|
|
|
172 STARTING AND OPERATING
(Continued) General Information Practice using your winch before you get stuck. Some key points to remember when using your winch are: Always take your time to assess the situation and plan your pull carefully. Always take your time when using a winch. Use the right equipment for the situation. Always wear leather gloves and do not allow the synthetic rope to slip through your hands when handling the rope. Only the operator should handle the synthetic rope and remote control. Think safety at all times. Vehicle Recovery Using The Winch Always stand clear of synthetic rope and load and keep others away during winching. Always keep hands and clothing clear of the synthetic rope, hook and fairlead opening during operation and when spooling. Never wrap synthetic rope back onto itself. Always use a choker chain, wire choker rope or tree trunk protector on the anchor. Never attach a recovery strap to the winch hook to increase the length of a pull. Never attempt to tow a vehicle with the recovery strap attached directly to the winch hook. Never use bungee or kinetic straps that develop tremendous and potentially dangerous amounts of force when stretched. Always disconnect the remote control when not in use. Never winch when there are less than 10 wraps of synthetic rope around the winch drum. WARNING! Always pass remote control through a window to avoid pinching lead in door, when using remote inside a vehicle. Never leave the remote control plugged into the winch while free spooling, rigging or sitting idle. WARNING! CAUTION! Always know your winch: Take the time to fully read and understand the included Installation and Operations Guide, and Basic Guide to Winching Techniques, in order to understand your winch and the winching operation. Always inspect winch installation and synthetic rope condition before operating the winch. Frayed, kinked or damaged rope must be replaced immediately. Loose or damaged winch installation must be corrected immedi - ately. Always be sure any element which can inter - fere with safe winching operations is removed prior to initiating winching. Always keep remote control lead clear of the drum, synthetic rope and rigging. Inspect for cracks, pinches, frayed rope, or loose connections. Replace if damaged. Be careful not to pull the winch rope collar through the rollers. Watch and listen to winch for proper snugness. Never power hook through fairlead. Could cause damage. |