Versatrax 300™
Document: UMBH008532.docm
Revision: A07
Created by: KJB
Date: 26 Sep 2019
3047763-A07
Source Location: C:\ePDM\ISLEng\products\bh-vt300series4-trackchassis\manuals\UMBH008532.docm
Page 54 of 67
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Spooling The Tether
1. Spooling the tether is a special operation because the vehicle is backing up and the motive force
for the tether must come from the winch. The tether tension must be kept just great enough to pull
the tether out from behind the vehicle and keep the tether spooling, but the operator must be on a
constant watch for sharp rises in tension. The winch operator must co-ordinate with the vehicle
operator to safely back up the vehicle.
2.
Alternatively, the winch can be used to pull the vehicle out directly at up to twice the vehicle’s
maximum speed. The Minitrac
™ clutches on the vehicle must be disengaged before pulling the
vehicle with the winch. Refer to the Versatrax
™ manual; clutch operation.
3. Always keep tension on the tether to keep the coils tight on the drum.
4. When spooling the tether, watch the tether for damage. At the same, time brush off debris from
the tether and wipe it dry.
5. The VT300 vehicle is equipped with a rear facing camera. We recommend a monitor and feed be
available to the winch operator to watch the tether at the vehicle.
Automatic Level Wind
Control Box
This winch is equipped with an automatic powered level wind. It works by matching the shuttle speed with
the drum using a rotary encoder on the drum and a pre-programmed calibration for the tether diameter.
The level wind controller is factory mounted to the side of the tether reel. For convenience it comes with a
long cable and can be hand-held or mounted in the van.
Operation
The level wind will monitor the rotation of the reel and adjusts the movement of the level wind shuttle to
match the drum speed. The level wind is active whenever the reel is powered on allowing it to be used
while turning the reel by hand or when feeding cable out manually with the winch clutch released.
Note:
In order for the level wind to operate the level-wind clutch must be engaged/ pushed in. See Figure
When rapidly pulling out tether by hand, it is possible to outrun the level wind. If this occurs slow down the
pay-out until it catches up. During a long retrieval occasional rate adjustment may be necessary to ensure
an even wind, particularly at the edges of the drum. It is strongly recommended that the controller remain
close to the reel to allow the operator to monitor and adjust as required.
Level Wind Controls
Direction switch
– Changes the direction of the level wind shuttle. Normally the level wind will retain the
last shuttle direction when the winch is powered down. If the shuttle is traveling in the wrong direction,
simply hit the direction switch.
Jog switch
– Moves the shuttle left or right at full speed.
