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provided by this wrapped cable allows the Never attempt to Never touch, push, If your are winching yourself out, find an object suitable for supporting your needed pull load. Once you reach the stable ground, stop the winch pull. Do: Hand signals are indispensable when two people are using a winch: one person behind the wheel and one person at the winch. Although winching seems cool, you cant take it lightly. Keep all three items in a safe and dry place in your vehicle. You will need an anchor point, D-shackle, and tree trunk protector (or a strap). Why? Lack of maintenance can lead to failure, which may translate into vehicle damage and/or accident. Make sure the anchor is strong enough to pull your vehicle. With this winch rigging technique, you can increase your pulling power over short distances. Make sure to use safety gloves as they will protect your hands from lacerations and cuts. Only use your winch until the stuck vehicle can regain full traction under its own power. Power-out uses the winch motor power to reel out the cable. D-ring shackles are designed to hold a load 90 degrees to this position, and they are weak when loaded as shown. Also, in this image, our hand is way too close to the winches fairlead. Make sure to take manufacturers guidelines into account as well. Heck, we could have dropped the strap down a few more inches and found a larger tree. There doesnt seem to be a truly universal set of hand signals for winch usage, but there are a few conventions. Using the winch remote control, slowly pull the winch rope until its tout. The geometry associated with vehicle recoveries can get very complicated, but usually you want to pull straight. Dont: Standing close to any loaded winch line is dangerous. Start pulling your vehicle slowly until it reaches stable ground. Make sure to practice winching, especially if you have not used it before. Of all the accessories, a tree saver strap and shackle are a MUST have. Dont put a winch in water. Take a deep breath and slow down. The friction Typically, the roller styles are found with cable, but can be used with synthetic rope IF they are clean and bur free. Manual. Do: Some winching accidents are caused by ignorance. The control box relays the signals from the remote control to the motor. Cable is prone to fraying, pinching itself on the reel, and snapping which can have horrible consequences. There are many important factors to take into consideration when winching. Dont: Winching several feet above the base of the tree creates a huge amount of leverage on the trees roots. pull or straddle the winch cable while winching a load. Do learn and use the proper hand signals if more than one person is going to operate a winch. warnings, instructions and other information you must read and fully Unplug the remote For one, the weight of the item pulls the cable down where, if it breaks, will hopefully hit the ground rather than any people. It can still cause injuries. If your are winching yourself out, find an object suitable for supporting your needed pull load. You can also press the gas paddle to help your vehicle move smoothly. Winch weights also help by absorbing some of the potential energy stored in the cable. Unspooling winch line to a stuck vehicle, throwing the unstuck vehicle in reverse and giving a yank (kinetic pull) on the stuck rig is very hard on the winches brake and drivetrain. See the. Cable and rope should also be periodically respooled (under a load) to ensure they are tight and stacked properly. Also, remove all jewelry or lose clothing before using a winch. 01W2E)SJ&u4kzqjE*'U?e%n/T$\-Icfccc0`P )ccg&m@[@WyX, Make sure the winch line does not build up on one side of the winch. This can damage the cable and the winch. Keep it as close to the winch as possible. This is a great way to pull the tree down onto your vehicle, killing the tree and maybe even yourself since the tree is going to fall towards you and your rig. Use D-shackles as they are the best and safest way to connect a winch to the anchor. For us, saving the weight when not in use, and the added safety of not having all that additional potential (or stored) energy around when winching, help make up for the occasional extra precaution we have to use with synthetic rope. 2) Clutch: The clutch allows you to control the winch drum rolling. Next, find a suitable anchor point. Dont over-tighten the shackle. This will help prevent dirt, mud, and rocks from getting into the spool, and from damage that could occur to exposed line. to hoist or suspend a vertical load. 2) D-Shackles: You will need D-shackles to connect lopped ends of the wire rope, tree trunk protectors, chain snatch blocks, and cables. When choosing a winch, make sure it is rated for the job it will be accomplishing. Use eye protection in addition to the safety gloves. jerk a load attached to the winch with a moving vehicle. While winching, dont let people stand in the area. The two most common winch leads are roller fairlead and hawse fairlead. A winch is intended to be used with the pulling vehicle or anchor stationary as part of a static pull. or if the winch stalls during operation, Note how the D-ring shackle goes through both ends of the tree saver and is hooked to the winch line. If you are pulling someone else out, find an appropriate location on their OHV to connect a shackle. Support area You can follow the rigging steps mentioned in the previous point. When rope and cable are under tension, they can fray or cut very easily. Free-spool disengages the motor gear so you can pull the cable freely to your hook up location. However, they are harmful to trees. Always take your time before and after you have set up the winching assembly. drum to pull on the winch cable and move the load. 1) Choker Chain: You can use choker chains to connect wire rope to anchors with sharp edges such as rocks. around the vehicle, winch, winch cable, and load clear of people (especially 8) Remote Control: The remote control helps you control the winching process (the directions in which the drum rolls). A tow ball is for vertical load and will also have a hard time securing the winch line or strap. This can help by deflecting the energy if the cable should snap. If you are using a rock as an anchor, make sure it is big enough to withstand the force of pulling your vehicle. Keep in mind when you are stuck, forces such as gravity, terrain, soil conditions, slope, etc., will amplify the exertion force needed to pull your vehicle. The triple line winching technique uses the same principle as the double line. If you have a wired remote control, connect it to the winch. You should use a tow strap or tree saver around the rock rather than wrapping your winch line around it. This can cause damage to winch components. Place a tree trunk protector around the anchor point for safe and efficient winching. Try to stay clear of the off-brand low price companies as quality and build are compromised. Before each use, check all battery cables and electrical connections. The winch line will damage the tree and jeopardize your safety in the process. Click the CONTENTS link above for the Table Of Usually, heavier vehicles will need a more powerful winch. The shackle is in the correct orientation, but only a few threads of the cross pin are engaged. Most winch manufactures offer either, but synthetic line is becoming the norm in the industry. Dont engage or disengage a winch when the wire rope is under tension or the drum is moving. Also, while this article covers some of the aspects of winching, it does not cover all of them. Connect the snatch block to a tree trunk protector. Roller styles stick out a bit further and are heavier but allow for front license plate mounting with specific hardware. Soft shackles are now in the market, and offer a lighter but stronger replacement to the steel D-ring style shackle. Whether synthetic or steel, the winch line will damage the tree, killing it in the process. Make sure the same person (you) handles both the wire rope and the remote control. The general practice is to double the weight of your vehicle. It is a potential safety hazard. It will release the tension from the taut wire rope. While we did do some real winching for the story, many of the images where we are demonstrating the wrong technique did not involve putting any load on the winch cable. Never use a winch with less than five rounds of steel rope wrapped around the drum. Rope on the other hand is lighter, safer to handle, rated for higher loads than cable, and can be easily spliced if broken. See whats wrong in this image. When done with your winching operations, it is advisable to completely reel in your entire winch line. Never attempt to You need to stand at a safe distance away from the wire rope if you are not handling the winch, preferably behind a tree or a rock. However, you can find several online calculators to help you find the suitable winch size. Make sure your winch is fully engaged and ready to power in before your start your pull. Give your winch cool down periods and allow your alternator some more time to charge your battery. Follow step 15 of Winch Operation to feed and rewind Dont keep the remote control plugged-in when free spooling, rigging, or sitting idle. 3) Protective Gloves: Gloves will protect your hands from barbed steel winch wires. winch loads that weigh more than the winchs rated capacity. place during winching. Here, only the threads are resisting the load, rather than the cross sectional thickness of the shackle and pin resisting the load in shear as designed. DO NOT drive over the winch line. Whether your pulling yourself out, or someone else, having a winch on your OHV is a necessity! Turn off the remote control before stepping out of your vehicle. Ask everyone to move to a safe distance because winching accidents can be fatal. Never let the winch If you are operating a winch, stay in your drivers seat with the remote control in your hand. We did this to avoid the damage to the environment and equipment that we are warning you against. In addition to the usual winching accessories, you will also need a snatch block. Having a slight load on the end of the winch line while spooling will help keep the line tight and make it easier to coil. vehicles park brake and/or park mechanism to hold the vehicle in Otherwise, you risk pulling down the tree on your vehicle. Clean the debris if there is any. Triple check everything before you start pulling your vehicle. cable run through your hands, even if wearing heavy gloves. You can connect it to a steel rope using a D-shackle. 5) Fairlead or Wire Lead: As the name suggests, fairlead or wire lead guides the wire rope as it wraps around the drum. Itll also protect your hands. winch and winch cable before each use. Remove kinked or frayed wire ropes from service immediately. Contents, or download a full PDF of the Owner Manual in the Owner The Owner's Manual for this vehicle contains Similar rules apply to winching to a rock as with a tree. You can use the remote to change the direction in which the drum rolls. We like synthetic ropes for a number of safety reasons, but know that they sometimes dont hold up to use in all environments and for frequent heavy use. So, if your car weighs around 4000 pounds, you will need a winch system with 6000-8000 pound pulling strength. Copyright Polaris Industries Inc. All rights reserved. of Polaris.com. It is often placed on the winch itself or next to it. that will shorten the life of the cable. Never winch the hook Dont: Do not ever wrap your winch cable around a tree. the winch cable. So, if your winch has a Rated Line Pull or RLP of 9000 pounds, it can pull a car weighing up to 6000 pounds. Then, even if you are tempted to touch any part of the winch, you cant. Guide the winch line onto the spool by applying tension and pulling to one side or the other while powering in. It essentially helps you to adjust the tension of a winch line, usually made from steel. Dont: You can also use a tree saver incorrectly. 1) Brake: The brake stops the winch from paying an unwanted winch line. become hot during winch use. Use a choker chain for trees to secure the winch rope to the second anchor. Rememeber, we said they show what not to do. Gear is just as important as your winch. They are usually affixed to the vehicles frame. The three basic winch rigging techniques you can use are: It is the simplest and most common winch rigging technique. The purpose of a fairlead is to minimize the damage to the wire rope as it goes through a winch mount or bumper. Generally, the bigger the winch, the better. If it begins to, halt operations and release the line until it is in a uniformed location. Remove the D-shackle and the tree-trunk protector. Avoid sideloading because D-shackles are designed to hold a load at 90-degrees. at least five (5) full turns of winch cable are wrapped around the Never let the winch cable stack or accumulate If winching at an hook when operating winch. If your winch has come in contact with water, get it serviced by a professional immediately. Always be sure that You will need to understand how does a winch work to use it safely. Always align the stop winching and permit the winch to cool on this vehicle.Always follow the warnings and instructions in Owner's Put on your gloves as safety always comes first. Also, dont stand between the anchor point and your vehicle once the wire rope is under tension. Always wear eye protection drum can damage the winch and the winch cable. Fairleads: Roller and Hawse refer to the different types of guides found on the front of your winch. Then, attach the winch hook to the shackle. The three primary stages involved in using a winch are as follows: First, you will need to rig the winch properly to a suitable anchor. at one end of the winch drum. Anyone not involved with the actual winching (spotters, drivers, and magazine photographers) should get behind a vehicle, rock, or tree and stay a safe distance away from the cable. Always keep the area We see this way too often. Forgetting (or ignoring) to do this will cause the outer layers of cable or rope (both steel and synthetic) to get pulled down in between the lower layers. Using a winch without proper safety precautions and user practices can cause severe injuries or may even lead to fatal mishaps. When you are in the situation of needing to use your winch, it must work, and work well! Doing this has a cinching effect as you pull that can damage the tree and damage your tree saver. The type of rope material, diameter, and length will determine how much load the winch machine can pull. Furthermore, the remote control allows you to stand clear of the winch and the wire rope, reducing the risk of an accident. While a winch can be a lifesaver when your vehicle gets stuck in mud or sand, every winching situation can be a potential accident risk. Follow these winch rigging techniques for a smooth operation. (Example a 1000 pound OHV would need at least a 1500 pound pull rating.) Also, replace damaged winch hook and hook pins. 10) Winch Line Extensions: With these, you can extend the reach of a winch line. Do: Weighing a steel winch cable down with a heavy blanket, tow strap, polyurethane winch weight, heavy coat, winch accessory bag, or specially designed winch weight is a great way to reduce the danger of a snapped steel cable. 5) Snatch Block: A chain snatch block can help increase pulling capacity and change your pulling direction without damaging the wire rope. Insert the winch rope hook into the D-shackle. Generally, a winch has 1.5 times the pulling power of the load. It can damage the winch system as the rope attachment is not strong enough to hold the load. The way of the future is synthetic line, or rope. That means moving an anchor vehicle, or maybe selecting a winch point that is farther away from the vehicle being pulled. stop winching. Place a heavy jacket or other soft weight in the middle of the winch line when pulling the vehicle. hair, clothing and jewelry clear of the winch cable, fairlead and Most winching machines now come with a waterproof control box. while operating the winch. HWrF. Dont: Go bare handed. Instead, have someone hold the hook or nylon grab strap when respooling your winch. Learning different winching techniques requires time, patience, and practice. Be wary of Aspen, Pinion, Lodgepole and Juniper Trees as their root structure is shallow. Never touch the winch rope when it is tout. Always wear gloves when handling the winch line, especially with cable! Make sure to run the remote-control cable to your drivers seat if possible. Usually, you can use your vehicles battery to power the motor. As you may have understood by now, winching equipment alone isnt enough to pull your vehicle from mud or a swamp. Attach the snatch block to the first anchor point. When you disengage the clutch, the drum detaches from the gear train, letting it rotate freely (free spooling). Always keep body, The best idea is to aim for a MINIMUM of 1.5 of your vehicles loaded weight for the pull rating of the winch. Do: The correct way to use a tree as an anchor is to select a large tree and use a wide strap or tree saver around the base of the tree like this. It could cinch so tight that you cant remove it. The most common are handlebar mounted switches, dash mount switches, corded remotes, and wireless controllers.