Winch Operation

[therbert]

Hey guys,

Now that my truck is back on the road. I read up on the operation of the winch. I was sucessful getting the unit running in reverse. I have notbe able to get it to work in forward. I have tried the following:

1) Putting the PTO in Hi
2) Putting the PTO in LO
3) Putting the PTO in LO and the Trans in LO

No results, The PTO shaft doesn't move in Forward only reverse..

I may be doing somethin wrong..

Any help would be great.

 

[Barrman]

You know there is a neutral between each of the forward speeds, right? Not much of a feel on mine between the engaged ones and the neutrals. I am never able to hit low or high on the winch on the first try. I have done most of my winch work with the middle tunnel panel out. You can see the pto shaft that way and it will actually move just a hair when you sellect one of the forward speeds, which helps me know I am in gear.

The other thing I can think of is this. Is the engagement handle on the winch actually engaging? As in, when the shaft turns does the winch drum turn?

With the winch handle on the winch "off", and the pto in neutral, you should be able to twist the drive shaft. Move the pto shift to what you think is a forward speed and see if the shaft still turns. If it won't turn, you are engaged.

 

[spicergear]

The PTO has five (iirc) detents in it so you have a high neutral low neutral reverse. The transmission does not need to be in gear unless you're helping yourself out of a stuck. There should be one more shift position available in the PTO that you're not getting to. Visually check the PTO shift rod to see it it is bent or not. I've seen them bent and wouldn't shift all the way.

 

[therbert]

Thanks, I will make sure I have it in gear. One question about the IN and OUT level on the winch. Is it OK to use while PTO is turning?

Thanks

 

[Big Mike's Motor Pool]

is the shear pin still good?? anychance you could have broken it when running in reverse and not known?? or does reverse always work

 

[mangus580]

Re: RE: Winch Operation

Thanks, I will make sure I have it in gear. One question about the IN and OUT level on the winch. Is it OK to use while PTO is turning?

Thanks

NO!!!!

 

[sermis]

Pull out enough cable so it does not explode it's self.

#1 put PTO in foward and look at the PTO shaft. Is it turning?
If no, problem with PTO.
If yes is the drum enguaged and turning?
PTO turning but drum noit turning when enguaged, sheer pin.

 

[therbert]

Wouldn't the sheer pin also keep it from working in reverse? I havn't gone back out and tried it again, I will tomorrow.

Thanks

 

[rosco]

The winch can be a helpful and powerful tool. The time to learn about it is before you need it, or have the emergency.

BE CAREFUll when working with the winch... ALWAYS! It is not forgiving. You or somebody can get wound up in it & spoil more then your weekend.

I never like to have slack in the line on the drum. If you have a helper, have her stand out in front (like 10 feet outy there in plain sight so you can see her) & keep a physical tension on the line till the winch takes up the slack. This keeps the line tight on the drum. That is imperative, if the line gets loose on the drum & you want to make a serious "pull", when you do, the line will cut down in between the lower wraps on the drum and can be so tight, its impossible to pull out again without a big mechanical advantage. If your stuck, you might not be able to do that!

So ALWAYS keeping tension on the line will save you time re-winding & save your line!

Its very important that the winch is not in gear, when you think its in Neutral. It will, of course overwind and break something. BUT also, something that is just about as bad, or even worse, is having it in Reverse (unwind), when you don't know it. It will start loosening the wraps till its a god awful mess. I saw one, where the line had to be cut off the drum, it was snarled so terrible bad.

When practicing & working the winch - always keep the line even on the drum (easier said then done in a stuck). Keeping the truck & line in a straight line is the key. Otherwise, if it starts building up excessively on one side, you will have to stop, pull out some line and re wind it. Don't be bashful about doing that. It will save your line. Kinks in your line, make it had to work & lessons its strength. If you have a bunch of loose line out, be careful about taking it up, when it has loops in it. The loops are called "a$$holes" & if they pull down tight, they will form a kink that you can't get out again.

For practice: Find a fairly steep hillside that is open & has a big tree on the side of it. Approach the tree and pull out some line and tie onto the tree. Then release your brakes & let the truck roll back against the line. Now you can practice shifting & selecting the gears and not have to get out to see what is happening, or fear that you are going to snarl the line.

Lee in Alaska

 

[Recovry4x4]

Outstanding advice Lee, can say it enough, SAFETY SAFETY SAFETY!

 

[therbert]

Thanks Guys, I havn't tried it again, Had a busy day today. I will let you know how it goes.

Thanks

 

[jatonka]

Lee, You covered that very well, guys like Kenny and Spicergear and some others who winch a lot and for a business can appreciate someone who understands winching and can explain it as well as you did. In my business, there isn't much worse than getting loose lays on your winch drum. I run a line truck with 1467' of bed winch line and my M543A2 wrecker with 350 of that easy to haul 3/4" cable, for a job and loose cable means a lot of lost time. I always stop and straighten it out cause the alternative is a torch and a new reel of cable. Thanks for the great post John Tennis

 

[rosco]

It would be interesting to sit around and tell winch stories (I didn't say wench). One can be very creative with several snatch blocks too, but one should never loose sight of the forces that are involved, is something lets go.

Lee in Alaska

 

[ARMYMAN30YearsPlus]

I had a driver pull his duece off the side of the road in Virginia on the way to AP Hill from Fort Eustis. It was in the area where the ground is swampy on both sides of the road and the shoulder dropped off about four feet into the swamp. When I got there as a brand new second lieutenant riding with a driver in the M816 I saw the duece had a fuel leak and smelled like diesel.

I told the driver to start the duece and pull it out on the road so we could hook up and tow it but all the soldiers said no way. I was in the process of making them do it when another 2LT told me to be quiet and let them work. I held my piece. The wrecker driver backed up to the duece and promptly slipped the right rear axles into the swamp. I told them to let me start the duece and pull them out so they could hook up and tow again I was silenced by peer pressure.

They were getting ready to pay out the rear winch across the road to a tree on the other side with a fleet angle of about 90 degrees. I told them no don't winch that way and again the other lieutenant told me to shut up. They commenced to pull and as soon as the cable got loaded the tree across the road pulled out of the ground and the top of it hit the high voltage lines along the side of the road sending down a shower of sparks. I yelled to get off the truck in case the electical wire burned through and dropped onto the winch line. They jumped like Jesse Owen in 36 and were shaking.

I then got in the deuce started it with fumes coming out from the hood, pullled around front of the wrecker and hooked up told them to get in and I pulled the wrecker out. They then came around, hooked up and we towed the deuce to AP Hill.

I learned that day to never be quiet if I saw something I knew to be bad or wrong about to be done. That lesson has served me well since then.

 

[Recovry4x4]

I'll add this, use your ears when winching. Even with the noisy deuce, you can hear when cable is about to let go. I've done this mistake myself. You get so caught up in a winching operation that you lose sight of the safety factor. I was once fat winding the cable on a deuce because of a bad fleet angle. I said heck with it and continued to get the job done.Nothing serious happened but it did cost me 200' of cable.

 

[m-35tom]

winching is at best a very dangerous operation and should involve at least 2 people. NEVER EVERuse the wince in - out lever to stop the winch, it probably won't and then you will need a new radiator or worse. you always want a operator in the cab to control the cable and someone on the ground to direct you.