8.0 WINCH OPERATION
Winch operations can cause serious injury or even death if proper safety measures are not followed.
The winch is controlled by the rocker switch located on the dash panel, or with the hand held remote
control. The remote control provides control of the power-out (forward) or power-in (reverse) rotation of
the spooling drum.
Do not leave the remote plugged into the winch when not in use. Leaving the remote plugged in, may
result in a dangerous condition and/or battery drain.
Never engage or disengage clutch if winch is under load, winch rope is in tension or drum is moving.
When the clutch is engaged, the gear train is coupled to the winch drum and power can be
transferred from the winch motor. When the clutch is disengaged the drum is in the freespool position
and the gear train and winch rope drum are uncoupled allowing the drum to rotate freely. The clutch
lever, located on the winch housing opposite the motor, controls the clutch position. To prevent damage,
always fully engage or fully disengage the clutch lever.
Never operate winch with less than 5 wraps of rope around the drum. Rope could come loose from the
drum, as the rope attachment to the drum is not designed to hold a load. Always keep hands clear of
winch rope, hook loop, hook and fairlead opening during installation, operation, and when spooling in or
out.
Always wear heavy leather gloves when handling winch rope.
Freespooling is generally the quickest and easiest way to spool out winch rope. Before freespooling winch
rope out from the winch, power out enough rope to remove any tension the winch rope might be under.
Disengage the clutch. Then freespool by manually spooling out enough winch rope for the winching
operation.
NOTICE: Do NOT power out more than 30ft without allowing the winch to cool for 20 minutes before powering rope
back in. Instead, place the clutch in freespool and pull the rope out by hand.
Always use supplied hook strap whenever spooling winch rope in or out, during installation or operation
to avoid injury to hands and fingers.
Spooling In Under Load:
Never exceed winch’s rated line pull. Power-in the winch rope evenly and tightly on the drum. This
prevents the outer winch wraps from sinking into the inner wraps, binding, and damaging the winch rope.
Avoid shock loads when spooling, by pulsing the control switch to take up winch rope slack. Shock loads
can momentarily far exceed the winch and rope ratings.
Spooling In Under No Load:
Never touch winch rope or hook while someone else is at the control switch or during winching operation.
Spooling with an Assistant: Have the assistant hold the hook strap putting as much constant tension on
the winch rope as possible. While keeping tension, the assistant should walk toward the winch while you
operate the control switch spooling in the winch rope. Release the switch when the hook is a minimum of
6 ft. (2m) from the fairlead opening. Spool in the remainder for storage as directed below.
Spooling Alone:
