ProMark Offroad Blog
Electric Winch Operation for Vehicle Recovery
Take your recovery winch through a test run before using it in a high-pressure recovery situation.
The best way to get familiar with how your electric winch operates is to make a few test runs before you actually need to use it. In a real recovery situation, you will have little control over the angle of the pull, how badly the vehicle is stuck, and the conditions out on the trail. Learning how to use your Jeep or truck winch in a low-pressure test run allows you to take your time rigging up for the pull and gives you more control over the situation.
Remember that you can hear your winch as well as see it operate. Learn to recognize the sound of a light steady pull, a heavy pull, and sounds caused by the load jerking or shifting. Before you know it, you will feel confident using your winch, and its operation will become second nature to you.
Steps for Operating a Recovery Winch
- Anchor the recovery vehicle in place by setting the parking brake and/or chocking the wheels.
- Turn the clutch on the winch to the freespool position to unwind the cable.
- Using the winch hook strap, pull out the cable to the desired length and connect it to an anchor point, using the appropriate winch tools. Make sure the anchor point is strong enough to withstand the force of the pull. Set up the rigging so that the cable feeds directly into the winch drum and not at an angle. Throw a heavy blanket over the cable to dampen the backlash in case the cable breaks.
- Engage the clutch on the winch motor.
- Double check all cable rigging before operating the winch.
- Clear bystanders from the area. Do not allow anyone to stand in line with the path of the cable or to step over the cable once it is taut.
- Plug in the remote winch control (corded or wireless). We recommend operating the winch from the driver’s position to ensure safe operation. Pass the remote through the driver’s side window to avoid pinching the cord in the door.
- To begin the winching operation, start the vehicle’s engine, place it in neutral, and maintain the engine speed at idle.
- Operate the remote control switch by pressing the IN or OUT button until the vehicle has been retrieved. Regularly check the winch to ensure the cable is winding onto the drum evenly. If the cable begins to pile up on one side of the drum, stop winching, power out the cable, and respool. Then resume the winching operation.
Warnings and Safety Precautions
- Check the winch carefully and thoroughly before operating.
- Never winch with your vehicle in gear or in park. This can damage your vehicle’s transmission.
- Never wrap the cable around an object hook onto the cable itself. This can cause damage to the object being pulled and can kink or fray the cable.
- Keep hands, clothing, hair, and jewelry clear of the drum area and cable when winching.
- Never use the winch if the cable is frayed, kinked, or damaged.
- Never allow anyone to stand near the cable or in line with the cable behind the winch while it is under power. If the cable should slip or break, it can suddenly whip back towards the winch, causing a hazard for anyone in the area. Always stand well to the side while winching.
- Don’t leave the control switch plugged in when the winch is not in use.
How to Unbind Pinched Winch Cable
Use your truck or ATV to unbind a pinched winch cable.
Cable binding and pinching can happen for a number of reasons, for example, an off-kilter pull, loose wraps on the drum, or other improper winching techniques. In any of these cases, strands of cable can overlap, crisscross, pile up on one side of the drum, or get pinched in the winch housing.
How to Unbind Winch Cable
If the winch cable gets hopelessly pinched, to the point where freespooling is impossible, the first thing to try is to hook the winch cable to a tree or anchor point and pull it loose. Use a tree strap to attach the cable to the anchor point. Then back up the ATV or truck while powering out the winch. If that doesn’t work, try powering the winch in while you maintain backwards pressure with the vehicle.
Keep Safety in Mind
If the cable does not come loose right away, try powering in and out a few more times, but don’t work at it so long and hard that you damage the winch or vehicle. And don’t throw safety precautions out the wind. All the same winch safety rules still apply. Don’t jerk the cable. It’s not designed to withstand shock forces. Also, keep bystanders well away from the winching operation. Severe pinching and binding can weaken the cable and make it more susceptible to break. Use extreme caution when attempting to free a pinched winch cable.
Other Suggestions for Untangling Winch Cable
If pulling the cable out with your ATV or truck doesn’t work, you’re basically left with the option of taking your winch off the vehicle or trying to free the cable with a screwdriver or other tools. If your winch is behind the bumper, you may not be able to reach it with tools unless you remove the bumper and winch.
Once you get the cable loose, spool the line all the way out and inspect the cable for weak spots, snapped wires, or permanent kinks. Flex the cable to remove any temporary kinks or compression. Replace the cable if there is any sign of damage. Then respool the cable with the proper tension in tight, even layers.
Winch Rigging: Straight Line Pull
Use a snatch block to straighten the pull as needed.
Try to rig up the pull so that the recovery vehicle or anchor point is directly in line with the stuck vehicle. Make the pull as straight as possible, and any angle pulls should be no more than about 30 degrees to either side. With a straight pull, the rope should spool evenly and neatly from side to side on the drum.
If the winch rope begins to pile up on one side of the drum or gets tangled up, stop winching and spool the line back out. Re-spool the line in straight and even rows; then continue winching.
If you get stuck in a situation where a straight line pull is impossible, use a snatch block to redirect the line. A snatch block lets you change the pulling direction and guide the rope straight into the winch.
Can I Tow Another Vehicle with My Winch?
Winching Tip of the Week: Never use your winch to tow another vehicle.
The shock load of a sudden jerk can exceed the capacity of the winch and cable. Abusing your winch in this way will eventually damage the winch or cable and could create a dangerous situation. The braking system on your winch is not designed to stand up under this sort of abuse, and sudden jerking may cause the winch rope to snap.
Never jog the winch cable under load. If you want to snatch out a stuck vehicle by jerking it, use a recovery strap designed for this purpose. The snatch strap should have loops instead of hooks on the ends. Unlike your winch cable, a recovery strap is designed to stretch and absorb the shock of jerking out a stuck vehicle.
Corded Winch Remote Safety Tips
Winching Tip of the Week: Only connect the corded remote to the winch when you are ready to operate the winch. Disconnect the remote immediately after use.
Always unplug the corded winch remote
when not in use.
Inspect the lead for cracks, frayed wires, and loose connections before using the remote. A damaged control lead may cause the winch to operate erratically. When you are done operating the winch, store the corded remote in a clean, dry area where it will be protected from damage.
To keep the remote control lead from getting damaged during use, keep it clear of all moving winch parts, including the drum and fairlead, cable, and any rigging. Don’t pinch the lead in the door if you are operating the winch from inside your vehicle. Always pass the lead through an open window.
How Many Wraps Should You Leave on the Winch Drum?
Winching Tip of the Week: Never winch with fewer than 5 wraps on the drum.
Always leave at least 5 wraps on the winch drum to anchor the cable in place. Operating your winch with fewer than 5 wraps may cause the cable to break loose from the drum. The cable attachment to the drum is not designed to hold a full load with fewer than 5 wraps around the drum to anchor the cable in place. This applies to both ATV winches and recovery winches for Jeeps and trucks.
How to Rewind Winch Cable Under Load
After you’re done using your winch, it’s best to rewind the cable under load to spool it tight and even onto the drum. Ideally, there should be at least 500 pounds of tension on the cable. Here’s one way to get the job done:
Protect your winch hook and cable with a winch line stopper.
- Find an empty parking lot or open area with enough room to spool out most of the winch cable, leaving at least 5 wraps on the drum. Ideally you should be on a slight incline.
- Attach the winch hook to a tree, another vehicle, or a solid anchor point.
- Put the vehicle in neutral.
- Ask a friend to stand outside, in a position where he can see you (the driver) and see the winch cable as it wraps on the drum but where he is safely out of the cable’s path. Then have him direct you which way to turn the steering wheel as the winch pulls the vehicle towards the anchor point and the cable rewinds.
- Have your friend make sure that the cable winds in tight even, rows on the drum. If the cable starts to pile up on one side or become tangled, stop winching and power out the cable until the tangled rows are off the drum. Then respool in tight, even layers.
- Stop the winch when the vehicle is about 10 feet away from the anchor point.
- Let the tension out of the rope and disconnect the rope from the anchor.
- Attach the hook strap to the winch hook and hold on to the strap to spool in the rest of the cable. Do not put your fingers through the winch hook.
- Carefully spool in the remaining cable under light tension by pulling back on the rope while pulsing the winch remote.
- Attach the hook to one side under light tension, or—if you have a rubber stopper—spool in the cable until the hook is snug against the stopper. Do not power the winch hook into the fairlead without a rubber stopper, or you could damage the winch.
How to Prevent Winch Cable Backlash
Winching Tip of the Week: Drape a heavy coat or tree branch over the cable to absorb energy in case the cable should snap.
In the rare case that a winch cable snaps, it can lash back with tremendous force. To prevent serious damage or bodily injury, throw a heavy coat or similar object over the taut cable before beginning the winching process. The coat will absorb a large amount of the force if the cable snaps and prevent the cable from whipping violently through the air.
The coat or object should be placed midway between the winch and the anchor point. Some possible weighted objects include the following:
- A heavy blanket (such as a mover’s blanket)
- Chain
- Floor mats
- A backpack
- A tree limb
Even with a weighted object over the winch cable, you should still follow all safety precautions for winching. Make sure all bystanders are clear of the cable’s path, stand clear of the cable while operating the winch, and do not step over the cable when it is under tension.
And remember that the best way to prevent your winch cable from breaking is to perform regular maintenance on your winch and cable.
Winching Tip: Anchoring the Recovery Vehicle
Secure the recovery vehicle with a tree strap and clevis.
In pulls where the recovery vehicle has poor traction or the stuck vehicle is badly bogged down, the winch may end up moving the recovery vehicle instead of the stuck vehicle. To keep this from happening, secure the recovery vehicle to another vehicle or to a solid natural anchor point, such as a tree or large rock.
Use a recovery tow strap to anchor the recovery vehicle to another vehicle behind it. Or use a tree strap and clevis to secure the recovery vehicle to tree or natural anchor.
Using the Free Spool Function on a Winch
Silverback Recovery Winch with
Free Spool Function
Make sure the free spool clutch is always fully engaged or fully disengaged. Using the winch with the clutch in between gears can keep the winch from operating properly and cause major damage. Also, never try to disengage the clutch while the wire rope is under tension or engage the clutch while the drum is turning.
Note: Extreme cold can make the clutch harder to shift. Don’t force the clutch. If the clutch is in the disengaged position and won’t engage easily, pull out some cable and then try again. If the clutch is in the engaged position and won’t disengage easily, tap the power out button on the winch remote before trying it again.
