One winching precaution is the fitting of a recovery damper prior to a load being applied. In the unlikely event of a wire rope or strap failure, the recovery damper will absorb most of the energy in the cable or strap, significantly reducing the recoil. ARBs recovery damper is manufactured from heavy duty vinyl and features storage pockets which come in handy for carrying snatch blocks and shackles when walking from your 4wd to an anchor point. As recovery dampers are now mandatory accessories for most 4wd competitions, the ARB damper exceeds minimum competition weight requirements.

This ability to stretch is a distinction between a snatch strap and a tow strap, ARB Snatch Strap is elastic when under load whereas a tow strap is not, the benefits of which are twofold. Firstly, the kinetic energy generated by the elasticity actually aids the recovery itself, and secondly, the elasticity greatly reduces the likelihood of vehicle damage during recovery. The enormous weight of each 4x4 and the weighted force of whatever caused the immobilization puts enormous strain on the point where the strap is attached, and without some elasticity, there is a substantial risk of damaging the vehicle. For vehicle recovery, a snatch strap is more suitable than a tow strap.