To The Wire: Steps for Winching Success

Other, Sport ATV, UTV, Utility ATV — By admin on December 18, 2006 at 12:00 pm

One second of inattention could lead to months of regret and excruciating pain. But, in the heat of the moment, it’s often easy to get careless when winching. Much like the ATV itself, winches need to be treated with the utmost respect every time they are in use.
Thousands of times a day, ATV owners venture out into the fields and trails to utilize their machine for work and pleasure. And many times their ATV adventures involve using a winch. Winches are extremely useful tools when used properly.
There are thousands of situations where one needs a winch. Since we can’t cover them all, we have detailed the basic techniques offered up from Warn Winch that one should follow for long-term winching success.

Winching Accessories Enhance Safety
A winch alone can be a valuable tool out on the trail or during a hunt but, with the addition of several accessories, it can be much more productive and safe. There are several items that are crucial to winching success, while others will ease the stress of pulling or rigging.
Most winches now come standard with a hook strap. But, if your winch doesn’t have a strap, go out and purchase one immediately. The strap keeps fingers and hands away from the fairlead when the rope or cable is being pulled in or out. We know of one winch owner who recently lost his left index finger because he didn’t own a strap. Before he could cut power, his finger got stuck in a pinch point and it was severed to the second knuckle, removing a chunk of skin in the process. While hours of surgery saved his hand from looking like the Terminator’s, it could have all been avoided with the strap.
Gloves are also a key component during winching. We recommend leather gloves, which protect skin from metal barbs along the cable. But, even with gloves on, an operator should never let the wire rope slide through the hands.
Many winch operators also carry snatch blocks (pictured on pg. 32) that are a huge aid in the winching process. Warn Winch says snatch blocks can increase the pulling power of the winch and allow the operator to change the pulling direction without damaging the wire rope.
Connected to the the hook or snatch block, Clevis or D-shackles provide a safe way to connect the wire rope to a pulling point. D-shackles are often connected to choker chains, which one should always use if the winch is intended for hooking up to another vehicle. The chain reduces the possibility of the wire rope becoming severed by sharp edges or even rocks when connecting to another vehicle.
But, as Warn notes, the choker chain will damage and kill trees. ATVers should carry a tree trunk protector that is made of tough nylon. Note: A tree trunk protector is not the same as a recovery strap that riders use to snatch out vehicles. Warn says a recovery strap is designed to stretch, therefore it stores energy and acts like a rubber band if it snaps.
To reduce stress on the winch and wire rope, many times a shovel or other hand tools will be helpful so the winch operator doesn’t exceed the maximum pull rating.

Tips For Rigging, Pulling
Before rigging your winch for a pull, ensure that the remote is not connected to the power source. This eliminates the possibility of the winch spooling on accident. And inspect the wire rope for frays or weak points. Now it’s time to find a safe location to attach the wire rope that can withstand the rigors of the pulling situation at hand. Once the location is determined, put on your gloves and disengage the clutch. There is a lever on the side of the winch to allow disengagement.
Disengaging the clutch allows the operator to freespool the wire rope out from the winch drum. This conserves battery power. Now you are ready to pull the wire rope to the predetermined anchor point. Grab the winch strap and pull out wire.
For the best results, the winch has more pulling power the more line that is out. With fewer layers of wire on the drum, pulling power is increased. If possible, double the line out and use a snatch block. For a double line, attach the hook to your ATV’s frame (not the winch mounting plate). The snatch block should be in the middle of the line and at the point where you plan to pull. Pull out the desired length of cable using the snatch block.
Now secure the wire rope to the determined anchor point. Do this using a D-shackle for best results. D-shackles come with a threaded pin for ease of use. After you have secured to your anchor point, walk back to the ATV and lock the clutch on the winch to engage.
Your next step will be to connect the remote control to the power source. Stand clear of the ATV when connecting the remote control and make sure the wire rope and remote control cords are free from each other so they don’t tangle.
Once the remote control is connected, it is time to put the wire under tension. Slowly spool wire in so there is no slack remaining in the line. At this point, carefully inspect the winch drum to make sure wire rope is spooling correctly. Also, check the anchor point again before continuing with the winching process.
To avoid snap back if the wire rope breaks, one should lay a heavy object over the rope midway between the anchor point and the ATV. If the line does happen to break, it will absorb any energy when line snaps back. Warn recommends using a heavy tree branch, jacket, chain or backpack.
Before beginning the winching process, make sure all people are clear of the intended winching zone. This eliminates the possibility of injury if an anchor point or the wire rope fails. Start spooling in the wire rope slowly. Continue to monitor the spooling drum for even and tight winding. If you are using the winch for an extended winching session, make sure to pause at intervals to allow the motor to cool down and avoid burnout.
If you are using the winch for vehicle recovery, Warn says that you should make sure the vehicle being recovered is on stable ground before stopping the winching process. Once the ATV is on solid, stable ground, put the transmission in park or engage the parking brake so it doesn’t slip. Now you can release any tension remaining in the wire rope and disconnect it from the anchor point.
The winch operator should now spool the remaining wire rope by walking it in to the winch. When the rope is in tight, disconnect the remote control from the power source.

Winch Maintenance
If you routinely use your winch or just use it on occasion, there is general maintenance one should do for optimum performance. Always inspect the wire rope for frays or kinks and, if it is damaged, replace it immediately.
Also, winching often involves pulling buddies’ ATVs out of mud pits or large game from steep embankments. This leads to mud, dirt and other debris caking the wire rope. In this situation, freespool the wire rope and clean it with a rag. Warn says a light oil can also be applied, which prevents corrosion from forming on the cable and hook.
Inspect your ATV’s battery and all electrical connections before venturing out for a ride. It is best to catch any poor connections or weak batteries before getting in a sticky situation.

Editor’s note: for a complete step-by-step winch install, visit www.ATVmagonline.com and search for Installing a SuperWinch ATV3000.