[Rossi]

Originally Posted by Samurai

What is DIY, the installation?


I wouldn't know, the engine was switched off in my case. It runs off directly from the battery, engine need not be on. For longer operations, you may want to keep the engine on to keep the battery charging.

Does this mean that the winch runs on battery power only?! The engine power has nothing to do with the operation?!

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by Rossi

Does this mean that the winch runs on battery power only?! The engine power has nothing to do with the operation?!

Yes, this is an electric winch. PTO winches (which is rare these days) and Hydraulic winches need engine power.

[trammway]

Originally Posted by Samurai

I wouldn't know, the engine was switched off in my case. It runs off directly from the battery, engine need not be on. For longer operations, you may want to keep the engine on to keep the battery charging.

I will not suggest switching off the engine while we are in winching mode. Who can afford to have a drained out battery?

There are cases when if you wanted to get yourself winched out (self recovery), IMO giving a engine push will also help the winching work better.

@Beejay,

You would have seen Legend enging running as to charge the draining battery due to Winching effect. The Jeep's standard alternator is only 65amps and you need 100+ amps to run the winch, hence it is always better to keep the engine. May the situation you have seen is for continues winching and revving up the engine rotates the alternator faster to produce more energy to the battery ???

Breaks are pressed to make the vehicle strudy and not moving forward, however this will not help in all the places. We really need to have the vehicle anchored to something if winching is not for self recovery

[ram.west]

Originally Posted by trammway

2. Use a gunny bag(through it on the winch cable, see the picture below) as energy obsorber. DO NOT TRY TO WINCHING WITHOUT THIS PRACTICE. If for some reason the winch cable is cut, it can give enough slap to even tear the jeep grill and think of people in sorrounding upto the cable length and also the person who operates the winch or the person who is in the Jeep which is getting pulled. So, as a mandatory practice use gunny bag or rubber sheet or anything else on the winch cable to obsorb the energy.

am newbie learner at 4x4 in the forum. Can someone explain how the gunny bag absorbs the energy during the cable snap.

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by Samurai

I wouldn't know, the engine was switched off in my case. It runs off directly from the battery, engine need not be on. For longer operations, you may want to keep the engine on to keep the battery charging.

I would also strongly advice against running off the battery alone. Those motors are heavy drainers and can run down a battery completely under 10 mts of full load. Saw it once in front of my eyes, this was inspite the engine running at idle, finally raised RPM for sometime helped the situation.

[Rossi]

Originally Posted by ram.west

am newbie learner at 4x4 in the forum. Can someone explain how the gunny bag absorbs the energy during the cable snap.

It is more as a preventive of a "whiplash effect" which is extremely strong when the winch cable snaps during winching operations. Would recomend you re-read tramways point as it is very important to understand this safety precaution.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by trammway

I will not suggest switching off the engine while we are in winching mode. Who can afford to have a drained out battery?

In this case I could since I was in my office grounds, no better way to find out the limits.

Originally Posted by Jaggu

I would also strongly advice against running off the battery alone. Those motors are heavy drainers and can run down a battery completely under 10 mts of full load. Saw it once in front of my eyes, this was inspite the engine running at idle, finally raised RPM for sometime helped the situation.

Since the Ramsey REP 8000 draws 405A at full load of 8000lbs, it should do 13 minutes of duty with my 90AH battery at highest load.

But I didn't think I was anywhere near full load, may be around just half load. So I figured it was good enough for at least 25 minutes. First pull didn't last beyond 30 seconds. The second one didn't last beyond 5 minutes.

[Jaggu]

You are very much over estimating the limits of Indian batteries, careful thats all

[swastikviji]

This Jeep didn’t have a D-ring, that means we had to pull using the chassis.

Hi Samurai i got these single eyelets from Suresh Sir these things are very good compared to D rings,looks cool in your jeep bumper, check with suresh for availability.

[trammway]

Originally Posted by ram.west

am newbie learner at 4x4 in the forum. Can someone explain how the gunny bag absorbs the energy during the cable snap.

While steel winch cables are exceptionally strong, safety precautions must be observed to avoid injury in the event of cable failure. Such breakage can result in a violent whiplash effect that can harm people and equipment in a split second.

Even before we put tension on the winch cable it is important to put something over the winch cable, in case it should break or come unhooked under load. You can use a gunny bag, carpet, tow strap, a small tree branch, a floor mat, or a heavy jacket to drag the line to the ground in the event of an unhooking. The dampers as stated above significantly reducing the recoil and keeps the cable under control should it break, or attaching hardware comes loose.

A flying cable can do serious damage to people standing nearby, 4x4s as well as body parts. It is important that bystanders stand back behind vehicles. It also doesn't hurt to raise the hood of the winching vehicle just in case the hook comes flying back toward the winch. Standing away from the taut cable, or even finding a hiding place, is a smart thing to do.

It's the winch operator's responsibility to clear the "Kill Zone" of the winch cable or other dangerous areas before using the winch. If the cable snaps or the vehicle moves incorrectly, onlookers could be maimed or killed.

I sincerely suggest all the 4x4 drivers/followers to go through the excellent document compiled by Warn Industries for Winching Techniques here in this PDF file.

http://www.warn.com/corporate/images...US.readers.pdf

One more point about the Snatch block

Snatch blocks are often used to multiply the pulling power and also used to change the pulling directions. At many incidents we may not be able to pull a vehicle or ourself out in a straight line. Look at the case Samurai stated here, a snatch block would have helped in this case to pull Marshall in a different direction (left) without dragging it if used with a snatch block.

[svsantosh]

Originally Posted by trammway

Such breakage can result in a violent whiplash effect that can harm people and equipment in a split second.

Movie : Men of Honor
Scene : The Hero - Cuba Gooding Jr is on a Navy Ship and supervising a Winching operation out of the sea. He notices the winch cable is going to cut loose and may harm a Sailor. He throws himself in Harm;s way and the winch cable hits him at FULL tension between the ankle-knee and cuts his leg in two!!!

Ps - The above may be a movie - But its a Real life adaptation. A snapped Winch cable can KILL/MAIM/INJURE.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by trammway

Look at the case Samurai stated here, a snatch block would have helped in this case to pull Marshall in a different direction (left) without dragging it if used with a snatch block.

Would you like to shed more light on this? Although I have seen snatch block being used many many times, this was the first time I used it myself. May be it is my inexperience, but I can't think how snatch block could have helped me in the first recovery. I was able to pull left without needing the snatch block. Of course, I had to drag it. How would you recover the vehicle with the help of snatch block without dragging?

[DirtyDan]

Put the bonnet up if possible to prevent a failed cable from kicking back through the windshield.

[dyer_made]

Just a wee bit off topic here but I think Samurai has a great opportunity here by virtue of having such a big space as his backyard. He should get a JCB and turn the area into a small off road circuit and invite other aficionados and have limitless fun.

Imagine real offroad fun and events in your own backyard!!!

Secondly, going even more off topic but people, it is very disturbing to see even regular words like "Brakes" misspelled here. I know everybody is not expected to be a professor but each language deserves a certain amount of respect and brakes being referred to as breaks (and apparently it is a very widespread usage, I have noticed it in at least nineteen threads) really irks me.

So it is my request here to not be offended by my observation but please be a bit more considerate towards the language. Improvement is good for oneself.

Thanks

[desertfox]

There are a lot of things going on as evident from these pictures which should not happen.

I am telling you this from over 12 years of experience with winching rescues.

Tie a winch from a secure towing point fixed to the chassis of the vehicle such as a warn hook or a rhino hook. Not bumpers. A bumber can come off easily.

Take this advice seriously, I am one of a few people who has actually seen a winch cable snap and some very tradegic things happen resulting is death and casualty to bystanders.

DO not use any kind of harness, chains, hoists, shackles, tug ropes or tow straps in combination with winces. Use only the winch cable and its rated hook fixed securely.

Always use the engine power of the stuck vehicle too to assist in winch recovery.

DO not attempt to pull a vehicle out by fixing a winch rope. Only winch with the winch cable, not attempt a pull or snatch recovery substituting it for a tow strap.

Always keep a towel or jumper cable or similar object like a blanket on the cable so that it goes downwards in case it snaps.

use of a tackle block is good. Also pull from as far as the winch cable will payout, longer the cable pulled out, more will be the winching power.

In very tough situations, use two tackle blocks, this will triple the winching force.