Champion Power Equipment 14551 - Manual (Page 12)

Operation
8 Rev 14551-20090309
Winching Techniques A-Z
a. Take time to assess your situation and
plan your pull.
b. Put on gloves to protect your hands.
c. Disengage the clutch to allow free-
spooling and also save battery power.
d. Attach the hook strap to the clevis hook.
e. Pull out the wire rope to your desired
anchor point using the hook strap.
f. Secure the clevis hook to the anchor
point: Sling, chain or snatch block. Do
not attach the hook back onto the wire
rope.
g. Engage the clutch.
h. Connect the remote control to the
winch. If you are going to control the
winch from inside your vehicle then pass
the remote through an open window to
avoid the wires being pinched in the
door.
i. Start your engine to ensure power is
being replenished to the battery.
j. 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 clear. Never step over the wire
rope.
k. Double check your anchors and make
sure all connections are secure.
l. Inspect the wire rope. Make sure there
are at least 5 wraps of wire rope around
the winch drum.
m. Drape a blanket or jacket over the wire
rope approximately 5 to 6 feet from the
hook. Open the hood for added
protection.
n. Clear the area. Make sure all spectators
stand clear and that no one is directly in
front or behind the vehicle or anchor
point.
o. 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.
p. 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.
q. 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.
r. The winching operation is complete
once the vehicle is on stable ground and
is able to drive under its own power.
s. Secure the vehicle. Be sure to set the
brakes and place the vehicle in park.
t. Release the tension on the wire rope.
The winch is not meant to hold the
vehicle for long periods of time.
u. Disconnect the wire rope from the
anchor.
v. 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.
w. Keep your hands clear of the winch
drum and fairlead as the wire rope is
being drawn in.
x. Secure the hook and hook strap.
y. Disconnect the remote control and store
in a clean, dry place.
z. Clean and inspect connections and
mounting hardware for next winching
operation.