4WD vehicles and does not require a bull bar or any other components.  It can be used on both automatic and manual vehicles with or without Traction Control and there is no requirement for a Differential Lock.

What if I receive my Bush Winch and can’t fit it?

If, for any reason, the Bush Winch you receive does not fit on your vehicle, please contact us within 5 business days of delivery to arrange a replacement or a refund.

Can I use the Bush Winch on more than one vehicle?

You can directly share the Bush Winch kit without any other vehicles that has the same wheel rim stud/lug pattern and PCD. You can purchase additional wheel/lug nuts for the other vehicles to achieve this outcome. You can also unbolt the winch base plate and exchange it for a base plate that matches another wheel rim lug/stud PCD pattern. Please check the fitment page to see what we wheel stud/lug pattern and PCD we supply. The only consideration in sharing/exchanging the Bush Winch between vehicles is not using the stronger 5mm or 6mm winch rope when winching a small light weight vehicle.

What warranty and/or guarantee does Bush Winches and Anchors Pty Ltd provide for its products?

Bush Winch  and Anchors Pty Ltd (BWA) provide a full replacement warranty on any faulty products for a period of 2 years after purchase.  The Series II Bush Winch itself if damaged at all in this period will be replaced at no cost upon return of the damaged winch.

BWA  does not accept any claim against the specific in-field performance of any of its products. The Bush Winch and the other related products in the vehicle recovery system have some advantages and disadvantages compared to other products and vehicle recovery systems. There is an element of risk and judgment which you must make in the use OF BWA products.

Will using the Bush Winch void my vehicle warranty?

Use of the Bush Winch vehicle recovery system products is entirely at your own risk. The vehicle manufacturers warranty is not voided if the cause of damage or failure is not related to the use of BWA products.

Why can’t I use other rope, cable, chain or webbing strap with the Bush Winch?

A primary safety feature of the Bush Winch vehicle recovery system is the choice of ropes. The winch ropes provided are very strong, fit for purpose and carefully selected to match the strength characteristics of the Bush Winch recovery system components and your vehicle. Alternate use of cable, strapping, chain or other rope types will introduce different unknown characteristics. The ropes supplied are all made using Dyneema SK75 fibre. They are round and smooth 12 strand ropes (4mm, 5mm, 6mm and 8mm diameters) which are pleasant to handle, very light (float on water), very strong  and relatively inelastic. It is supplied to BWA by Hampidjan of Iceland a world leading manufacturer of specialised  rope.  The winch ropes are coloured red for high visibility and they have the strength and inelastic quality particularly required for use with the Bush Winch. Lighter vehicles should only use the 4mm (2 tonne/4400 lbs) winch ropes whereas the heaviest vehicle can use up to the 6mm (4 tonne/8818 lbs).  Specific advice as to what winch rope to use is provided at point of purchase.

What happens if the winch rope breaks?

The Bush Winch uses a very high quality relatively inelastic, lightweight small diametre winch rope. This means there is minimal build up of kinetic energy that can cause recoil or whiplash damage if it breaks. The rope can be repaired by splicing the broken ends together again and replacement ropes can be purchased in our store.  As an additional safety feature the Bush Winch recover system does not use steel shackles, hooks or devices that introduce hard heavy objects onto the winch ropes.

Can I use the Rope Guide as wheel mounted winch?

The  Rope Guide is not a winch and is only to be used as a fairlead to make sure the winch rope spools onto the winch drum even if the winch rope is not inline. Most often this means putting the Rope Guides on the front wheels while the winching off the back but this can be reversed if winching backwards.

How strong is the Rope Guide?

The Rope Guide is very strong and will accept being pulled out from the vehicle’s  wheel rims at the same time as the winch rope runs through it.  The split-eye swivel specifically which the winch rope pases through,  is specifcally designed for this application. It is Certified to 2.2 tonnes (4850 lbs) load before starting to distort.

Do I have to screw the Ground Anchor and/or Sand Anchor all the way into the ground and use the Spades each time?

An anchor not screwed all the way into the ground and supported by the spades is vulnerable to bending and will not hold the maximum possible load.  The spade does not have to be used if the ground conditions are firm enough e.g in clay, but the risk of being pulled out of the ground and bending is higher.

Can I use the Bridle Rope as a winch rope?

No. The bridle rope is stronger than the Bush Winch itself and will place too much load on your vehicle drivetrain if used directly onto the winch. However, you can join the bridle rope to the winch rope as an extension and effectively increase your reach to an anchor point up to the 30 metres (98′) length of the bridle rope. As long as the red winch rope is spooling onto the winch and not the grey bridle rope its use is perfectly OK and good utilisation of the Bridle Kit components.

Can I use the Bridle Rope for other purposes?

The Bridle Rope is a high quality very strong rope (6 tonnes/13,230Ibs) which is lightweight (floats in water) and soft to handle . It has minimal stretch so it acts more like a chain than other lower quality ropes. It cannot be used as an elastic recovery rope but makes a very good tow rope and can be used in all rope applications.  Like the winch ropes it is made in 12 strand form from Dyneema fibre and can be readily spliced and repaired.

Can I use the steel D-shackle and nylon roller as a pulley?

Because the Bush Winch uses the vehicle’s own unlimited engine power you never need to use the steel D-shackle and pulley to gear down for heavy load winching situations. The shackle and roller can however be used as a pulley for any other practical purpose within their rated load limits.  The Bridle Kits that include the steel D-shackle and roller ceased to be supplied at the start of 2018.  In there place the Bridle Kits now feature the Helping Hand device which serves the same purpose but has improved function and ease of use.

The Bush Blog

Jeep Jamboree Aus

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Bushwinch is proud to sponsor the Jeep Jamboree AUS over the Easter Weekend,  April 18-22 2019.  The greatest Jeep event this year to be held in Woodford QLD, with tracks to…


"We refrained from letting our tyres down to make it that much harder for the Bush Winch but, to my surprise, the little fella just pulled the vehicle straight out of the bog and up the dune. Now I was really impressed. It was absolutely effortless. What more can I say? It’s a damn good WA product and I will be using one from this day on."

- Austrack 4WD Training

"I would highly recommend the Bush Winch to any person who goes bush, whether for a holiday, work or emergency services. It is simple and best of all, no working parts to go wrong! "

- Alon Mining & Rural Services

"This is a good product. The vehicle walks itself up a soft sand dune, the anchors never looked like moving and there was no stress; amazing stuff."

- Western 4WD Driver