Your winch is a powerful piece of machinery. It is important that you understand the basics of its operation and specifications so that when you need to use it, you can use it with confidence and safety. Below is a list of the components of your winch and their use. You should practice using your winch before you are in a situation where you need to use it.

1. This winch is engineered for maximum line pull with only one layer of cable spooled onto the winch drum (the first layer).
2. Motor: Your motor is powered by a 12/24 volt battery and provides power to the gear mechanism which turns the drum and winds the wire rope;
3. Winch Drum: The winch drum is the cylinder on which the wire rope is stored. It can feed or wind the rope depending on the remote winch switch.
4. Wire Rope: Your winch has a galvanized aircraft cable designed specifically for load capacity of rated line pull. The wire rope feeds onto the drum in the “under wind” position through the roller fairlead and is looped at the end to accept the clevis hook pin.
5. Roller Fairlead: When using the winch at an angle the roller fairlead acts to guide the wire rope onto the drum and minimizes damage to the wire rope from abrasion on the winch mount or bumper.
6. Mechanic Gear System: The reduction gears convert the winch motor power into extreme pulling forces.
7. Braking System: Braking action is automatically applied to the winch drum when the winch motor is stopped and there is a load on the wire rope. A separate mechanical brake applies the braking action.
8. Free Spooling Clutch: The clutch allows the operator to manually disengage (“CLUTCH OUT”) the spooling drum from the gear train, free spool. Engaging the clutch (“CLUTCH IN”) locks the winch into the gear system.

9. Solenoid: Power from the vehicle battery flows through the weather-sealed switch before being directed to the winch motor.

1. Remote Switch: The Power switch leads have a dual switch for powering in or powering out your winch drum. The remote switch allows you to stand clear of the wire rope when the winch is under load.
2. Wireless Remote Control: allow you control winch far from 50 Ft away.
3. Universal Flat Bed Mounting Channel: Your winch could have been optionally supplied with a flat bed mounting channel that can be mounted to most flat surfaces such as trailers, step bumpers, truck beds, etc. The mounting channel also has holes to accept your roller fairlead.
4. Snatch Block: If your winch is supplied with a snatch block that can double the pulling power of the winch, or change the pulling direction without damaging the wire rope. We recommend you to use double line and snatch block for pulling over 70% of the rated line pull.

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

WARNING

WARNING – Do not exceed rated capacity shown in this table.

WARNING – Intermittent use only. Allow winch to cool between uses.

WARNING – Do not use winch to lift (vertically).

WARNING – Do not use winch to pull or move people in any way.

WARNING – NEVER cut, weld, or modify any part of the winch or cable.

WARNING – A minimum of five wraps of cable around the drum barrel is necessary for pulling and holding the rated load.

WARNING – Keep yourself and others a safe distance to the side of the cable when it is under tension.

WARNING – The wire rope may break before the motor stalls. For heavy loads at or near rated capacity, use a pulley block/snatch block to reduce the load on the wire rope.

WARNING – Never step over a cable, or go near a cable under load.

WARNING – Don’t move the vehicle to pull a load (towing) on the winch cable. This could result in cable breakage.

WARNING – Disconnect the remote control and battery leads when not in use.

WARNING – Avoid “shock loads” by using the control switch intermittently to take up the slack in the wire rope. “Shock loads” can far exceed the rate capacity for the wire rope and drum.

WARNING – Do not exceeds maximum line pull ratings shown on the tables.

WARNING – When spooling the cable ensure that the cable spools in the under-wind position with the cable entering the drum from the bottom, not the top. To spool correctly you should keep a slight load on the cable while pushing the remote button to draw in the cable. Walk toward the winch not allowing the cable to slide through your hands. Do not let your hands get within 12 in. of the winch while spooling. Turn off the winch and repeat the procedure until a few feet of cable is left. Disconnect the remote control and finish spooling by rotating the drum by hand with the clutch disengaged. Keep your hands clear of the fairlead and drum while the winch is under power.

Do not use as a hoist. Do not use for overhead lifting.

Failure to heed these warnings may result in personal injury and/or property damage.

WARNING – Use gloves to protect hands when handling the cable. Never let the cable slide through your hands.

WARNING –Never connect the cable back to itself. Apply blocks to the wheels of the vehicle when on an incline. Duration of winching pulls should be kept as short as possible. If the motor becomes uncomfortably hot to the touch, stop winching immediately and let it cool down for a few minutes. Do not pull for more than one minute at or near the rated load.

CAUTION – If the motor stalls do not maintain power to the winch. Electric winches are designed and made for intermittent use and should not be used in constant duty applications.

CAUTION – Never disengage the clutch when there is a load on the winch.

CAUTION – Use the hand saver hook when handling the hook for spooling or un-spooling the wire rope.

GENERAL TIPS FOR SAFE OPERATION

• The winch and its all-derivative types are rated at rated capacity when spooling the first rope layer on the drum. Overloading can damage the winch/motor/ or wire rope. For loads over 70% of rated line pull, we recommend the use of the pulley block/snatch block to double the wire rope line. This will aid in two ways: a) reduce the number or rope layers on the drum, as well as, b) reduce the load on the wire rope by as much as 50%. When doubling the line back to the vehicle, attach to the frame or other load bearing part.
• The vehicle engine should be kept running during operation of the winch to minimize battery drain and maximize power and speed of the winch. If the winch is used for a considerable amount of time with the engine off, the battery may be drained and too weak to restart the engine.
• Get to know your winch before you actually need to use it. We recommend that you set up a few test runs to familiarize yourself with rigging techniques, the sounds your winch makes under various loads, the way the cable spools on the drum, etc.
• Inspect the wire rope and equipment before each use. A frayed or damaged rope must be replaced immediately. Use only the manufacturer’s replacement rope with the exact specifications.
• Inspect the winch installation and bolts to ensure that all bolts are tight before each operation.
• Never connect the cable back to itself. This will cause cable damage. Always use a snatch block, sling or chain of suitable strength as shown in the illustrations.
• Store the remote control inside your vehicle in a place that it will not be damaged.
• Any winch that appears to be damaged in any way, is found to be worn, or operates abnormally shall be removed from service.
• Pull only on parts of the vehicle as specified by the vehicle manufacturer.
• Only attachments and/or adapters supplied by the manufacturer shall be used.
• Whenever before your winch start to working, please slightly test-run your winch in two direction, even if the winch drum only round a few degree of angle, ensure the winch is well-balanced, especially after you operated the clutch, test-running winch can make winch in gear.

WINCHING TECHNIQUES A-Z

1. Take time to asses your situation and plan your pull.
2. Put on gloves to protect your hands.
3. Disengage the clutch to allow free-spooling and to save energy.
4. Attach the hand saver hook to the clevis hook.
5. Pull out the wire rope to your desired anchor point using the hand saver hook.
6. Secure the clevis hook to the anchor point: Sling, chain or snatch block. Do not attach the hook back onto the wire rope.
7. Engage the clutch.
8. Connect the remote control to the winch.
9. Start your engine to ensure power is being replenished to the battery.
10. Power in the wire rope guiding the wire under tension to draw up the slack in the wire. Once the wire is under tension stand well clear. Never step over the wire rope.
11. Double-check your anchors and make sure all connections are secure.
12. Inspect the wire rope. Make sure there are at least 5 wraps of wire rope around the winch drum.
13. Drape a blanket or jacket over the wire rope approximately 5 to 6 feet from the hook. Open the hood for added protection.
14. Clear the area. Make sure all spectators are back and that no one is directly in front or behind the vehicle or anchor point.
15. Begin winching. Be sure that the wire rope is winding evenly and tightly around the drum. The vehicle that is being winched can be slowly driven to add assistance to the winching process. Avoid shock loads; keep the wire rope under tension.
16. The vehicle to be winched should be placed in neutral and the emergency brake released. Only release the brake pedal when under full tension. Avoid shock loads to the winch. This can damage the winch, rope and vehicle.
17. The winch is meant for intermittent use. Under full load with a single line rig do not power in for more than a minute without letting the motor cool down for a few minutes and then resume the winching operation.
18. The winching operation is complete once the vehicle is on stable ground and is able to drive under its own power.
19. Secure the vehicle. Be sure to set the brakes and place the vehicle in park.
20. Release the tension on the wire rope. The winch is not meant to hold the vehicle for long periods of time.
21. Disconnect the wire rope from the anchor.
22. Rewind the wire rope. Make sure that any wire already on the drum has spooled tightly and neatly. If not, draw out the wire and re-spool from the point where the rope is tight.
23. Keep your hands clear of the winch drum and fairlead as the wire rope is being drawn in.
24. Secure the hook and hook strap.
25. Disconnect the remote control and store in a clean, dry place.
26. Clean and inspect connections and mounting hardware for next winching operation.