Step 13:
MAKE YOUR INTENTIONS
CLEAR. Be sure that everyone in the
immediate vicinity surrounding the
winching operation is completely aware
of your intentions before you pull.
Declare where the spectators should not
stand — never behind or in front of the
vehicle and never near the rope or
snatch block. Your situation may have
other “no people” zones.
Step 14:
BEGIN WINCHING. With the
winching vehicle’s engine on and light
tension already on the rope, begin
winching slowly and steadily. Be sure that
the rope is winding evenly and tightly
around the spooling drum.
The vehicle may be steered while
winching but not driven. Driving vehicle
causes rope to become slack and
entangled.
Step 15:
FOR VEHICLE RECOVERY,
continue pulling until the vehicle is on
stable ground. If you are able to drive the
vehicle, the winching operation is
complete.
Step 16:
SECURE VEHICLE. Once
recovery of the vehicle is complete, be
sure to secure the vehicle’s brakes and
put the Transmission in “park”. Release
tension in the rope.
Establish “no people” zones:
What to look for under load
The rope must always spool
onto the drum on the side nearest
the mounting plate as indicated by
the warning label on the end of the
winch motor.
As you power in, make sure the
rope winds evenly and tightly on
the drum. This prevents the outer
wire wraps from drawing into the
inner wraps, binding and damaging
the rope.
Perform the pull with the vehicle
transmission in neutral and the
parking brake off. Be patient and
let the winch do all the work. This
prevents the vehicle from rolling
back and causing a shock load that
can damage the winch and rope.
During side pulls the rope tends
to stack up at one end of the drum.
This stack can become large
enough to cause serious damage
to the winch. So, line up pulls as
straight ahead as possible and
stop winching if the rope comes
close to the tie rods or mounting
plate. To fix an uneven stack, spool
out that section of the rope and
reposition it to the opposite end of
the drum which will free up space
for continued winching.
G O P R E P A R E D
™
17
WARN INDUSTRIES • THE BASIC GUIDE TO WINCHING TECHNIQUES
G O P R E P A R E D
™
16
WARN INDUSTRIES • THE BASIC GUIDE TO WINCHING TECHNIQUES
Step 17:
DISCONNECT ROPE.
Disconnect from the anchor.
Step 18:
REWIND ROPE. The person
handling the rope should walk the rope in
and not let it slide through the hand and
control the winch at all times.
How to spool under no load
Arrange the rope so it will not kink or tangle
when spooled. Be sure any rope already on the
spooling drum is wound tightly and evenly
layered. Tighten and straighten the layer if
necessary. Keep the rope under light tension
and spool the rope back onto the winch drum in even layers one layer at a time.
At the end of each layer stop spooling and arrange the rope in tight even layers.
Repeat this process until the winch hook is a minimum of 4 ft. (1.2m) from the
winch. Pinch the hook between your thumb and forefinger and attach the hook
strap. Hold the hook strap between the thumb and forefinger to keep tension on
the rope. Walk the rope towards the fairlead, carefully spooling in the remaining
rope by pulsing the control switch. Store the hook at the fairlead or tensioned to a
suitable location to the side.
If you do not have the hook strap, use a length of cord or something similar. To
prevent serious injury, NEVER put your fingers inside the hook area as you are
powering in.
Step 19:
DISCONNECT REMOTE
CONTROL. Disconnect the remote
control cord and store in a clean and
dry place. Winching operations are
now complete. Put the cap on the
socket.
Always keep
hands and
clothing clear of
the rope, hook
and fairlead
opening during
operation and
when spooling.
!
WARNING
Always avoid
continuous side
pulls which can
pile up rope at
one end of the
drum. This can
damage rope or
winch.
NOTICE
Never use the
winch’s rope to
tow another
vehicle or
object.
NOTICE
