Harbor Freight Tools 61256 Owner's Manual

Owner’s Manual & Safety Instructions

Save This Manual Keep this manual for the safety warnings and precautions, assembly,

operating, inspection, maintenance and cleaning procedures. Write the product’s serial number in the
back of the manual near the assembly diagram (or month and year of purchase if product has no number).
Keep this manual and the receipt in a safe and dry place for future reference.

12000 LB CAPACITY

OFF-ROAD VEHICLE WINCH

Visit our website at: http://www.harborfreight.com

REV 13k

When unpacking, make sure that the product is intact

and undamaged. If any parts are missing or broken,

please call 1-888-866-5797 as soon as possible.

Copyright© 2013 by Harbor Freight Tools®. All rights reserved.

No portion of this manual or any artwork contained herein may be reproduced in

any shape or form without the express written consent of Harbor Freight Tools.

Diagrams within this manual may not be drawn proportionally. Due to continuing

improvements, actual product may differ slightly from the product described herein.

Tools required for assembly and service may not be included.

Email our technical support at: [e-mail]

ITEM 61256

Read this material before using this product.
Failure to do so can result in serious injury.
SAVE THIS MANUAL.

Table of Contents

Specifications ............................................. 2

Safety ......................................................... 3

Setup .......................................................... 8

Operation ................................................... 10

Specifications

Rated Single
Line Pull
Application Vehicle Recovery /

Motor 12VDC 6 HP Series Wound
Power IN &
Power OUT
Duty Cycle Rating 5% (45 sec at Max Rated Load;

Pendant Controller Wired, 12 ft (3.7m) long
Geartrain 3-Stage Planetary
Gear Ratio 265:1
Freespool Sliding Ring Gear
Brake Auto. Load Holding
Drum (Dia. X L) 2.5″ X 8.8″ (64mm X 224mm)
Clevis Hook 3/8″, Replaceable with

Fairlead Roller with nylon bushings
Overload Protection In line Circuit Breaker
Sound Rating 85 dB

12,000 lb. (5454 kg.)

For Trucks and SUV’s

Yes

14 min, 15 sec Rest)

Spring-loaded Safety Latch

Maintenance .............................................. 13

Parts List and Diagram .............................. 15

Warranty .................................................... 16

Wire Rope
Size / Type

Battery 12VDC Minimum 650 CCA

Battery Cables Min. 3.5 Gauge
Mounting Bolt
Pattern
Mounting Hardware Winch:

Overall Dimensions
(L X D X H)
Weight 86.8 lb. (39.4 kg.)
IP Rating IP 66 - Winch and Controls

Winch Certification CE

Ø0.375″ X 65′ (Ø9.5mm X 19.8m)

Nominal strength=14,400 lb
7X19 Galvanized Steel
Aircraft Wire Rope

10″ x 4.5″ (254mm x 114.3mm)

4x G8, M12-1.75 X 25mm
Fairlead:
2x G8, M10-1.50 X 30mm
Solenoid Box:
2x G8, ST-M5 X 14mm

21.25″ X 6.3125″ X 10.125″

(540x160x257mm)

(resistant to powerful water jets,
except remote control switch)

Layer Rated Line Pull Wire Rope Capacity

1

2

3

First Layer of Wire Rope Performance

Line Pull lb. (kg.) Line Speed fpm (mpm) Amp Draw (@ 12V)

0 (0) 16.4 (5) 85

1

3000 (1361) 9.75 (3) 137
6000 (2722) 7.5 (3.3) 191
9000 (4082) 5.76 (1.76) 249
12000 (5443) 4.88 (1.49) 300

12000 lb. (5443 kg.) 16′ (4.9m)

9550 lb. (4332 kg.) 36′ (11m)

8000 lb. (3629 kg.) 61′ (18.6m)

Page 2 For technical questions, please call 1-888-866-5797. Item 61256

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.

SAFETYOPERATIONMAINTENANCE SETUP

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.

Symbol Property or Statement

Do not use winch in
overwind orientation.
(Wire rope enters/exits at the top.)

Use winch only in
underwind orientation.
(Wire rope enters/exits at the bottom.)

VDC

A

CCA

HP

Volts Direct Current

Amperes

Cold Cranking Amperes

Horsepower

Caustic chemical (acid) hazard.

Explosion hazard.

Do not loop the wire rope around
object and hook onto itself.

Do not place finger(s) through hook.
Fingers may be caught and get
pulled into fairlead or drum.

Pull hook using strap only.

fpm

mpm

RPM

IP

G8

Feet Per Minute

Meters Per Minute

Revolutions Per Minute

International Protection rating

Classifies the degrees of protection provided
against the intrusion of solid objects,
dust, accidental contact, and water.

Grade 8
A fastener strength rating.

Page 3For technical questions, please call 1-888-866-5797.Item 61256

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

WARNING! Read all instructions. Failure to follow all instructions listed on pages 4 to 7 may

result in fire, serious injury and/or DEATH.

SAFETY OPERATION MAINTENANCESETUP

Installation Precautions

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.

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. Use supplied power cords and wire rope listed
in manual only. Do not use thinner/longer
cables or link multiple cables together.

6. Do not route electrical cables near sharp edges
or parts that will move or become hot.

7. Ventilate area well before and while working
on battery. Explosive invisible hydrogen gas
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 and fairlead in underwind
orientation, so that the wire rope enters and
exits the winch at the bottom of the drum.

Page 4 For technical questions, please call 1-888-866-5797. Item 61256

Operation Precautions

1. Do not exceed load capacity. Be aware of
dynamic loading! Sudden load movement may

briefly create excess load causing product failure.

2. Do not maintain power to the winch if the motor
stalls. Verify load is within rated capacity for
the wire rope layer, see Winch Specifications on
page 2.
Make sure the battery is fully charged.
Use double line rigging whenever possible,
see Double Line Rigging on page 11.

3. Wear ANSI-approved safety goggles and
heavy-duty leather work gloves during operation.

4. Do not disengage clutch under load.
Engage clutch before starting.

5. Keep clear of fairlead when operating.
Do not try to guide wire rope.

6. Do not place finger(s) through hook. Fingers may
be caught and get pulled into fairlead or drum.
Use included strap to hold hook instead.

7. Place heavy rag or carpet over wire
rope span 6 feet from hook to help absorb the force
released if the wire rope breaks. (See Figure A.)

13. Use as intended only. Do not lift items
vertically or use for aircraft purposes.

14. 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.

15. Disconnect Pendant Controller before
working near the Wire Rope, drum, fairlead
or load, to prevent accidental starting.

16. 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.

17. Keep wire rope straight to avoid kinking
the wire rope. The illustrations to the
right show how a kink forms.

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.

SAFETYOPERATIONMAINTENANCE SETUP

Figure A: Whiplash Dampening Blanket or Rug

8. Stay out of the direct line that the wire
rope is pulling. In case it slips or breaks,
it will “whiplash” along this line.

9. Do not use for lifting or moving people.

10. Use a spotter to assist you in assuring 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.

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.

18. Keep children and bystanders away while operating.
Distractions can cause you to lose control.

Page 5For technical questions, please call 1-888-866-5797.Item 61256