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Safety Precautions
To Guard against Possible Injury...
A minimum of eight wraps of rope around the drum
barrel is necessary to hold the rated load. Rope
anchor is not designed to hold the load.
A. Keep yourself and others a safe distance to the side of the rope
when pulling under load.
B. Do not step over the rope or near the rope under load.
C. Use supplied hook strap when handling hook for spooling rope.
D. Do not move the vehicle to pull a load on the winch rope. This
could result in rope breakage and/or winch damage.
E. Apply blocks to wheels when vehicle is on an incline.
F. Winch clutch should be disengaged when winch is not in use and
fully engaged when in use.
G. Modification, alteration, or deviation to the winch should only be
made by Ramsey Winch Company.
H. 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 intermittent usage and should not be used
in constant duty applications.
I. Disconnect the remote control switch from the winch when not
in use. A Ramsey Part No. 282053 safety on-off switch in your
vehicle is recommended.
J. NOTE: Do not use winch in hoisting applications due to required
hoist safety factors and features.
K. Do not exceed maximum line pull ratings shown in tables. Shock
loads must not exceed these ratings.
L. To respool correctly, it is necessary to keep a slight load on the
rope. This can be accomplished by holding the rope 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 rope
as the winch is powered in. Do not allow the rope to slip through
your hand and do not approach the winch too closely. Turn off the
winch and repeat the procedure until all the rope except a few feet
is in. Disconnect the remote control switch and finish spooling
in rope by rotating the drum by hand with clutch disengaged. On
hidden winches, spool in rope under power using supplied hook
strap.
M.Avoid pulling rope over rough surfaces or sharp edges. Slide
the protective sleeve along the length of the rope to place it at a
location where the rope would encounter rough surfaces such as a
rock or tree branches.
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 rope onto drum. Side pulls can cause rope
to pileup at one end of the drum. To correct uneven stacking, spool
out that section of the rope and move it to the other end of the drum
and continue winching. Uneven spooling which causes rope pileup
can interfere with the solenoid housing 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 rope. This can cause rope
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 rope is not piling up in one corner.
Jamming rope 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).
Neat, tight spooling avoids rope binding which is caused when a
load is applied and the rope 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 rope under load free by hand.
Do not expose the rope to chemicals or heat sources.
Avoid prolonged exposure of synthetic rope to ultraviolet rays from
sunlight which can degrade rope strength over time. Use a winch
cover over winch and rope when not in use.
Any sharp bend in the rope under load decreases its strength
substantially and may cause permanent damage or failure. Sheave
diameters on rotating snatch blocks should be at least eight times
the rope diameter (3” for 3/8” rope).
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS AND TIPS
