WARN SNATCH BLOCK - Manual (Page 8)

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WARN INDUSTRIES • THE BASIC GUIDE TO WINCHING TECHNIQUES
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WARN INDUSTRIES • THE BASIC GUIDE TO WINCHING TECHNIQUES
Step 13:
MAKE YOUR INTENTIONS
CLEAR
. Be sure that everyone in the
immediate vicinity surrounding the winching operation is completely aware of your intentions before you pull. Declare where the spectators should not stand — never behind or in front of the vehicle and never near the wire rope or snatch block. Your situation may have other “no people” zones. Step 14:
BEGIN WINCHING
. With the
winching vehicle’s engine on and light tension already on the wire rope, begin winching slowly and steadily. Be sure that the wire rope is winding evenly and tightly around the spooling drum. For additional assistance, the winched vehicle can be slowly driven while being pulled by the winch.
Step 15:
FOR VEHICLE RECOVERY,
continue pulling until the vehicle is on stable ground. If you are able to drive the vehicle, the winching operation is complete. Step 16:
SECURE VEHICLE.
Once
recovery of the vehicle is complete, be sure to secure the vehicle’s brakes and put the Transmission in “park”. Release tension in the wire rope.
Establish “no people” zones:
What to look for under load
The wire rope must always
spool onto the drum as indicated by the drum rotation decal on the winch.
As you power in, make sure the
wire rope winds evenly and tightly on the drum. This prevents the outer wire wraps from drawing into the inner wraps, binding and damaging the wire rope.
Avoid shock loads by using the
control switch intermittently to take up wire rope slack. Shock loads can momentarily far exceed the winch and wire rope ratings.
During side pulls the wire rope
tends to stack up at one end of the drum. This stack can become large enough to cause serious damage to the winch. So, line up pulls as straight ahead as possible and stop winching if the wire rope comes close to the tie rods or mounting plate. To fix an uneven stack, spool out that section of the rope and reposition it to the opposite end of the drum which will free up space for continued winching.
Step 11:
CHECK WIRE ROPE.
The wire
rope should be neatly wound around the spooling drum. Improper winding can cause damage to the wire rope. Step 12:
LAY SOMETHING OVER THE
WIRE ROPE,
if you decide it is
necessary, midway between the winch and the anchor point to absorb energy should the wire rope snap loose. Tree limbs, heavy jackets, chain, back pack and the like may be used for this purpose.
As you probably have already noticed,
there are many things to do and consider before you actually begin pulling. Think through what you’re doing and you can keep yourself and those around you out of harm’s way.
Operating your winch properly is so
important, in fact, you should practice these techniques before having to face the distractions and stresses of a real winching situation.
Never use the winch as a hoist. Never use the winch’s wire rope to tow another vehicle.
!
CAUTION
Always avoid continuous side pulls which can pile up wire rope at one end of the drum. This pile up of wire can damage wire rope or winch.
NOTICE
Avoid over- heating the winch motor. For extended winching, stop at reasonable intervals to allow the winch motor to cool down.
NOTICE
PULLING