Warn Basic Guide to Winching (Domestic)

WINCH ACCESSORIES YOU’LL WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU

Shovels & Hand Tools Quite often during winching activities, you’ll find yourself in need of some additional help. You may want to stow equipment such as a shovel, an axe and a Hi-Lift jack for additional assistance when needed. Backup Parts Important backup parts to carry for back country travel should include an extra screw- pin shackle, snatch block and remote control. For severe and continued winch use, consider including an extra winch rope and winch hook. Toolbox Items to bring along include hand wrenches, screwdrivers, pliers, and tools to change winch rope. Booster Cables Many roadside emergencies stem from a dead battery. To prevent exhausting your electrical source, you can install a dual battery system and a battery isolator kit. Also, it’s wise to include battery booster cables and the WARN quick- connect cable system. Battery Recommendations A fully charged conventional automotive battery with a minimum rating of 650 cold cranking amps is recommended to obtain peak performance from your winch. Make sure all electrical connections are clean and tight. For more information on these or other WARN accessories available, visit www.warn.com, or call WARN Customer Service at 1.800.543.9276.

Alone, the winch is not much more than a simple tool. But when used with certain accessories and enhancements, your WARN winch can become a versatile and productive tool. In this section, we’ll review several of these items. Some are vital to the safe operation of your winch, while others offer added versatility and convenience.

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.

Snatch Block Used properly, the multi-purpose snatch block allows you to: (1) increase your winch’s pulling power; and (2) change your pulling direction without damaging the winch rope. Proper use of the snatch block is covered in “Before You Pull”.

CAUTION Never use a strap for winching.

CAUTION Never use a strap for towing. The strap can be easily cut or abraded.

CAUTION Never use “bungie” straps that develop tremendous and potentially dangerous amounts of force when stretched.

Gloves Winch rope, through use, will develop “barbs” which can slice skin. It is extremely important to wear protective gloves while operating the winch or handling the winch rope. Avoid loose fitting clothes or anything that could become entangled in the winch rope and other moving parts.

Clevis/D-Shackles The D-Shackle is a safe means for connecting the looped ends of cables, straps and snatch blocks. The shackle’s pin is threaded to allow easy removal.

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.

Hook Strap Use to hold the hook and keep fingers away from the fairlead as the winch rope is being spooled in. Winches develop tremendous pulling forces and can easily remove fingers and limbs that are placed in pinch points. Put the hook into the loop and hold the strap between the thumb and forefingers.

Tow Hooks Secured properly to your vehicle’s frame, tow hooks provide an attachment point for wire hooks, straps, and chains.

The WARN Winch Damper helps to prevent rope recoil in the event of a rope failure, which is a pretty rare occurrence. However, if it were to happen, this damper will help the rope fall to the ground if such an event were to occur. Place it on the winch rope midway between the winch and the anchor point. Do this before the winch rope is put under tension. Do not approach or move the damper once tension is applied. Do not allow it to get pulled into the fairlead.

WARNING Always use supplied hook strap whenever spooling winch rope in or out, during installation and during operation.

WARN INDUSTRIES • THE BASIC GUIDE TO WINCHING TECHNIQUES