Product Brochure

34
WINCHING TIPS
Hard metalled road: 0.04 times vehicle weight.
Grass: 0.145 times vehicle weight.
Sand, (hard wet): 0.17 times vehicle weight.
Gravel: 0.2 times vehicle weight.
Sand, (soft wet): 0.2 times vehicle weight.
Sand, (soft dry / loose): 0.25 times vehicle weight.
Shallow mud: 0.33 times vehicle weight.
Bog / Marsh: 0.5 times vehicle weight.
Clay: 0.5 times vehicle weight.
For practical winching purposes, gradient resistance can be taken as 1/60th of the
weight of the vehicle for each degree of the slope up to 45 degrees, after 45 degrees
the full weight of the vehicle should be used.
This information will allow you to calculate the approximate effort required to pull a
wheeled vehicle across different surfaces and up various inclines.
In the following example we have a vehicle that weighs 2.0 tonnes, the surface is
gravel and the incline is 15 degrees.
GRADIENT:
Gradient X Weight  60 = 15 X 2,000  60 = 500 kg
SURFACE:
Weight X Surface resistance = 2,000 X 0.2 = 400 kg
In this example the effort needed to pull this vehicle up this incline and upon this
surface will be: 500 kg + 400 kg = 900 kg.
NOTE: This figure is approximate and should be used as a guide, there are many
factors which may affect the resistance of a load to move, tyre pressures, surface
irregularities, some surfaces react differently when wet etc.
WINCHING:
There are a few basic rules that should be adhered to when attempting to use a winch.
PREPARATION:
Time spent on preparation is time well spent: Is the equipment compatible with
the winch being used ? Is the equipment suitable for the application ? All winching
equipment, strops, shackles, pulley blocks and any other kit should be checked for
any damage, Waiting until the winch is about to be used in anger before checking the
winch equipment is a sure recipe for disaster.
NOTE: Always have heavy-duty gloves available to be used when winching or handling
winching equipment, wire ropes etc, these gloves must be in good condition.
WIRE ROPES:
When handling wire ropes, always wear heavy-duty gloves.
Wire ropes can be dangerous if not handled correctly, examine wire ropes for any signs
of wear or damage frequently, Before, During and After winching.
If a wire rope sustains damage, other than damage received due to wear, the cause is
most likely incorrect usage or abuse.
If a wire rope sustains damage, it should be replaced.
A wire rope is said to be “live” when both ends of the rope are fixed, one end to the
winch, the other end to the load, If both ends of a wire rope cannot be seen the the
wire rope must be assumed to be “live”.
Never step over a “live” wire rope, even if the rope is laying on the ground, To get to the
other side of a “live” wire rope, if the rope is slack, step on the wire rope, if the rope
should go taut it may push you off, if you are astride a wire rope and it goes taut, you
could be in serious trouble, If the rope is under tension, wait until winching has stopped
or until the rope is slack before walking around the vehicle.
If guiding a slack wire rope onto the winch drum, when rewinding slack rope, do not let
the rope slide through your hands, use the “hand over hand” method and keep hands a
minimum of one metre away from the winch
Before winching make sure there are at least five wraps of wire rope on the rope drum
and that the wire rope is neat and not loose.
AT THE WINCHING SITE:
Before using the winch, if more than one person is involved, decide who does what !
Winching with two or three people giving instructions to the winch operator is not only
time consuming it is also extremely dangerous.
When winching use hand signals, with the engine running and people at a distance
from the winch operator, shouted instructions may not be heard, or may be
misunderstood, Decide a system of hand signals that everyone will understand at
a distance, The hand signals required will be: Winch in – Winch out – Inch – Stop
winching, These hand signals should be simple and easily understood at a distance.
If the winch freespool mechanism has been used, to pull wire rope from the winch
drum, make sure that the freespool is fully engaged before starting to winch.
When the wire rope has been fixed to the load, or anchor, take up the slack by inching,
(running the winch slowly or in short bursts); check that the hook, or fixing, is secure
and that the wire rope is wound neatly onto
the rope drum before starting to winch.
If the load is too heavy for the winch a
pulley block may be utilised to relieve the
load on the winch, A pulley block will reduce
the load on the winch, a pulley block will
reduce the load by approximately 40%, the
winch will pull the load at half winch speed.
Also a pulley block can be used to change
the direction of the wire rope to achieve a
better fleet angle, the angle that the wire
rope approaches the winch drum.
Inspect the winching area, is there an
anchor?, is the anchor strong enough to
take the load?, is a pulley block required?,
is the winching line clear?, this is most
important when attempting self-recovery,
without inspecting the area you could pull
yourself into a more difficult or dangerous
position!
Any onlookers must be in a safe place and
at a safe distance!
Whilst using the winch get to know the
sound of the winch, this will enable you
to tell, by ear, if the winch is being overloaded, if the winch sounds as if it is being
overloaded, stop winching and identify why the winch is being overloaded, is the load
too much for the winch? can the winching vehicle be repositioned to achieve a better
winching line? Is there an obstruction in the way? If the load is too much for the winch
it may be necessary to use a pulley block.
Remember, with proper inspection of the winching site and correct preparation of the
equipment, there should be no reason why the winching operation will not proceed
smoothly, efficiently and most importantly, safely.