Safety Precautions
To Guard against Possible Injury...
A minimum of five wraps of cable around the drum
barrel is necessary to hold the rated load. Cable
clamp is not designed to hold the load.
A. Keep yourself and others a safe distance to the side of the
cable when pulling under load.
B. Do not step over a cable, or near a cable under load.
C. Use supplied hook strap when handling hook for spooling
wire rope.
D. Do not move the vehicle to pull a load on the winch cable.
This could result in cable breakage and/or winch damage.
E. Use a heavy rag or gloves to protect hands from burrs
when handling winch cable.
F. Apply blocks to wheels when vehicle is on an incline.
G. Winch clutch should be disengaged when winch is not in
use and fully engaged when in use.
H. Modification, alteration, or deviation to the winch should
only be made by Ramsey Winch Company.
I. Keep the duration of your pulls as short as possible. If the
motor becomes uncomfortably hot to the touch, stop and
let it cool for a few minutes. Do not pull more than one
minute at or near rated load. Do not maintain power to the
winch if the motor stalls. Electric winches are for intermit-
tent usage and should not be used in constant duty appli-
cations.
J. Disconnect the remote control switch from the winch
when not in use.
K. NOTE: Do not use winch in hoisting applications due to
required hoist safety factors and features.
L. Do not exceed maximum line pull ratings shown in tables.
Shock loads must not exceed these ratings.
M. To respool correctly, it is necessary to keep a slight load
on the cable. This can be accomplished by (wearing
gloves) holding the cable with one hand and the remote
control switch with the other, starting as far back and in
the center as you can, walking up keeping load on the
cable as the winch is powered in. Do not allow the cable
to slip through your hand and do not approach the winch
too closely. Turn off the winch and repeat the procedure
until all the cable except a few feet is in. Disconnect the
remote control switch and finish spooling in cable by rotating the drum by hand with clutch disengaged. On hidden
winches, spool in cable under power using supplied hook
strap.
Tips for Safe Operation
Don’t underestimate the potential danger in winching operations. Neither should your fear them. Do learn the basic dangers and avoid them.
Observe the spooling of cable onto drum. Side pulls can
cause cable to pileup at one end of the drum. To correct
uneven stacking, spool out that section of the cable and move
it to the other end of the drum and continue winching. Uneven
spooling which causes cable pileup can interfere with the tie
bars causing damage to the winch.
Store the remote control switch inside your vehicle where it
will not become damaged. Inspect it before you plug it in.
When ready to begin spooling in, plug in remote control
switch with clutch disengaged. Do not engage clutch with
motor running.
Never connect the hook back to the cable. This causes cable
damage. Always use a sling or chain of suitable strength, as
shown in the illustration.
Observe your winch while winching, if possible, while standing at a safe distance. If you use vehicle drive to assist, stop
and get out every few feet to assure the cable is not piling up
in one corner. Jamming cable can break your winch.
Do not attach tow hooks to winch mounting apparatus. They
must attach to vehicle frame.
When double lining during stationary winching, the winch
hook should be attached to the chassis of the vehicle.
Since the greatest pulling power is achieved on the innermost
layer of your winch, it is desirable to pull off as much line as
you can for heavy pulls. If this is not practical, use a snatch
block and double the arrangement (see illustration).
Remember, a minimum of 5 wraps of cable around the drum
barrel is necessary to hold the rated load.
Neat, tight spooling avoids cable binding which is caused
when a load is applied and the cable is pinched between two
others. If this happens, alternately power the winch in and out
a few inches. Do not attempt to work a bound cable under
load, free by hand.
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