DODGE POWER WAGON 2005 2.G Owners Manual

Clevis/D-Shackles:The
D-Shackle is a safe means of
connecting the looped ends of
cables, straps and snatch
blocks. The shackle’s pin is
threaded to allow easy re-
moval.
Tree Trunk Protector:Typi-
cally 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 liv-
ing trees.OPERATING YOUR WINCH
WARNING!
●Always use supplied hook strap to hold hook when spooling wire rope in or out.
●Never use as a hoist.
●Never use to move persons.
●Never exceed winch or wire rope rated capacity.
●Always wear heavy leather gloves when handling the wire rope.
●Never touch wire rope or hook while in tension or under load.
●Never engage or disengage clutch if winch is under load, wire rope is in tension, or wire
rope drum is moving.
●Always stand clear of wire rope and load and keep others away during winching.
●Always keep hands and clothing clear of the wire rope, hook and fairlead opening
during operation and when spooling.
●Never wrap wire rope back onto itself. Always use a choker chain, wire choker rope or
tree trunk protector on the anchor.
●Never attach a recovery strap to the winch hook to increase the length of a pull.
●Never attempt to tow a vehicle with the recovery strap attached directly to the winch
hook.
●Never usebungeestraps that develop tremendous and potentially dangerous amounts
of force when stretched.
●Always disconnect the remote control when not in use.
●Never winch when there are less than 5 wraps of wire rope around the winch drum.
●Always pass remote control through a window to avoid pinching lead in door, then
using remote inside a vehicle.
●Never leave the remote control plugged into the winch while free spooling, rigging or
sitting idle.
Failure to observe any of these warnings regarding proper winch usage may result in
severe injury.
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General Information
Practice using your winch before you get stuck. Some key
points to remember when using your winch are:
1. Always take your time to assess the situation and plan
your pull carefully.
2. Always take your time when using a winch.
3. Use the right equipment for the situation.
4. Always wear leather gloves and do not allow the wire
rope to slip through your hands when handling the rope.
5. Only the operator should handle the wire rope and
remote control.
6. Think safety at all times.
Vehicle Recovery Using the Winch:
CAUTION!
•Always Know Your Winch: Take time to fully read
and understand the included Installation and Opera-
tions Guide, and Basic Guide to Winching Tech-
niques, in order to understand your winch and the
winching operation.
•Always inspect winch installation and wire rope
condition before operating winch. Frayed, kinked or
damaged wire rope must be replaced immediately.
Loose or damaged winch installation must be cor-
rected immediately.
•Always be sure any element which can interfere with
safe winching operations is removed prior to initiat-
ing winching.
•Always keep remote control lead clear of the drum,
wire rope and rigging.
•Inspect for cracks, pinches, frayed wires, or loose
connections. Replace if damaged.
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CAUTION!
Be careful not to pull the Winch Cable Collar
through the rollers. Watch and listen to Winch for
proper snugness.
1. Inspect the winch, winch mount, and wire rope for
damage. Do not use the winch if the mount is loose or
rope shows excessive wear or damage.
2. Put on gloves.
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3. Disengage clutch to allow free spooling of the winch
drum, rotate the clutch lever on the winch to disengage.
Freespooling conserves battery power.4. Free the winch hook and attach hook strap. Free the
winch hook from its anchor point. Attach hook strap to
the hook (if not attached).
Free SpoolHook Strap
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5. Pull wire to anchor point. Pull out enough wire rope to
reach your anchor point. Be sure to keep a certain amount
of tension on the wire as it can become twisted and
over-wrap when slackened, leading to wire rope damage.
To prevent losing the end, hold the hook strap while you
work.6. Secure to the anchor point. Once you’ve established
your anchor point, secure the tree-trunk protector or
choker-chain around the object.
Tree Trunk Protector
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CAUTION!
Always be certain the anchor you select will with-
stand the load.
NOTE: How to choose an anchor point:A secure
anchor is critical to winching operations. An anchor must
be strong enough to hold while winching. Natural an-
chors include trees, stumps and rocks. Hook the cable as
low as possible. If no natural anchors are available when
recovering another vehicle, your vehicle becomes the
anchor point. In this case, be sure to put the transmission
in neutral, apply the hand brake and block its wheels to
prevent your vehicle from moving. Ideally, you’ll want
an anchor point that will enable you to pull straight in the
direction the vehicle will move. This allows the wire rope
to wind tightly and evenly onto the spooling drum. An
anchor point as far away as possible will provide the
winch with its greatest pulling power.7. Attach the Clevis/D-shackle and Tree Trunk Protector.
Attach the shackle to the two ends of the strap or chain
and through the hook loop, being careful not to over
tighten (tighten and back-off 1/2 turn).
8. Lock the clutch. Lock the winch drum by rotating the
clutch lever on the winch to engage.
Clevis/D-Shackles
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NOTE:Always ensure the clutch is fully engaged or
disengaged.
9. Connect the remote control to the winch control box,
located behind the front bumper. Be careful not to let the
remote control cord dangle in front of the winch. If you
choose to control the winch from inside your vehicle,
always pass the remote through a window to avoid
pinching the cord in the door. Always disconnect the
remote control when not in use.
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10. Put wire rope under tension. Using the remote con-
trol switch, slowly wind the wire rope until no slack
remains. Once the wire rope is under tension, stand well
clear and never step over it.
11. Check your anchor. Make sure all connections are
secured and free of debris before continuing with the
winching procedure.12. Check wire rope. The wire rope should be neatly
wound around the spooling drum. Improper winding
can cause damage to the wire rope.
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13. In certain situations you
may decide to throw a heavy
blanket or similar object over
the wire rope. A heavy blan-
ket can absorb energy should
the wire rope break. Place it
on the wire rope midway be-
tween the winch and the an-
chor point. Do this before the
wire rope is put under ten-
sion. 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.
14.Establishno peoplezones:Make your intentions
clear. Be sure that everyone in the immediate vicinity
surrounding the winching operation is completely aware
of your intentions before you pull.Declare where the
spectators should not stand - never behind or in front ofthe vehicle and never near the wire rope or snatch
block. Your situation may have otherno peoplezones.
15. Begin winching. With the winching vehicles engine
on and light tension already on the wire rope, begin
winching slowly and steadily. Be sure that the wire rope
is winding evenly and tightly around the spooling drum.
No People Zones
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For additional assistance, the winched vehicle can be
slowly driven while being pulled by the winch. Continue
pulling until the vehicle is on stable ground. If you are
able to drive the vehicle, the winching operation is
complete.NOTE:Avoid overheating the winch motor. For ex-
tended winching, stop at reasonable intervals to allow
the winch motor to cool down.
NOTE: What to look for under load:The wire rope
must always spool onto the drum as indicated by the
drum rotation decal on the winch. As you power-in,
make sure the wire rope winds evenly and tightly on the
drum. This prevents the outer wire wraps from drawing
into the inner wraps, binding and damaging the wire
rope. Avoid shock loads by using the control switch
intermittently to take up wire rope slack. Shock loads can
momentarily far exceed the winch and wire rope ratings.
During side pulls the wire rope tends to stack up at one
end of the drum. This stack can become large enough to
cause serious damage to the winch. So, line up pulls as
straight ahead as possible and stop winching if the wire
rope comes close to the tie rods or mounting plate. To fix
Using The Remote Control
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