What is a Snatch Block?

What is a Snatch Block?

To put it simply, a snatch block is a heavy-duty pulley inside a metal casing. It is primarily designed for handling heavy goods, working as a pulley point that can redirect the course of a winch line. A snatch block has a side plate sometimes called a cheek plate, that can be opened for easy insertion of cable without having to remove the load or fittings from the end of the wire. Snatch blocks also have different end-fittings, like hooks, chain-and-grab-hook assemblies, or closed shackles.

Using a snatch block greatly increases the pulling power of a winch. When a winch drum is fully spooled with cable, it has less power than if it is spooled all the way out due to less line being on the drum, which changes the effective pull ratio. Therefore, the snatch block is attached to whatever the vehicle is winching to, and the winch line goes through the block on the pulley and back to the vehicle. In this manner, more of the pulling power is available for the extraction because of more line being out off of the winch drum.