G E N E R A L S A F E T Y
I N F O R M A T I O N
Your winch is a very powerful
machine. If used unsafely or
improperly, there is a possibility
that property damage or personal
injury could result.
The wire rope
WARNING
!
may break
before the winch stalls. For heavy
loads, use a pulley block to reduce
the load on the wire rope.
1. Maximum working load capacity
is on the wire rope layer closest
to the drum. DO NOT OVER-
LOAD. DO NOT ATTEMPT PRO-
LONGED PULLS AT HEAVY
LOADS. Overloads can damage
the winch and/or the wire rope
and create unsafe operating con-
ditions. FOR LOADS OVER 1,000
POUNDS (454 kg), WE RECOM-
MEND THE USE OF THE OPTION-
AL PULLEY BLOCK TO DOUBLE
LINE THE WIRE ROPE (Figure2).
This reduces the load on the
winch and the strain on the wire
rope by approximately 50%.
Attach hook to load bearing part.
The vehicle engine should be
running during winch opera-
tion. If considerable winching is
performed with the engine off,
the battery may be too weak to
restart the engine.
Single Line
Double Line
Figure 2
4
2. AFTER READING AND UNDER-
STANDING THIS MANUAL, LEARN
TO USE YOUR WINCH. After
installing the winch, practice
using it so you will be familiar
with it when the need arises.
3. DO NOT "move" your vehicle to
assist the winch in pulling the
load. The combination of the
winch and vehicle pulling togeth-
er could overload the wire rope
and the winch.
4. ALWAYS STAND CLEAR OF WIRE
ROPE, HOOK AND WINCH. IN THE
UNLIKELY EVENT OF ANY COM-
PONENT FAILURE IT'S BEST TO BE
OUT OF HARM'S WAY.
5. INSPECT WIRE ROPE AND EQUIP-
MENT FREQUENTLY. A FRAYED
WIRE ROPE WITH BROKEN
STRANDS SHOULD BE
REPLACED IMMEDIATELY.
Always replace wire rope with
the manufacturer's identical
replacement part (see
Replacement Parts List).
Periodically check the winch
installation to ensure that all
bolts are tight.
6. USE HEAVY LEATHER GLOVES
when handling wire rope. DO
NOT LET WIRE ROPE SLIDE
THROUGH YOUR HANDS.
7. NEVER WINCH WITH LESS THAN 5
TURNS of wire rope AROUND THE
WINCH DRUM since the wire rope
end fastener may NOT withstand
full load.
G E N E R A L S A F E T Y
I N F O R M A T I O N
( C O N T. )
8. KEEP CLEAR OF WINCH, TAUT
WIRE ROPE AND HOOK WHEN
OPERATING WINCH. Never put
your finger through the hook. If
your finger should become
trapped in the hook, you could
lose your finger. ALWAYS USE
THE HANDSAVER when
guiding the wire rope
in or out (See Figure 3).
Figure 3
9. NEVER HOOK THE WIRE ROPE
BACK ONTO ITSELF because you
could damage the wire rope.
Use a nylon sling (Figure 4).
Wrong
Right
Figure 4
10. It is a good idea to lay a heavy
blanket or jacket over the wire
rope near the hook end when
pulling heavy loads (Figure 5). If
a wire rope failure should occur,
the cloth will act as a damper
and help prevent the rope from
whipping.
Figure 5
11. NEVER USE YOUR WINCH
FOR LIFTING OR MOVING
PEOPLE.
12. Your winch is not intended for
overhead hoisting operations.
13. AVOID CONTINUOUS PULLS
FROM EXTREME ANGLES as this
will cause the wire rope to pile
up on one end of the drum
(Figure 6). This can jam the wire
rope in the winch, causing damage
to the rope or the winch.
Wrong
Right
Figure 6
14. NEVER OBSCURE THE WARNING
INSTRUCTION LABELS.
15. Always operate winch with an
unobstructed view of the winch-
ing operation.
16. Equipment such as tackle, hooks,
pulley blocks, straps, etc. should
be sized to the winching task
and should be periodically
inspected for damage that could
reduce their strength.
.
5