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How-To
Winch Anchors With No Tree: Deadman and Ground Anchors
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Read before you rig
Recovery gear stores serious kinetic energy. A failed rope, strap, or shackle can whip back with enough force to injure or kill. Keep everyone clear of the load path, never exceed a component's rated capacity, and follow your gear manufacturer's manual. Where it differs from anything on this page, the manual wins. This article is spec-and-evidence analysis, not field instruction from a certified instructor. If you're not confident rigging the pull safely, that's a reason to call someone who is, not a reason to guess.
Key takeaways
•Work through vehicles, rocks, and structure first: a buried anchor is the last resort, not the first move, because it’s slower and less predictable than a rated attachment point.
•No WINCH manufacturer publishes a holding-capacity number for a buried log or spare tire, but published engineering data does exist and is cited on this page: the Oregon OSHA anchoring guide provides nomographs giving maximum anchor capacity in lbs, and US Army FM 5-125 tabulates holding power of deadmen in ordinary soil. Capacity still depends on soil density, depth, and pull angle: treat every figure you see as soil-specific, not a spec.
•Deadman Off-Road’s own deployment instructions show depth matters enormously: its ground anchor should yield roughly 2,500 lb at 24 inches in soft sand and may yield over 6,000 lb at 36 inches in that same soil. Those are the manufacturer’s stated expectations rather than reported measurements.
•A snatch block does not reduce load on your anchor: a doubled line roughly doubles the force the anchor has to hold, not the winch’s rated pull alone.
•Pull-Pal publishes GVW-of-vehicle sizing per model instead of a holding-capacity figure: match anchor to vehicle weight, and don’t read a GVW recommendation as an implied load rating.
Sources last checked against 13 of 16 cited sources re-read directly on 2026-09-27 (Deadman Off-Road, WARN, the Oregon OSHA/OSU deadman-anchor PDF, the USDA/OSU/Oregon OSHA quick-reference PDF, US Army FM 5-125 (rendered), Pull-Pal, ARB230, Smittybilt W.A.S.P., Off-Road Pull, ErinRope, ToughToys, SunCruiser, IH8MUD); the Amazon Pull-Pal listing, KRC Cranes, and Leave No Trace all blocked automated requests and were not re-checked; on 2026-10-03 the pullpal.com pages we could load did not state the RW6000 GVW or the bundled soft-shackle rating, so those two specs remain retailer-sourced; 2026-10-10: Pull Pal per-model pages read in the browser; Smittybilt W.A.S.P. card removed (discontinued per Northridge4x4, not on smittybilt.com).. How we re-check
No tree, no rock, no fence post: now what? You bury or stake an anchor into the ground itself. Here’s how a deadman anchor works, how to build one from a spare tire or log, and which commercial ground anchors actually publish specs worth trusting. Short answer: bury a spare tire or log as a deadman, or use a commercial ground anchor sized to your vehicle’s weight; how deep depends on your soil, not a single number.
Before you dig: follow your winch manufacturer’s instructions for spooling, freespool/clutch engagement, and line handling. Where this article differs from your manual, the manual wins. Your winch’s clutch and freespool mechanism differs by brand and model, so check your manual before disengaging it. Keep everyone clear of the load path during a pull, use a winch damper over the line, and never exceed the rated capacity of any component in the system. WARN’s own winching guide recommends laying something over the winch rope midway between the winch and the anchor point to absorb energy if the line lets go.
First, Exhaust the Easy Anchors: Vehicles, Rocks, Existing Structure
A buried anchor is slow to build and hard to rate. Before you pick up a shovel, look for something already rooted to the ground. WARN’s guide lists natural anchors (trees, stumps, rocks) and is blunt about the standard: you have to be certain the anchor will hold the load and that your strap or chain won’t slip.
No tree or rock in reach? A second vehicle can serve as the anchor. WARN’s guidance calls for putting that vehicle in neutral, setting the parking brake, and blocking its wheels before it takes the load. That’s almost always faster and more predictable than digging, and it’s worth ruling out first.
Only when none of that is available (open desert, dunes, a flat gravel wash) does a ground or deadman anchor become the right call.
The Deadman Anchor: How Buried Mass Holds a Pull
A deadman anchor works by burying something with enough surface area (a log, a tire, a steel plate) so the undisturbed soil in front of it has to shear before the anchor moves. The anchor itself isn’t what holds the load. The soil is. That’s why soil type and depth matter more than the size of whatever you bury.
This is also why no single “good for X pounds” number exists for an improvised deadman. Depth, soil density, moisture, and the angle you pull at all change the outcome, sometimes by a factor of three or more in the exact same hole, just dug deeper.
How Do You Use a Spare Tire as a Winch Anchor? Step by Step
Holding capacity depends on soil type and the rated hardware used. There’s no universal spec for a buried tire, and we’re not going to pretend otherwise.
Dig your pit perpendicular to the pull direction, angled slightly away from the vehicle, so the tire’s face resists the load head-on rather than getting dragged sideways through the dirt.
Keep the front wall of the pit vertical. A sloped or crumbled front wall gives the tire less undisturbed soil to push against, which is the entire source of its holding power.
Run a chain or strap through the tire (through the wheel opening, around the tread) with a shackle at the connection point, not a hook: a hook can shed the line if tension slacks mid-pull.
Backfill and compact in stages, tamping as you go rather than dumping loose soil in all at once.
Route the line out of the pit at a low angle and keep the connection point at or near ground level so the pull doesn’t lever the tire up and out.
Be honest with yourself about the labor. Forum accounts from experienced off-roaders describe burying a spare tire 4 to 6 feet deep in soft or saturated ground to get it to hold. One described a 4-by-6-foot pit in what he called “bottomless Florida muck.” Another put it plainly: by the time you’ve dug a hole that size, you may as well have dug the truck out directly. Treat the buried tire as a genuine last resort, not a shortcut.
Log Deadman Anchors: Sizing and Rigging
No recovery-gear maker checked for this page publishes a spec governing an improvised log anchor sized for a stuck 4x4 or UTV — but published capacity data does exist, and this page previously understated it. The Oregon OSHA guide already cited below provides “nomographs in which the user can find the maximum anchor capacity (in lbs)”, and US Army FM 5-125 carries a table titled “Holding power of deadmen in ordinary soil” indexed by inclination of pull. What exists is engineering guidance built for industrial cable-logging loads, which we’re citing here as a reference point for the underlying principles, not as a vehicle-scale recommendation.
The USDA Forest Service, Oregon State University, and Oregon OSHA jointly publish a Deadman Anchor Quick Reference for heavy-duty rigging. Their specs, for context: a trench at least 5 feet deep, dug perpendicular to the pull with vertical walls, and a log at least 16 feet long and 18 inches in diameter (or several smaller logs bundled with a strap). That’s built for multi-ton yarding tension (well beyond what a stuck vehicle applies), but the installation logic scales down:
Place the line in the trench with slack, lay the log above it, and loop the line over the log in the direction of pull.
Backfill halfway and compact before tensioning, then backfill the rest.
Don’t disturb the front wall of the trench once it’s cut. The same guide notes disturbing that wall reduces the anchor’s capacity: it’s the wall doing the holding, not the log.
Piling extra soil or rock on top of the trench can add capacity, per the same source.
The guide’s own framing is worth repeating here: it’s general guidance only, and final anchor design should come from qualified personnel. That caveat applies even harder once you scale it down to a driveway log and a Saturday recovery. Once a log deadman is in the ground, check it: the same reference calls for inspecting a working deadman at least daily, watching for line movement or soil displacement, and reinstalling deeper with a lower cable angle or more logs if you see either.
How Deep Should a Deadman Anchor Be Buried? Soil Type Matters More Than a Number
There’s no depth number that works across all ground, and the data backs that up directly. Deadman Off-Road, which manufactures a commercial ground anchor plate, publishes a 2-foot minimum burial depth in their own installation instructions, but their testing shows just how much depth changes the outcome in identical soil: roughly 2,500 lb of holding capacity at 24 inches in soft sand, versus more than 6,000 lb at 36 inches in that same sand. In hardpack soil, they note 18 inches can match or beat that shallower sand figure. Their own internal testing recorded 8,050 lb in dune sand under specific conditions: a real number, but one they frame as dependent on depth, density, and pull angle, not a rating you can assume applies to your hole.
Pull angle matters too. Deadman Off-Road notes their anchor holds more when the pull comes from above the vehicle than from below it, worth factoring in on sloped terrain.
The underlying reason soil type dominates the math: soil is characterized by texture, moisture, and density, and those three properties are what an anchor is actually fighting against, per Oregon State University’s engineering guide on deadman anchors. Loose, dry sand gives up far more easily than compacted clay or hardpack at the same depth. If you’re unsure what you’re digging into, go deeper than the minimum: the data above says that’s rarely wasted effort.
For the full soil-by-soil breakdown, including engineering-sourced numbers for clay, an honest look at where loam, rock, and frozen-ground data simply doesn’t exist, and the trench and cable-angle geometry explained mechanically rather than just as steps, see deadman anchor burial depth by soil type.
Commercial Ground Anchors: What They Claim and What’s Sourced
Capacity claims vary by maker and soil. We’re citing each manufacturer’s own guidance where we could confirm it, and flagging plainly where we couldn’t.
Quick Picks
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Price tier
Jump to review
Pull-Pal RW6000 Winch Ground Anchor
Best for ATVs, UTVs, and Small 4x4s (3,000 lb GVW and Under)
Each spec links to where we got it. Manufacturer-verified means we saw the figure on the maker's own product page, linked next to the value. Retailer-sourced means the figure came from a retailer or cached listing, not the manufacturer directly, and we say so next to the value. Not verified / not published means we could not confirm the figure anywhere credible, so we say that instead of guessing.
Pull-Pal RW6000 Winch Ground Anchor
Pull-Pal · Premium
Best for ATVs, UTVs, and Small 4x4s (3,000 lb GVW and Under)
Spec
Value
Source
GVW rating
GVW 3,000 lb and under (light buggies, sand rails, ATVs and UTVs; not for tracked or 6-wheel UTVs), per Pull Pal's own RW6000 page
High-strength low-alloy plow assembly, welded construction, Grade 8 bolts (shared across the Pull-Pal line, per pullpal.com; the site does not use the word "forged")
Bundled soft shackle rated at 36,000 lb breaking strength, per an authorized retailer listing (seller's Amazon listing; we found no manufacturer spec page)
High-strength low-alloy plow assembly, welded construction, Grade 8 bolts (shared across the Pull-Pal line, per pullpal.com; the site does not use the word "forged")
High-strength low-alloy plow assembly, welded construction, Grade 8 bolts (shared across the Pull-Pal line, per pullpal.com; the site does not use the word "forged")
+The largest single unit in the Pull-Pal line, for the heaviest vehicles this brand covers
+Shares the same high-strength low-alloy plow construction and soil compatibility as the rest of the line
+Manufacturer's own multi-unit Y-rigging guidance gives a documented path past one unit's rating for the heaviest builds
Cons
−No published holding-capacity number in pounds of force
−Premium price point compared to improvised anchors
Pull Pal sizes the RW14000 for Suburbans, large trucks and Hummers at 10,000 lb GVW and under (40 lb unit); above that, use the maker's own two-unit Y-rigging guidance.
+Purpose-built for exactly this scenario: desert and alpine terrain with no trees
+Portable at roughly 35 lb per the retailer listing
Cons
−Neither ARB nor any retailer we checked publishes a rated load capacity: a real gap, not an oversight on our part
−Without a published number, you can't spec it against your winch's line pull the way you can look up other hardware
We're naming it because it's a real, current product built for this exact no-tree scenario, but we can't rate it on capacity, because the manufacturer hasn't published one. Ask ARB directly for engineering data before trusting it as your primary anchor on a serious pull.
Prices/availability change: we don't display prices. Links may earn us a commission.
A few sourcing notes worth flagging plainly. Pull-Pal doesn’t publish a pull-force rating in pounds for any model, only GVW-of-vehicle recommendations. Pull Pal’s own product pages give that guidance per model: RW6000 for 3,000 lb GVW and under, RW11000 for 6,000 lb and under, and RW14000 for 10,000 lb and under. Don’t read a GVW recommendation as an implied holding-capacity number; they’re different things. ARB’s ARB230 has no published capacity anywhere we could find, not on ARB’s site, not across the retailers carrying it, so we’re naming it as a real product built for this exact scenario without pretending we can rate it.
For terminology: a component’s Working Load Limit (WLL) is its breaking strength divided by an applied safety factor, the number it’s actually rated to carry in service, not the load at which it fails. Rigging convention commonly runs a 3:1 to 4:1 safety factor on winch lines and straps, sometimes 5:1 or higher on hardware like shackles, per industry sources. Buy and rig to WLL, never to breaking strength.
UTV Ground Anchors and Stake Systems
Lighter machines don’t need, and shouldn’t buy, an anchor sized for a full-size truck. Pull-Pal’s smallest model, the RW6000, is sized for ATVs, UTVs, and small 4x4s at a GVW of 3,000 lb and under, per an authorized retailer’s listing (we found no Pull-Pal page stating that figure). That same listing cites a 36,000 lb breaking-strength rating on the included soft shackle, worth checking against your own shackle if you’re buying separately, since that’s a hardware spec, not the anchor’s own capacity.
Beyond the RW6000, we found third-party UTV-specific stake and ground-anchor kits from smaller resellers with capacity claims we couldn’t verify against a manufacturer spec page in this pass. We’re not naming them here: a claim without a manufacturer source doesn’t clear our bar, regardless of how the number looks on a listing page.
Whatever you’re rigging to a UTV anchor, use a shackle at the connection, not an open hook. A screw-pin shackle fully encloses the connection, so a strap can’t shed off it the way it can off an open hook the moment tension drops, which is exactly the moment you don’t want a disconnect. That is about the strap, not the pin: the pin itself can still unscrew if something in the rig rotates it, which is why shackle pins back out.
One more point worth correcting here since UTV recoveries commonly use a snatch block to redirect the pull around obstacles: a snatch block does not reduce the load on your anchor. Running a doubled line back to the vehicle roughly doubles the winch’s pulling force, but the anchor holds close to double the winch’s line pull, not half of it. Size the anchor for the doubled load, every time you rig a block. See how much force a winch redirect puts on the anchor for the sourced angle-by-angle table behind that number.
Digging Out and Restoring the Site Afterward
No agency publishes vehicle-recovery-specific guidance for restoring a dig site, so we’re applying the closest real standard: Leave No Trace’s general outdoor-ethics principles, which call for traveling and camping on durable surfaces and leaving what you find undisturbed. Extending that to an anchor pit is straightforward.
Once you’re free, retrieve any buried hardware you can recover (chain, strap, shackle, the tire itself if that’s what you buried). Backfill the hole completely, compact it in layers the same way you did going in, and mound the last few inches slightly to account for settling. Scatter any leftover soil or duff over the disturbed area rather than leaving a bare patch or a visible mound. If you cut through grass or ground cover to dig, replace what you can.
It’s a five-minute job that costs you nothing and leaves the site the way you found it, worth doing every time, not just when someone’s watching.
Pull-Pal, ARB, Deadman Off-Road, and WARN are trademarks of their respective owners; RiggingOps is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of them.
Frequently asked questions
How deep does a deadman anchor need to be buried?
There’s no single number: it depends entirely on soil density. Deadman Off-Road’s own installation guidance sets a 2-foot minimum for their commercial ground anchor, with capacity climbing fast as depth increases in the same soil. The industrial cable-logging standard from USDA Forest Service, Oregon State University, and Oregon OSHA calls for at least 5 feet on a rated heavy-duty log deadman, but that’s engineered for multi-ton yarding loads, not a stuck 4x4. Go deeper in loose or sandy ground, and treat 2 feet as a floor, not a target.
Can you use a spare tire as a winch anchor?
Yes, off-roaders have used buried spare tires as improvised deadman anchors for decades, but no manufacturer publishes a holding-capacity rating for the technique at vehicle scale. It’s labor-intensive: forum accounts describe burying a tire 4 to 6 feet deep in soft or saturated ground, and by the time you’ve dug a pit that size, you may have put in as much work as digging the vehicle out directly.
What is the strongest recovery point on a vehicle?
A properly-equipped frame-mounted point, including a hitch receiver fitted with the right hardware, is among the strongest because it ties directly into the vehicle’s frame; recovery-gear publishers single out specific receiver-based systems for exactly that reason (SunCruiser calls one receiver-to-receiver system, the Ditch Hitch, the safest recovery system it covers). No source checked for this page ranks a bare hitch receiver above every other frame-mounted recovery point, so treat “strongest” as a property of a correctly rigged frame-mounted point generally. Factory tow balls and tow hooks are not rated for winch or snatch-strap recovery loads and shouldn’t be used for one.
Does a snatch block reduce the load on my anchor?
No. This is a common misunderstanding. A snatch block roughly doubles the winch’s pulling force at the vehicle, but the anchor in a doubled-line setup bears close to double the winch’s line pull, not less. Size your anchor for the doubled load, not the winch’s single-line rating.
What ground anchor is best for a UTV or ATV?
Pull-Pal’s RW6000 is explicitly sized for ATVs, UTVs, and small 4x4s with a GVW of 3,000 lb and under, per a retailer listing (we found no Pull-Pal page stating that figure), which still makes it the clearest sourced pick for lightweight machines.
Do I need to fill in the hole after digging a deadman anchor?
There’s no vehicle-recovery-specific standard for this, but Leave No Trace’s general outdoor-ethics principles (traveling and camping on durable surfaces, leaving what you find) call for naturalizing any ground you’ve disturbed. Backfill the hole, tamp it down, and scatter loose soil so the site doesn’t read as a dig.
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