Polaris ACE 570 (2018 year). Manual - part 19

80

WINCH GUIDE

Winch Operation

14. The winch motor may become hot during winch use. If you winch 

for more than 45 seconds, or if the winch stalls during operation, 

stop winching and permit the winch to cool down for 10 minutes 

before using it again.

15. After winching is complete, especially if winching at an angle, it 

may be necessary to re-distribute the winch cable across the winch 

drum. You will need an assistant to perform this task.

A. Release the clutch on the winch.
B. Feed out the winch cable that is unevenly bunched up in one area.
C. Re-engage the winch clutch.
D. Have an assistant pull the winch cable tightly with about 100 lbs. (45 

kg) of tension using the hook strap.

E. Slowly winch the cable in while your assistant moves the end of the 

winch cable back and forth horizontally to evenly distribute the winch 

cable on the drum.

F.

Doing this reduces the chances of the winch cable “wedging” itself 

between lower layers of winch cable.

81

WINCH GUIDE

Winch Cable Care

For your safety, always replace POLARIS winch parts (including the 

cable) with genuine POLARIS replacement parts available at your 

authorized POLARIS dealer.

WARNING! Use of worn or damaged cable could lead to sudden failure and 

SEVERE INJURY.

1. Always inspect your winch before each use. Inspect for worn or 

loose parts including mounting hardware. Never use the winch if 

any part needs repair or replacement.

2. Always inspect your winch cable before each use. Inspect for worn 

or kinked winch cable.

A. A kinked winch cable made of 

wire rope is shown at right. Even 

after being “straightened out,” 

this cable has already been 

permanently and severely 

damaged. Promptly discontinue 

use of a winch cable in this 

condition. 

B. A kinked winch cable made of 

wire rope that has been 

“straightened out” is shown at 

right. Even though it may look 

usable, the cable has been 

permanently and severely damaged. It can no longer transmit the load 

that it could prior to kinking. Promptly discontinue use of a winch cable 

in this condition.

C. A winch cable made of 

synthetic rope should be 

inspected for signs of fraying. 

Replace the cable if fraying is 

observed (shown at right). 

Promptly discontinue use of a 

winch cable in this condition.

D. Also replace the winch cable if there are fused or melted fibers. Such 

an area of the synthetic rope will be stiff and appear smooth or glazed. 

Promptly discontinue use of a winch cable in this condition.

A

B

C

82

WINCH GUIDE

Shock Loading

WARNING! Your winch cable is very strong but it is NOT designed for dynamic, 

or “shock” loading. Shock loading may tension a winch cable beyond its strength 

and cause the cable to break. The end of a broken winch cable under such high 

loading can cause SEVERE INJURY or DEATH to you and other bystanders.

Winch cables are designed to NOT absorb energy. This is true of both 

wire-rope and synthetic-rope winch cables.
1. Never attempt to “jerk” a load with the winch. For example, never 

take up slack in the winch cable by moving the winching vehicle in 

an attempt to move an object. This is a dangerous practice. It gener-

ates high winch cable loads that may exceed the strength of the 

cable. Even a slowly moving vehicle can create large shock loads in 

a winch cable.

WARNING! SEVERE INJURY or DEATH can result from a broken winch cable.

2. Never quickly turn the winch ON and OFF repeatedly (“jogging”). 

This puts extra load on the winch, winch cable, and generates 

excessive heat from the motor. This is a form of shock loading.

3. Never tow a vehicle or other object with your winch. Towing an 

object with a winch produces shock loading of the cable even when 

towing at slow speeds. Towing from a winch also positions the 

towing force high on the vehicle. This can cause instability of the 

vehicle and possibly lead to an accident.

4. Never use recovery straps with your winch. Recovery straps are 

designed to stretch and can store energy. This stored energy in the 

recovery strap is released if a winch cable fails making the event 

even more hazardous. Similarly, never use elastic “bungie” cords 

for winching.

5. Never use the winch to tie down a vehicle to a trailer or other 

transportation vehicle. This type of use also causes shock loading 

that can cause damage to the winch, winch cable, or vehicles used.

Your winch cable is designed and tested to withstand the loads 

produced by the winch motor when operated from a stationary 

vehicle. Always remember that the winch and winch cable are NOT 

designed for shock loading.

83

WINCH GUIDE

Winch Maintenance and Service Safety

WARNING! Improper or lack of winch maintenance and service could lead to 

SEVERE INJURY or DEATH. Always follow all winch instructions and warnings 

in this manual.

1. Always inspect your winch before each use. Inspect for worn or 

kinked winch cable. Also inspect for worn or loose parts including 

mounting hardware.

2. Permit your winch motor to cool down prior to servicing your 

winch.

3. Never work on your winch without first disconnecting the battery 

connections to prevent accidental activation of the winch.

4. For your safety, always replace POLARIS winch parts (including 

the cable) with genuine POLARIS replacement parts available at 

your authorized POLARIS dealer.

5. Some winch models use wire rope as the winch cable. Other 

winches use a specially designed synthetic rope as the winch cable.

6. Never replace a synthetic-rope winch cable with a consumer-grade 

polymer rope such as can be purchased in a hardware store. 

Although they may look similar, they are NOT alike. A polymer 

rope not designed for winch use will stretch and store excessive 

energy when winching.

WARNING! Failure of a stretched rope under winching conditions will release 

all of the stored energy. This will increase the chances of SEVERE INJURY or 

DEATH.