STRETCHING WIREROPE
The life of a wire rope is directly related to the use and care it receives. Tensioning the wire rope is critical to ensure a long product life. Tensioning the wire rope will prevent outer layers of wire rope from pinching and deforming the inner layers. During its first use, a new wire rope must be spooled onto its drum under a load of at least 500 lbs . (227 kgs). Use the following instructions to properly stretch the wire rope onto the winch drum. 1) Choose a FLAT AND LEVEL location that is large enough to run out the entire length of wire rope. 2) Turn the clutch lever on the winch to the “Free Spool” position. Grab hook strap and spool out the wire rope to the last 5 wraps on the drum. Once the wire rope is spooled out, turn the clutch lever on the winch to the “Engaged” position. 3) Attach the hook end of the rope to a suitable anchor point and back the vehicle away from the anchor point until there is very little slack in the wire rope. Before getting out of the vehicle, set the parking brake, place the vehicle in gear or park and turn the vehicle off. 4) Power in the winch until all of the wire rope slack is wound onto the winch drum. Wearing gloves, hold tension on the wire rope with one hand; carefully push the wire rope to the side of the drum the wire rope is attached to so there are no gaps between each coil on the drum. Be sure to check that the wire rope is winding off of the bottom of the drum, not the top, or the automatic load holding brake will not function properly. (If the wire rope is winding off the top you have powered the winch “out” instead of “in”). 5) The following steps should be done using two people for proper safety. If you attempt to tension your wire rope alone be sure to always engage the parking brake, place the transmission in gear and turn the vehicle off every time you exit the vehicle to inspect the winch wire
rope. Never exit the vehicle with a load on the winch wire rope. 6) Use care to evenly wrap each layer to prevent damage to the rope. 7) Instruct your assistant to stand to the side of the vehicle and away from the winch wire rope. Start the vehicle and place the transmission in neutral. Release the parking brake while applying moderate brake pedal pressure. Press power in on the switch. Your assistant should signal you if the wire rope is winding correctly by watching it move across the fairlead as the wire rope is powered in. After winching in for approximately 6 ft, stop winching. Slowly let up off of the brake pedal and then apply the parking brake. This will ensure that there is no load on the winch rope. Then place the transmission in park or gear and turn the vehicle off. Exit the vehicle and inspect the winch to make sure that the wire rope is being evenly wound onto the winch drum and not sinking into the lower layer. If the wire rope is sinking, power the wire rope out and repeat this step from the beginning with more brake pedal pressure. 8) When you are convinced the wire rope is winding onto the winch drum properly, repeat step 6 until the vehicle is within 3 ft of the winch anchor. Once within 3 ft, slowly let up off of the brake pedal and then apply the parking brake. This will ensure that there is no load on the winch wire rope. Then place the transmission in park or in gear and turn the vehicle off. Exit the vehicle. Disconnect the hook from the anchor. While holding onto the supplied hook strap, hold tension on the winch rope and slowly power in the winch by “pulsing” the power in on the remote control until the hook is at the fairlead. DO NOT POWER THE HOOK INTO THE FAIRLEAD. This could cause damage to the fairlead.
Backup Parts Important backup parts to carry for backcountry travel should include an extra screw-pin shackle, snatch block, and remote control unit. For severe and continued winch use, consider including an extra rope and winch hook. Toolbox Items Items to bring along include hand wrenches, screwdrivers, pliers and tools to change rope.
Tree Trunk Protector Typically made of tough, high-quality nylon, it provides the operator an attachment point for the winch rope to a wide variety of anchor points and objects, as well as protect living trees.
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. ! WARNING
Never attach a recovery strap to the winch hook to increase the length of a pull. Never attempt to tow a vehicle or object with the recovery strap attached directly to the winch hook. Never use “bungie” straps that develop tremendous and ! CAUTION
Recovery Strap Never use a recovery strap in a winching operation. Because it is designed to stretch, it stores energy and could react like a rubber band should your rigging fail. Use the recovery strap to “snatch” out a stuck vehicle. Shovels & Hand Tools Quite often during winching activities, you’ll find yourself in need of some additional help. You may want to carry equipment such as a shovel and an axe.
Battery Recommendations A fully charged conventional ATV battery is recommended to obtain peak perform- ance from your winch. Make sure all electrical connections are clean and tight.
potentially dangerous amounts of force when stretched.
GO PREPARED ™ 11 WARN INDUSTRIES • THE BASIC GUIDE TO WINCHING TECHNIQUES
GO PREPARED ™ 10 WARN INDUSTRIES • THE BASIC GUIDE TO WINCHING TECHNIQUES
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