WARN Tabor 12K - Manual (Page 8)

10 11
Never use a strap for
winching.
Never use a strap
for towing. The strap
can be easily cut or
abraded.
Never use “bungie”
straps that develop
tremendous and
potentially dan ger ous
amounts of force
when stretched.
CAUTION
WINCH ACCESSORIES YOU’LL WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU
WARN INDUSTRIES • THE BASIC GUIDE TO WINCHING TECHNIQUES
Tree Trunk Protector Typically made
of tough, high-quality nylon, it provides
the operator an attachment point for the
winch rope to a wide variety of anchor
points and objects, as well as protect
living trees.
Recovery Strap Never use a recovery
strap in a winching operation. Because
it is designed to stretch, it stores energy
and could react like a rubber band
should your rigging fail. Use the recovery
strap to “snatch” out a stuck vehicle.
Heavy Blanket In certain situations
you may decide to throw a heavy
blanket or similar object over the wire
rope. A heavy blanket, such as a quilted
mover’s blanket, can absorb energy
should the wire rope break. Place it
on the wire rope midway between
the winch and the anchor point. Do
this before the wire rope is put under
tension. Do not approach or move the
blanket once tension is applied. Do not
allow it to get pulled into the fairlead.
If necessary to move or remove the
blanket, slack the tension on the wire
rope first.
Shovels & Hand Tools Quite often
during winching activities, you’ll find
yourself in need of some additional help.
You may want to stow equipment such
as a shovel, an axe and a Hi-Lift jack for
additional assistance when needed.
Backup Parts Important backup
parts to carry for backcountry travel
should include an extra screw-pin
shackle, snatch block, and remote
controlp. For severe and continued
winch use, consider including an extra
wire rope and winch hook.
Toolbox Items Items to bring along
include hand wrenches, screwdrivers,
pliers, and tools to change wire rope.
Booster Cables Many roadside
emergencies stem from a dead battery.
To prevent exhausting your electrical
source, you can install a dual battery
system and a battery isolator kit. Also, it’s
wise to include battery booster cables
and the Warn quick-connect cable
system.
Battery Recommendations A fully
charged conventional automotive
battery with a minimum rating of 650
cold cranking amps is recommended
to obtain peak performance from your
winch. Make sure all electrical connec-
tions are clean and tight.
Practice using your winch before you
get stuck. A real situation is no time to be
learning how to use your winch. Make sure
new wire rope is stretched before it is first
used.
Stretching Wire Rope
The life of a wire rope is directly related
to the use and care it receives. During its first
use, a new wire rope must be spooled onto
its drum under a load of at least 1000 lbs.
(454 kgs). Use the following instructions to
properly stretch the wire rope onto the winch
drum.
1) Choose a FLAT AND LEVEL location that
is large enough to run out the entire length
of wire rope.
2) Turn the clutch lever on the winch to
the “Free Spool” position. Spool out the wire
rope to the last 5 wraps on the drum. Once
the wire rope is spooled out, turn the clutch
lever on the winch to the “Engaged” position.
3) Attach the hook end of the rope to a
suitable anchor point and back the vehicle
away from the anchor point until there is very
little slack in the wire rope. Before getting
out of the vehicle, set the parking brake,
place the vehicle in gear or park and turn the
vehicle off.
4) Connect the remote control to the
winch. Standing approximately 8 ft away
from the winch, power in the winch until all
of the slack is wound onto the winch drum.
Disconnect the remote control from the
winch. Hold tension on the wire rope with
one hand; carefully push the wire rope to the
side of the drum the wire rope is attached to
so there are no gaps between each coil on
the drum. Be sure to check that the wire rope
is winding off of the bottom of the drum, not
the top, or the automatic load holding brake
will not function properly. (If the wire rope is
winding off the top you have powered the
winch “out” instead of “in” on the remote
control).
5) The following steps should be done
using two people for proper safety. If you
attempt to tension your wire rope alone be
sure to always engage the parking brake,
place the transmission in gear and turn the
vehicle off every time you exit the vehicle to
inspect the winch wire rope. Never exit the
vehicle with a load on the winch wire rope.
Tensioning the wire rope is critical to ensure
a long product life. Tensioning the wire rope
will prevent outer layers of wire rope from
pinching and deforming the inner layers.
6) Use care to evenly wrap each layer to
prevent damage to the rope.
7) Pass the remote control through the
driver’s window for the driver of the vehicle
to operate. Instruct your assistant to stand
to the side of the vehicle and away from the
winch wire rope. Your assistant should signal
you if the wire rope is winding correctly by
watching it move across the fairlead as the
wire rope is powered in. Start the vehicle and
place the transmission in neutral. Release
the parking brake while applying moderate
brake pedal pressure. Press power in on the
remote control switch. After winching in for
approximately 6 ft, stop winching. Slowly let
up off of the brake pedal and then apply the
parking brake. This will ensure that there is
no load on the winch rope. Then place the
transmission in park or gear and turn the
vehicle off. Exit the vehicle and inspect the
winch to make sure that the wire rope is
being evenly wound onto the winch drum
and not sinking into the lower layer. If the
wire rope is sinking, power the wire rope out
and repeat this step from the beginning with
more brake pedal pressure.
8) When you are convinced the wire rope
is winding onto the winch drum properly,
repeat step 6 until the vehicle is within 6 ft of
the winch anchor. Once within 6 ft, slowly let
up off of the brake pedal and then apply the
parking brake. This will ensure that there is
no load on the winch wire rope. Then place
the transmission in park or in gear and turn
the vehicle off. Exit the vehicle. Disconnect
the hook from the anchor. While holding onto
the supplied hook strap, hold tension on the
winch rope and slowly power in the winch by
“pulsing” the power in on the remote control
until the hook is within 3 ft of the fairlead.
Stop winching in and attach the hook to a
suitable anchor point on the vehicle. DO NOT
POWER THE HOOK INTO THE FAIRLEAD. This
could cause damage to the fairlead. Once
the hook is suitably attached to the vehicle,
power in the remaining slack in the winch
rope by “pulsing” the power in on the remote
until there is minimal slack in the winch wire
rope.
BEFORE YOU PULL
Never operate winch
with less than 5
wraps of rope around
the drum. Rope could
come loose from the
drum, as the rope
attachment to the
drum is not designed
to hold a load.
WARNING
WARN INDUSTRIES • THE BASIC GUIDE TO WINCHING TECHNIQUES