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Item 56258
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7. Stay out of the direct line that the wire rope
is pulling. If it slips or breaks, it will “whiplash”
along this line. Place a heavy blanket or winch
damper over the wire rope span 6 feet from hook
to help absorb the force released if the wire rope
breaks.
Refer to Figure A.
Figure A: Whiplash Dampening
Blanket or Winch Damper
8. Do not use for lifting or moving people.
9. Use a spotter to assist you in ensuring that it
is safe to operate the winch. Make sure the
spotter is out of the way of the vehicle and
the wire rope before activating the winch.
10. Do not use the hand crank, if equipped,
to “assist” the winch.
11. Do not use vehicle to pull on the wire rope
and “assist” the winch.
12. Use as intended only.
Do not lift items vertically or use
for aircraft purposes.
13. Prevent entanglement. Do not wear loose clothing
or jewelry, as they can be caught in moving parts.
Non-skid footwear is recommended. Wear restrictive
hair covering to contain long hair.
14. Disconnect battery cables before working
near the wire rope, drum, fairlead or
load, to prevent accidental starting.
15. Inspect before every use; do not use if damaged or
parts loose. Examine the winch for structural cracks,
bends, damage, frayed or kinked wire rope, and any
other conditions that may affect the safe operation
of the winch. Do not use the winch even if minor
damage appears. A kink permanently weakens the
wire rope, even after it is straightened out; kinked
wire rope can fail suddenly and must not be used.
16. Keep wire rope straight to avoid kinking the
wire rope. The illustrations below show how
a kink forms and how to prevent kinking.
a. This illustration shows a kink about
to form. At this point the winch
should be stopped and the wire
rope should be straightened out
to prevent kinking.
b. This wire rope is
kinked. It is
too late
to reverse the
damage at this point, the
wire rope must be discarded.
It is permanently damaged
and must not be used.
c. This is a kinked wire rope that has been
straightened out. Even though it has been
pulled straight, some wires in the wire rope
are stretched, and others are severely bent,
if not broken. The unstretched wires will
take more load and can fail suddenly before
the rope reaches its capacity. This wire
rope must be discarded and not be used.
A kink permanently weakens the wire rope,
even after it is straightened out; kinked wire
rope can fail suddenly and must not be used.
17. Keep children and bystanders away while operating.
Distractions can cause you to lose control.
18. Stay alert, watch what you are doing and
use common sense when operating. Do not
use a winch while you are tired or under the
influence of drugs, alcohol or medication. A
moment of inattention while operating winches
may result in serious personal injury.
19. Do not overreach. Keep proper footing and
balance at all times. This enables better control
of the winch in unexpected situations.
20. Hook onto the object using a pulling point,
tow strap or chain. Do not wrap the wire rope
around the object and hook onto the wire rope
itself. This can cause damage to the object
being pulled, and kink or fray the wire rope.
21.
Do not use a recovery strap while
winching.
They are designed to stretch
and can suddenly whip back towards the
operator during a winching operation.
22. Secure load after moving.
NO LOCKING MECHANISM.
23. Keep at least 5 full turns of wire rope on
drum. The wire rope’s connection to the
drum is not intended to sustain a load,
without the added support from the friction
of at least 5 full turns of wire rope.
24. Wrap wire rope under 500 lb. tension before use.
Otherwise, wire rope may bind during operation.
