maybe I think too much ahead or am in a dream state. But If this is sooo critical of an issue and could save someones life / truck etc Is there someone here on this site that could shoot a Video on the proper way to use the winch.. Put it on dvd , sell them ! Show different way to use the winch, snatch blocks etc.. B/T this site and ebay it might be a good thing . I'd buy it! Reading a TM is one thing But seeing someone actually doing it and in different seninaros is better.. Just an Idea - sorry if its Goofy
The video is a good start to know where the controls are, but a winch is a very versatile device. There is no substitute for knowing how, when, and why a winch operates the way it does, how, when, and why a cable lays on the drum the way it does, (in particular why it doesn't sometimes), understanding what you're pulling against, and understanding what you're pulling with.
That movie is great for the basics (although that is covered in the TMs), but if you're looking for a list of rules for every situation, you won't find it. Some feeble attempts maybe, but it's just too broad of a spectrum. This machine was concieved in a day when you could count on the operators to educate themselves and take an active role in the operation of a machine, well beyond just "knowing what button to push". You can not do that simply by knowing which lever makes the winch go...
In contrast, in a modern family car, if you want to start the engine, about all you need to know is where the key goes. Compared to cars of the time when this winch was made, it's a big difference. You had to know where the key goes (if you were lucky enough to have an electric starter), you had to figure out how cold it was, how humid it was, how long since the engine has been run, develop a feel for that engine and it's unique requirements, and you had to manually take control of the fuel delivery and the air delivery to make that whole "starting" thing happen. The consequences here if you screwed up were about five minutes worth of popping a couple of spark plugs out and clearing a flooded engine, which was considered operator level stuff. Not many folks went to a pro for that sort of thing.
Your winch is of the old school. Know and understand the complete system, start to finish, beginning with the engine's flywheel and clutch, and ending with whatever you've decided to hook the winch cable to. Door to door, everything in between is your responsibility. The consequenses here are not fuel soaked engine cylinders, its parts shattering, that chain on the end of the cable coming at you at 200 miles per hour, the cable it's self coming at you at 200 miles per hour, the cable or hook taking the top winch plate and dragging it through your radiator, an errant hand or limb in the wrong place at the wrong time.
These need not be scary or dangerous to operate, however if you're trying to memorze a list of Do's and Don'ts, it will never happen, and it will always be a dangerous operation with a little pucker factor. A thorough understanding of the whole system, and a little forethought into each and every action no matter how large or small, including a large amount of common sense (which of course only can be applied if you actually know what you're working with) is what it takes to safely operate equipment like this.
Just a thought on PROPER WINCH OPS...
Read the WHOLE THREAD! 
