From time to time it is normal for battery terminals to require cleaning. More often than not, electrical malfunctions of a vehicle are the direct cause of corrosion and or lose terminal connections. To perform routine cleaning of terminals or to Remove and Replace a battery follow the steps below.

Note: Some models of vehicles, (i.e. Land Rover) may have reverse polarity and therefore you will remove and replace terminals in reverse order.

1. Disconnect the electrical leads from the old battery, negative (earth) first. Look for a ' - ' sign near the battery terminal, the negative wire should be BLACK and the opposite end will be connected to the frame of the vehicle.
2. Clean terminals and terminal ends with a wire brush, knife or abrasive paper, as necessary. The terminals of the battery and interior of ends (were contact is made) should be cleaned as thoroughly possible.
3. Protect the terminals and terminal ends against corrosion by smearing them with grease, petroleum jelly or using an anti-corrosion spray. It is ok to have this coating between the connection surfaces, it will only aide in conductivity.
4. Reconnect electrical leads in reverse order, positive first and negative (earth) last. Ensure that the terminals end is tight and cannot be rotated or moved by hand once installed.

A battery with heavy corrosion on the terminals is a sign of a battery leaking explosive gases from the vent caps, extreme caution should be used when working with such a battery: never smoke and always minimize creating a spark when making any connections or performing maintenance. Eye protection is highly recommended.

Recovery gear can be your lifeblood when you’re stuck miles away from help, knowing how to use your gear properly and safely will help ensure personnel safety and the success of your mission.

The most common mistakes made during recovery efforts are in the connections made between recovery gear. Take your typical Winch hook for example...

Does the hook opening face up or down when connecting to your anchor point?
-Up is the correct answer.

Why? When a winch hook breaks, it is typically at the opening during a pull as tension is applied to the winch line...With that said, if the hook is facing up when it breaks, all of the tension on the line will cause the line to recoil back and down rather than up and towards the driver.

Always remember- Hook Up!

The mercury continues to drop as winter draws near...Now is the time to get your personal vehicle ready for the months ahead. Taking the time now to ensure your vehicle and you are ready will be invaluable if the unfortunate is to ever occur. First start by giving your vehicle a once over, checking all fluids, belts, hoses, tires, etc. and replace as necessary. Now that your vehicle is up to snuff, it's time to take care of you and your passengers by preparing a Winter Emergency Kit just in case. This kit should contain- emergency / wool blankets, non-perishable snacks, drinking water, beanie style hats, gloves, medications, road flares or hazard triangles, tire chains, jumper cables, snow shovel, candles, lighter and/or matches, small led flashlight w/ extra batteries, first aid supplies, basic tools, a fully charged cell phone, ice scraper and brush, distress sign as well as any other personal items you feel are necessary. Place all of these items in a bag, or container and store in a secure and easily accessible location inside your vehicle. You are now ready for that worst case winter scenario. Hopefully you'll never need these precautions, but if you do...You are Prepared!

New aggressive off-road tires leave a lot to be desired when conditions turn wet, snowy or icy. The large tread lugs provide great traction in the mud and on the rocks, but perform poorly in the wet. The answer to this missed traction is tire siping. Siping is small razor thin cuts in the tread blocks that allow these tread blocks to flex and conform to the ground easier than a large solid lug. This provides more individual contact treads which will provide that needed traction for those wet weather conditions we encounter this time of year. There are many options when it comes to siping your tires, from purchasing a manual tire siping / grooving iron and attacking each individual tread block one at a time to having them professionally done at a tire shop that offers siping services. The image above shows an example layout of tire siping, the white lines across the tread blocks show where the siping is to be performed.

What's in your emergency repair kit? If you're like most, it probably contains the big three--vice grips, cable (zip) ties, and duct tape. There's one more that shouldn't be overlooked-- rubber. Strips of inner tube rubber can make an excellent field expedient repair in a number of situations from broken tie rod ends, to worn out u-joints. Simply take the damaged part and make the connection as best as possible then wrap with strips of inner tube weaving back and forth to create pressure in the needed direction. Finally, secure with cable ties and/or safety wire.