Well, we all believe we are adept at using a winch. But did you ever uncover what you should not do with a winch?
Although most car owners do take the time to get to know their vehicles, a few believe that even a young child could operate a winch. However, there are a few things you must never do when using your winch if your car ever becomes stuck. This article will study some practices and present what you should not do with a winch.
Our study found 5 things you should never do while winching.
Contents
- 0.1 Never Straddle Between The Winch Line And The Attachment Point
- 0.2 Never Use Bare Hands Without Protection To Manipulate The Steel Wire Winch Cable
- 0.3 Never Hook Up The Winch Line To Itself
- 0.4 Never Winch Repeatedly For A Long Time
- 0.5 Never Surround A Tree With A Cable
- 0.6 Avoid Winching In Severe Weather Conditions
- 0.7 Never Use Your Winch If It Is Incorrectly Installed
- 1 Final Reminder
Never Straddle Between The Winch Line And The Attachment Point
Never straddle on the winch line during operation. It may cause harmful effects on your legs resulting in a bad injury. The wise thing would be to keep a safe distance to avoid such dangerous incidents.
The most dangerous and alarming endpoint is to stand between the winch’s attachment point and the winch line. Never stand there; to be safe, you can stand behind the vehicle or tree.
Winches might have a remote control. You can use the remote control to operate it from a safe distance.
Never Use Bare Hands Without Protection To Manipulate The Steel Wire Winch Cable
We highly recommend you always use heavy-duty gloves when winching. And even with gloves on, avoid letting the winch cable slip through your fingers. The cheap steel wire usually frays, and tiny steel fragments can easily slip through the gloves and penetrate your flesh. If you use heavy-duty gloves, your skin will not damage if this happens.
Never Hook Up The Winch Line To Itself
Don’t use the hook to hook up the winch line itself. It is ineffective and harmful for anchor points like a tree. This way, pulling will not be 100% effective; it will waste more loading energy.
You can better use a winch strap around the anchor point. It will give you more pulling force. If it doesn’t splinter, it will certainly create a crack with it leading to damage.
Never Winch Repeatedly For A Long Time
You can prevent the winch and its components from overheating by winching occasionally. Remember that minute-long or shorter pulls will preserve your winch for later use. During winching, we suggest you keep your vehicle running. The winch draws a lot of power and can quickly drain the battery, leaving you in an even riskier and more unpleasant situation.
Never Surround A Tree With A Cable
Never wrap the winch cable around a tree when using it as a tow point if you become stuck on the path and have no other options. Always bring a recovery strap at least three inches wide and wrap that around the tree. Pull yourself out of the situation by attaching the winch to the recovery strap. It will prevent any damage to the tree. Also, in the case of the tree breaking, you may get injured with the winch’s cable.
Avoid Winching In Severe Weather Conditions
Extreme weather conditions can make winching unsafe and ineffective. The rope may flutter in the wind, making it challenging to hold onto, even harming your equipment. Winching in a storm takes a lot of time, so it is wise to avoid it in stormy weather conditions.
Never Use Your Winch If It Is Incorrectly Installed
The winch does not pull the object if it is not tightly fit. Verify that all the bolts are properly fastened, and ensure the rope has enough slack to prevent binding. Double-check your winch’s installation to ensure everything is in order. You should never use the winch if it has an error in the setup. You can start up the motor and winch and release the cables only before you go for winching finally to ensure it is working.
Final Reminder
This article has shown you some key points to remember when using winches. Although a winch is extremely handy and easy to use, you should always carefully handle it.
As we mentioned earlier, you should never use the winch for continuous pulling because it might overheat. It is also essential for your safety to never wrap the cable around a tree or to always use heavy-duty gloves when operating a winch.
Before winching, ensure it has proper installation. If it has overall good fitness, it is ready for operation.
Hopefully, this article reminded you how to protect your safety while winching.