[fishalways]

Dirty1, on Sep 3 2008, 09:57 AM, said:

After having my windshield blown out one night, this doesnt seem like a bad thing to do in my book...........

Flying winch cables are not fun
Always bring a blanket, I normally carry two.
One for the winch cable and one for laying on the ground when stuff breaks.

[TranyDoctor]

Dirty1, on Sep 3 2008, 09:57 AM, said:

After having my windshield blown out one night, this doesnt seem like a bad thing to do in my book...........

a windshield, that was minimal. ask some of the veteran south florida jeep club members. most will not talk about it although they should for the safety of others.

[JeepinIan]

TranyDoctor, on Sep 3 2008, 09:31 PM, said:

a windshield, that was minimal. ask some of the veteran south florida jeep club members. most will not talk about it although they should for the safety of others.

We had a member get killed in Big Cypress when the wich hook broke and went through the windshield crushing his forehead. The issue wasn't the cable, but the fact that 2 hooks from different winches were hooked together. One hook snapped due to the pressure point being focused on sugh a small spot.

Hoods up and a jacket/blanket/towel on the cable will help cause a cable to drop quicker and not act like such a killer whip.

[soflmuddin]

wow, i wasnt expecting to hear that. i think its good to bring it up time to time to let people know that winch cable failure isnt an uncommon thing. sometimes its just a small snap and sometimes it can violently recoil. it is always dangerous. all need good hook points even if you dont have a winch. the right equipment will keep you from making a bad decision. i lost a wind shield, could have been worse, when i was using a snatch strap with a hook on it. the hook was put through a hole in the other vehicle. after a couple of snatches the hook tore through the frame and before anyone knew my wifes suv was cover in glass. luckily, nobody had to pay for our stupidity that day.

[Jim B]

Cable failure are not common. It does not happen frequent from all the winching that goes on day in and day out.

Out of the two cable failures I've seen.. they have been the owners fault for not replacing the worn out cable when they should have. Another thing is that you should never use any type of hook when using a strap to snatch another vehicle. That is an accident waiting to happen. Even though it does not happen often it is the wrong way period. Hook the loops of the strap to a hook or clevis on the vehicle. Yes, Murphy can come into play and we can say a bumper might fly out or a bad clevis hook. It all comes down to checking your equipment.

[NonStop]

With winching being a big part of our lives on the trail this will be a place to offer opinions and safety tips. Safe operation of a winch and proper safety procedures are paramount to keeping everyone out of harms way while on the trail, please use this area to promote and discuss the correct methods.

[Jim B]

Did a search here on JT and found some previous discussions that might be helpful in addition to any new postings.

Proper Winch Usage

Using Winch to Control Front Suspension

Rewinding Your Winch Cable


While the next link is not so much on topic, I printed and carry it on the trail to refresh my memory as it fails me at times.
We have saved many trail days with this refresher.
Winch Troubleshooting... How

[ChefJeep]

Copyed from:
http://www.summitracing.com/streetandstrip...0-60888679747E}

just some quick tips on winch usage i found

Some Tips on Proper Winch Usage
A winch is a valuable tool to have when you're out on the trail. But like any tool, there is a right way and a wrong way to use a winch. Use it properly and it will serve you faithfully. Use it improperly and a winch will put the big hurt on you, your truck, or some innocent bystander.

Since we don't want that to happen, we went to the experts at Ramsey Winch and Superwinch for some winch usage and safety tips. Keep in mind that these are general guidelines-refer to the owner's manual for complete instructions on setting up and using your particular winch.

Choosing a Winch
One of the first things to safe winching is to choose the right winch to fit your needs. According to Ramsey Winch's web site (www.ramseywinch.com), you need the following information:
•Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW). To calculate your truck's GVW, determine its curb weight (check your owner's manual or manufacturer literature), then add in the approximate weight of equipment you'll have in and on the truck.
•Line Pull. The rated line pull of the winch must be high enough to pull your vehicle's GVW while overcoming any resistance-being stuck in a mud bog or on an incline, for example. Ramsey recommends selecting a winch with a line pull rating at least 12% greater than your vehicle's GVW.

Winch Usage Tips
Here are some general winch usage and safety tips we found:
•Inspect the wire cable before and after each winching operation. If the cable is kinked or frayed, replace it. Inspect the winch hook and hook pin for signs of wear or damage and replace if necessary. Using a light oil on the wire cable and winch hook can keep rust and corrosion from forming.
•Never disengage the clutch while the wire rope is under tension. Never engage the clutch while the drum is rotating. Always make sure the clutch is fully engaged or disengaged.
•Never winch when there are less than five wraps of wire cable around the winch drum.

•Always keep hands and clothing clear of the wire cable, hook and fairlead opening during operation and when spooling.
•Always wear protective gloves while operating the winch or handling the wire cable. Avoid loose fitting clothes or anything that could become entangled in the wire cable and other moving parts.
•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 "bungie" straps-they can develop potentially dangerous amounts of force when stretched.

•Avoid overheating the winch motor. For extended winching, stop at reasonable intervals to allow the winch motor to cool down.
•Be sure that everyone in the immediate vicinity is aware of your intentions before you pull. People should not stand behind or in front of the vehicle and never near the wire rope or snatch block. Your situation may have other "no people" zones.
•Throw a heavy blanket midway between the winch and the anchor point to absorb energy should the wire rope snap loose.

•Winch out a vehicle slowly and steadily. Be sure that the wire cable is winding evenly and tightly around the spooling drum. For additional assistance, the winched vehicle can be slowly driven while being pulled by the winch.
•If you are operating the winch from inside the vehicle, raise the hood for additional protection.
•Never use the winch as a hoist. Never use the winch's wire cable to tow another vehicle.

How to Choose an Anchor Point
A secure anchor is critical. It must be strong enough to hold while winching. Natural anchors include trees, stumps, and rocks. Hook the cable as low as possible. The anchor point should allow you to pull straight in the direction the vehicle will move. This allows the wire cable to wind tightly and evenly onto the spooling drum.

Choose an anchor point as far away as possible to give the winch its greatest pulling power. Never attach the winch cable to itself around an anchor point. Use a nylon sling and shackle to prevent damage to the wire cable and the anchor point. If no natural anchors are available when recovering another vehicle, your vehicle becomes the anchor point. In this case, be sure to put the transmission in neutral, apply the hand brake and block its wheels to prevent your vehicle from moving.

Superwinch (www.superwinch.com) highly recommends using a pulley block. The block can double the pulling power of your winch, and is very useful for pulling yourself out of a good stuck, and for both direct and indirect pulling. The Superwinch site has examples of how to effectively use a pulley block

[Rollbar]

I need to copy some of this stuff for our guy's, for obvious reasons.

[WRider]

It's a good thing you shared those tips...
I've read it to ensure safety at all instance...
Thanks!

[SuperDave1984]

I don't have a weighted blanket, but I do always at least put a fairly big tree limb over the cable. From what I understand if you use the rope this is not an issue as it just falls to the ground if it breaks. Personally I can't afford the rope. I know it's less expensive than somebody's life. But I'm a poor dude and I just try to take precautions.

[fishalways]

superdave1984, on Sep 9 2008, 10:36 AM, said:

I don't have a weighted blanket, but I do always at least put a fairly big tree limb over the cable. From what I understand if you use the rope this is not an issue as it just falls to the ground if it breaks. Personally I can't afford the rope. I know it's less expensive than somebody's life. But I'm a poor dude and I just try to take precautions.

The rope can fly too.
Don't forget the hook at the end also. If the anchor point it is attached to breaks it goes flying.

It is better to always work under an assumption that something will fly, be it cable, hook, winch point, or tree branch.

I wouldn't use the branch myself.
It is safer to use a blanket.

[athos76]

Years ago, my boss was trying to get our work truck out of the mud with his Excursion. He hooked two ratchet straps to the front of the truck, and to the front bumper of his Excursion, he had my workbuddy gun the work truck and he gunned it in reverse... I blinked and saw him slouched over in the driver seat with a hole in the windshield of his Excursion.
The strap connect to the work truck broke so the hook of the other strap went thru his windshield, glanced off of his chin and thru the rear window and out about 20 feet.
I was out on the road with my car when it happened trying to find a blanket or jacket to use as an anchor. Worst feeling in the world was the fact that I didn't know the address to where we were, so if I did have to call 911 I would be no help.

A year later we had to tow Mobile Mike's Bus out of the mud (The DJ from Power 96 and 93 rock) and when they hooked up the straps I used a tree saver strap and two tent stakes... (only thing I had on hand.) I put the stakes in the ground so if the strap broke it would have to fight the strap and stakes.... amazingly the strap held even though I can't think of how much that bus weighed.