Harbor Freight Tools 61237 Owner's Manual
Table of Contents
Safety ......................................................... 2
Setup .......................................................... 6
Operation .................................................... 8
SAFETY OPERATION MAINTENANCESETUP
Symbol Property or Statement
Maintenance .............................................. 12
Parts List and Diagram .............................. 14
Warranty .................................................... 16
WARNING SYMBOLS AND DEFINITIONS
This is the safety alert symbol. It is used to alert you to potential
personal injury hazards. Obey all safety messages that
follow this symbol to avoid possible injury or death.
Indicates a hazardous situation which, if not avoided,
will result in death or serious injury.
Indicates a hazardous situation which, if not avoided,
could result in death or serious injury.
Indicates a hazardous situation which, if not avoided,
could result in minor or moderate injury.
Addresses practices not related to personal injury.
Symbol Property or Statement
Wear heavy-duty, cut- and
abrasion-resistant leather gloves.
Wear ANSI-approved safety glasses.
Cut or sever hazard.
Roller entanglement hazard.
Hot surface burn hazard.
Fire hazard.
Caustic chemical (acid) hazard.
VDC
A
fpm
Do not place finger(s) through hook.
Fingers may be caught and
get pulled into drum.
Pull hook using strap only.
Do not use winch in
underwind orientation. (Wire rope
enters/exits at the bottom.)
Use winch only in
overwind orientation. (Wire rope
enters/exits at the top.)
Volts Direct Current
Amperes
Feet Per Minute
International Protection rating.
Explosion hazard.
IP
Do not loop the wire rope around
object and hook onto itself.
Page 2 For technical questions, please call 1-800-444-3353. Item 61237
Classifies the degrees of
protection provided against the
intrusion of solid objects, dust,
accidental contact, and water.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
WARNING! Read all instructions.
Failure to follow all instructions listed on page 3 to page 5 may result in fire, serious injury
and/or DEATH.
The warnings and precautions discussed in this manual cannot cover all possible conditions and
situations that may occur. It must be understood by the operator that common sense and caution
are factors which cannot be built into this product, but must be supplied by the operator.
Installation Specific Safety Information
7. Ventilate area well before and while working
on battery. Explosive invisible hydrogen gas
1. Do not wear loose clothing or jewelry,
as they can be caught in moving parts.
Non-skid footwear is recommended.
Wear restrictive hair covering to contain long hair.
2. Wear ANSI-approved safety goggles and
heavy-duty leather work gloves during installation.
3. Before installation confirm that area is clear
of fuel lines, brake lines, electrical wires,
gas tanks or any other component which
could be damaged during drilling.
4. Mounting location and hardware
must support Winch and load.
5. Winch is not waterproof and is not intended
for use underwater. Do not mount in locations
that are subject to submersion in water.
6. Use supplied power cables and wire rope or
replacement cables listed in manual only. Do not
use thinner/longer cables or link multiple cables
together. Do not route electrical cables near sharp
edges or parts that will move or become hot.
can accumulate and then explode when ignited
by a spark from the battery connection.
8. Only connect to a clean, corrosion free battery.
9. Do not lean over or come in contact with
battery while making connections.
10. Remove all metal jewelry before
working near battery.
11. Connect red wire to positive battery terminal
and black wire to negative battery terminal.
12. Insulate all exposed wiring and
terminals after installation.
13. Install Winch in overwind orientation,
so that the Wire Rope enters and exits
the Winch at the top of the drum.
14. For temporary Winch mounting, only use the
Adapter Plate (56) with a 2" hitch ball. Do not
use Adapter Plate to attach Winch to anything
other than hitch ball. Bolt Adapter Plate to
Winch Frame Assembly (31) before mounting
to hitch ball. Do not use a different plate to
install on hitch ball. Do not use hitch ball for
any other purpose while Winch is mounted.
SAFETYOPERATIONMAINTENANCE SETUP
Operation Specific Safety Information
3. Do not maintain power to the Winch if the motor
4. Do not disengage clutch under load.
1. Do not exceed load capacity. Be aware of
dynamic loading! Sudden load movement may
briefly create excess load causing product failure.
2. Wear ANSI-approved safety goggles and
heavy-duty leather work gloves during operation.
5. Keep clear of Wire Rope intake opening when
6. Do not place finger(s) through Hook.
stalls. Verify load is within rated capacity for the
Wire Rope layer; see Winch Specifications on
page 6. Make sure the battery is fully charged.
Use double line rigging whenever possible;
see Double Line Rigging on page 11.
Engage clutch before starting.
operating. Do not try to guide Wire Rope.
Fingers may be caught and get pulled into drum.
Use a hook strap (not included) to hold hook instead.
Page 3For technical questions, please call 1-800-444-3353.Item 61237
Operation Specific Safety Information (continued)
7. Stay out of the direct line that the Wire
Rope is pulling. If it slips or breaks, it
will “whiplash” along this line.
SAFETY OPERATION MAINTENANCESETUP
8. Place a heavy blanket or carpet (not included) over
Wire Rope span 6 feet from Hook to help absorb
the force released if the Wire Rope breaks.
9. Do not use for lifting or moving people.
10. Use a spotter to assist you in ensuring that it
is safe to operate the Winch. Make sure the
spotter is out of the way of the vehicle and the
Wire Rope before activating the Winch.
11. Do not use the Hand Crank, if equipped,
to “assist” the Winch.
12. Do not use vehicle to pull on the Wire Rope
and “assist” the Winch.
13. Use as intended only. Do not lift items
vertically or use for aircraft purposes.
14. At the start of winching when using temporary winch
mounting, take up slack slowly and make sure
Winch is securely and properly mounted to hitch ball.
15. Prevent entanglement. Do not wear loose clothing
or jewelry, as they can be caught in moving parts.
Non-skid footwear is recommended. Wear
restrictive hair covering to contain long hair.
16. Disconnect Battery Cable before working
near the Wire Rope, drum, or load,
to prevent accidental starting.
17. Inspect before every use; do not use if damaged
or parts loose. Examine the Winch for structural
cracks, bends, damage, frayed or kinked Wire
Rope, and any other conditions that may affect
the safe operation of the Winch. Do not use
the Winch even if minor damage appears. A
kink permanently weakens the Wire Rope, even
after it is straightened out; kinked Wire Rope
can fail suddenly and must not be used.
18. Keep wire rope straight to avoid kinking the wire
rope. The illustrations below show how a
kink forms and how to prevent kinking.
b. This wire rope is
kinked. It is too
late to reverse
the damage. At this
point, the wire rope must
be discarded. It is
permanently damaged and
must not
be used.
c. This is a kinked wire rope that has been
straightened out. Even though it has been
pulled straight, some wires in the wire rope
are stretched, and others are severely bent,
if not broken. The unstretched wires will
take more load and can fail suddenly before
the rope reaches its capacity. This wire
rope must be discarded and not be used.
A kink permanently weakens the wire rope,
even after it is straightened out. Kinked wire
rope can fail suddenly and must not be used.
19. Keep children and bystanders away while operating.
Distractions can cause you to lose control.
20. Stay alert, watch what you are doing and
use common sense when operating. Do not
use a winch while you are tired or under the
influence of drugs, alcohol or medication. A
moment of inattention while operating winches
may result in serious personal injury.
21. Do not overreach. Keep proper footing and
balance at all times. This enables better control
of the Winch in unexpected situations.
22. Hook onto the object using a pulling point, tow
strap or chain. Do not wrap the Wire Rope
around the object and hook onto the Wire Rope
itself. This can cause damage to the object
being pulled, and kink or fray the Wire Rope.
23. Do not use a Recovery Strap while
winching. They are designed to stretch
and can suddenly whip back towards the
operator during a winching operation.
24. Secure load after moving.
a. This illustration shows a kink about
to form. At this point the Winch
should be stopped and the wire
rope should be straightened out
to prevent kinking.
Page 4 For technical questions, please call 1-800-444-3353. Item 61237
NO LOCKING MECHANISM.
25. Keep at least 5 full turns of Wire Rope on drum.
The Wire Rope’s connection to the drum is not
intended to sustain a load without the added support
from the friction of at least 5 full turns of Wire Rope.
26. Wrap Wire Rope under 500 lb. tension before use.
Otherwise, Wire Rope may bind during operation.
27. Keep clear of Wire Rope, Hook, and load while
winching. Do not step over Wire Rope.
Do not push sideways against Wire Rope
under tension; Wire Rope might break
under this load and recoil back, striking the
person pushing against it or a bystander.
28. If Wire Rope begins to get entangled, stop Winch
immediately and release Wire Rope using switch.
29. Only winch with the winching vehicle′s
transmission in neutral. Winching with a vehicle′s
transmission in gear or park may damage
the transmission. A vehicle′s transmission is
not designed to handle that type of load.
30. Broken strands of Wire Rope will be sharp.
Wear heavy-duty work gloves when handling
the Wire Rope. Do not slide Wire Rope
through hands, even with gloves on.
31. Do not operate the Winch at extreme angles.
Do not exceed the angles shown in Figure A.
15°
Vertical
15°
32. If the object to be pulled must be pulled at an
angle in relation to the Winch, use a pulley
(sold separately) and an anchor point directly
in front of the Winch, as shown in Figure B,
to keep the Wire Rope pull straight.
Anchor Point
Winch
Pulley
SAFETYOPERATIONMAINTENANCE SETUP
Load
Figure B: Pulley Anchoring
33. Winch motor will be hot during
and after use. Keep clear.
34. Do not power the hook all the way into the Winch.
35. People with pacemakers should consult their
physician(s) before use. Electromagnetic fields in
close proximity to heart pacemaker could cause
pacemaker interference or pacemaker failure.
Winch
45°
Horizontal
45°
Figure A: Maximum Winching Angles
Service Specific Safety Information
1. Wear ANSI-approved safety goggles and
heavy-duty leather work gloves during service.
2. Disconnect power to Winch and allow it
to cool completely before service.
3. Use supplied power cables and wire rope
or replacement cables listed in manual
only. Do not use thinner/longer cables
or link multiple cables together.
4. Have the Winch serviced by a qualified repair person
using only identical replacement parts. This will
ensure that the safety of the Winch is maintained.
5. Maintain labels and nameplates on the Winch.
These carry important safety information.
If unreadable or missing, contact
Harbor Freight Tools for a replacement.
6. WARNING: Handling the cord on this product
will expose you to lead, a chemical known
to the State of California to cause cancer,
and birth defects or other reproductive harm.
Wash hands after handling. (California
Health & Safety Code § 25249.5, et seq.)
SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS.
Page 5For technical questions, please call 1-800-444-3353.Item 61237
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