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| The following INVALUABLE winch related information was
written and provided by Warn Industries Offroad Products, the Worldwide
authority in Winches and other offroad related products. Visit Warn
on the web at www.Warn.com or contact
your local dealer for Warn products. |
WINCH GUIDE - GENERAL SAFETY
The Basic Guide to
Winching Techniques
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 TABLE OF CONTENTS:
General Safety Precautions
Winch basics
How the winch works
Winch accessories & enhancements
Before you pull
Pulling
Rigging techniques
Maintenance
The final analysis
General Safety Precautions
As you read these instructions, you will see WARNINGS,
CAUTIONS, NOTICES and NOTES. Each message has a specific purpose. WARNINGS are
safety messages that indicate a potentially hazardous situation, which, if not
avoided could result in serious injury. CAUTIONS are safety messages that
indicate a potentially hazardous situation which, if not avoided, may result in
minor or moderate injury. A CAUTION may also be used to alert against unsafe
practice. CAUTIONS and WARNINGS identify the hazard, indicate how to avoid
hazard, and advise of the probable consequence of not avoiding the hazard.
NOTICES are messages to avoid property damage. NOTES are additional information
to help you complete a procedure. PLEASE WORK SAFELY!
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WARNING |
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MOVING PARTS ENTANGLEMENT HAZARD
Failure to observe these instructions could lead to severe injury or
death.
To avoid injury to hands or fingers.
- Always keep hands clear of wire rope, hook loop,
hook and fairlead opening during installation, operation, and when
spooling in or out.
- Always use extreme caution when handling hook and
wire rope during spooling operations.
- Always use supplied hook strap whenever spooling
wire rope in or out, during installation or operation to avoid injury to
hands or fingers.
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WARNING |
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CHEMICAL AND FIRE HAZARD
Failure to observe these instructions could lead to severe injury or
death.
- Always remove jewelry and wear eye protection.
- Never lean over battery while making connections.
- Always verify area when drilling is clear of fuel
lines, fuel tank, brake lines, electrical wires, etc
- Never route electrical cables: - Across any sharp
edges. - Through or near moving parts. - Near parts that become hot.
- Always insulate and protect all exposed wiring
and electrical terminals.
- Always install terminal boots as directed in
installation instructions.
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WARNING |
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FALLING OR CRUSHING HAZARD
Failure to observe these instructions could lead to severe injury or
death.
- Never use as an overhead hoist, or to suspend a
load.
- Never use to lift or move persons.
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CAUTION |
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MOVING PARTS ENTANGLEMENT HAZARD
Failure to observe these instructions could lead to minor or moderate
injury.General Safety:
- Always Know Your Winch: Take time to fully read
and understand the included Installation and Operations guide, and Basic
Guide to Winching Techniques, in order to understand your winch and the
winching operation.
- Never operate this winch if you are under 16
years of age.
- Never operate this winch when under the influence
of drugs, alcohol or medication.
- Never exceed winch or wire rope rated capacity.
Double line using a snatch block to reduce winch load.
Installation Safety:
- Always choose a mounting location that is
sufficiently strong to withstand the maximum pulling capacity of your
winch.
- Always use factory approved switches, remote
controls, accessories and installation components.
- Always use grade 5 or better hardware, never weld
bolts and never use longer bolts than those supplied from factory.
- Always complete winch mounting and attachment of
hook to hook loop before wiring winch during installation.
- Always position fairlead with WARNING label on
top.
- Always spool the wire rope onto the drum as
indicated by the drum rotation label on the winch. Required for
automatic brake to work (if winch is so equipped) and for correct
installation orientation.
- Always prestretch wire rope and respool under
load before use. Tightly wound wire rope reduces chances of "binding",
which is wire rope working it's way down into a loosely wound wire rope
layer, and catching or damaging itself.
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CAUTION |
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MOVING PARTS ENTANGLEMENT HAZARD
Failure to observe these instructions could lead to minor or moderate
injury.Winching Safety:
- Always inspect winch installation and wire rope
condition before operating winch. Frayed, kinked or damaged wire rope
must be replaced immediately. Loose or damaged winch installation must
be corrected immediately.
- Never leave remote control plugged into winch
while free spooling, rigging, or sitting idle.
- Never hook wire rope back onto itself. This
damages the wire rope. Always use a choker chain, wire choker rope or
tree trunk protector on the anchor.
- Always prior to winching, remove any element that
may interfere with safe winch operation.
- Always take your time when rigging for a winch
pull.
- Always be certain the anchor you select will
withstand the load, and the strap or chain will not slip.
- Never engage or disengage clutch if winch is
under load, wire rope is in tension or wire rope drum is moving.
- Always unspool as much wire rope as possible when
rigging. Double line or pick distant anchor point.
- Never winch with less than 5 wraps of wire rope
around the drum, the wire rope could come loose from the drum.
- Always stand clear of wire rope and load during
operation.
- Never touch wire rope or hook while in tension or
under load.
- Never touch wire rope or hook while someone else
is at the control switch or during winching operation.
- Never touch wire rope or hook while remote
control is plugged into winch.
- Always stand clear of wire rope and load and keep
others away while winching.
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CAUTION |
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MOVING PARTS ENTANGLEMENT HAZARD
Failure to observe these instructions could lead to minor or moderate
injury.Winching Safety:
- Always require operator and bystanders to be
aware of stability during winching of vehicle and/or load.
- Always keep remote control lead clear of the
drum, wire rope and rigging. Inspect for cracks, pinches, frayed wires
or loose connections. Replace if damaged.
- Always pass remote control through a window to
avoid pinching lead in door, when using remote inside a vehicle.
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CAUTION |
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CUT AND BURN HAZARD
Failure to observe these instructions could lead to minor or moderate
injury.To avoid injury to hands or
fingers:
- Always wear heavy leather gloves when handling a
wire rope.
- Never let wire rope slip through your hands.
To avoid injury to hands or fingers:
- Always be aware of possible hot surface at winch
motor, drum or wire rope during or after winch use.
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NOTICE |
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AVOID WINCH AND EQUIPMENT DAMAGE
- Always avoid continuous side pulls which can pile
up wire rope at one end of the drum. This can damage your wire rope or
winch.
- Always ensure the clutch is fully engaged or
disengaged.
- Never use winch to tow other vehicles. Shock
loads can momentarily exceed capacity of wire rope and winch.
- Always use care to not damage your frame when
anchoring your vehicle during a winching operation.
- Never "jog" wire rope under load. Shock loads can
momentarily exceed capacity of wire rope and winch.
- Never use winch to secure a load during
transport.
- Never submerge winch in water.
- Always store the remote control in a protected,
clean, dry area.
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Basic Guide to Winching
Techniques - Next
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© 2005 Copyright Warn Industries, Inc. All rights reserved.
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