PULLING OUT THE WIRE ROPE
The wire rope has been installed on
your winch under minimal load at
the factory. The wire rope must be
respooled onto the drum under load
so the outer layers will not draw
down into the inner layers thereby
damaging the wire rope.
1. Pull and rotate the clutch lever to
the "Disengaged" position as shown
in Figure 4. If there is a load on the
wire rope, the clutch lever may not
turn easily. DO NOT FORCE THE
CLUTCH LEVER. Release tension
on the wire rope by jogging out some
of the wire rope, then try releasing
the clutch.
2. Pull out the wire rope and secure it
to anchor or load.
3. Check that there are at least five (5)
turns of wire rope or eight (8) turns of
synthetic rope left on the drum.
4. Re-engage the drum by rotating the
clutch lever to the "Engaged" posi-
tion (see Figure 4).
CAUTION
!
Lever must be in position and locked
before winching.
ENGAGED
DISENGAGED
Figure 4
OPERATING TIPS
1. KEEP A TIGHTLY WOUND WIRE
ROPE DRUM. Do not allow the wire
rope to become loosely wound. A
loosely wound drum allows a wire
rope under load to work its way
down into the layers of wire rope on
the drum. When this happens, the
wire rope may become wedged
within the body of the windings dam-
aging the wire rope. To prevent this
problem, keep the wire rope tightly
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and evenly wound on the drum at
all times. A good practice is to rewind
the wire rope under tension after
each use. One way to do this is
to attach the hook to a stationary
object at the top of a gradual incline
and winch your vehicle up the incline.
2. DO NOT ALLOW THE WINCH MO-
TOR TO OVERHEAT. Remember, the
winch is for intermittent use only.
During long or heavy pulls, the motor
will get hot. The internal parts will be
hotter than the case. To check the
temperature, stop winching and care-
fully touch the motor case.
If the motor is uncomfortable
to touch, allow the motor to
cool before continuing.
KEEP THE ENGINE RUNNING TO
RECHARGE THE BATTERY during
this break.
3. To maximize winch and wire rope life,
use a pulley block to double line
heavier loads.
4. The pull required to start a load mov-
ing is often much greater than the
pull required to keep it moving.
AVOID FREQUENT STOPPING
AND STARTING during pull.
5. INSPECT WIRE ROPE AND EQUIP-
MENT FREQUENTLY. A FRAYED
WIRE ROPE WITH BROKEN
STRANDS SHOULD BE REPLACED
IMMEDIATELY.
6. Never allow shock loads to be ap plied
to the winch or rope.
7. When wire rope is removed from
the drum, as in bringing the hook to
the load, the freewheel feature of the
winch should be used.
BRAKE OPERATION
Your winch operates a proportional
friction-type brake. After winching
in a load, this mechanism holds the
load up to the rated capacity of the
winch. While powering out a load,
the winch controls the rate of speed
by applying the brake in proportion
to the amount of the load on the
winch cable. This results in heavier
loads powering out more slowly
than lighter loads.
Similar to the friction-type brakes in
your automobile, which can gener-
ate heat if used for a long period of
time, the winch brake can generate
heat if used to power out a load for
a long period of time. To ensure
optimum winch performance, al-
ways limit powering out a load to
2 minutes and allow the brake to
cool for 15 minutes before con-
tinuing to winch.
Under normal use, the brake
mechanism should not require any
adjustment. Should the brake fail to
hold a load or maintain a constant
rate of speed during power-out op-
eration, the brake pad may be worn
and require replacement.
After extended
WARNING
!
periods of power-
ing out loads against the brake,
the gearbox housing may become
hot.
MAINTENANCE
Periodically check tightness of
mounting bolts and electrical con-
nections. Remove any dirt or corro-
sion that may have accumulated on
the electrical connections.
Repairs should be done by
Authorized Superwinch Repair
Centers ONLY. Do not attempt to
disassemble the gearbox.
Disassembly will void warranty.
LUBRICATION
The gearbox and drum bearing are
permanently lubricated with a high
performance gear lube.
REPLACING THE WIRE ROPE
Never substitute a heavier or lighter
wire rope. When installing synthetic
winch rope, use only Superwinch
winch rope, and be sure to follow all
instructions and safety precautions
supplied with the rope.
Always replace damaged wire
rope with manufacturer's identi-
cal replacement part (see Re-
placement Parts List). Pass attach-
ing end of wire rope through the
fairlead (if equipped) and attach
it to the drum. When inserting the
wire rope into the drum, insert it in
the correct end of the hole provided
(Figure 5). Tighten the set screw
securely.
Figure 5
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