winch operation

[colyork]

although i have owned a duece for a while ,i have never had the need or opertunity to use the winch.Please explain the operation of the winch and any tips you might have

 

[clinto]

The operators manual has a decent description but after reading I still felt intimidated by it, as I had no real world experience with anything other than little electric aftermarket winches on Jeeps.

This should help: http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?37120-Basic-deuce-winch-operation-video

Read the OM, watch the video, then takes yours out into a field with an experienced operator and get some practice. Now's a great time to pull the cable out, clean and lube it.

 

[M35A2-AZ]

If is not hard, but you need to read the TM for sure on the winch use and for sure DO NOT TRY TO USE IT BY YOUR SELF. Bad things will happen if you try to use it by your self.

 

[rosco]

Even when operating it with a helper, you need to MAKE SURE, each knows they signals you are going to use! Besides what is in the TM, one can write up a book on the stuff, an Operator needs to know. I wrote, early on, a bunch of stuff on operating it. Little stuff, like, don't forget its in "power out", and get out of the truck. That was almost 50 years ago, in an M37, but its still ingrained, like it was yesterday. Think it out first.

Be Careful, and Good Luck!

 

[cattlerepairman]

If you have never operated the winch before, my recommendation would be to check the winch over, before you do anything else.

1) drum lock - engage/disengage
2) winch clutch - engage-disengage; does the flip lock work?
3) can you pull wire off; does the winch drum freespool?
4) open the fill ports and check for/add lubricant (gear oil is fine; will likely leak out over time; many use cornhead grease)
5) check shear pin (so you know where it is, check the fact that it is a shear pin and not a bolt, and how to replace it)

As my first winch exercise I would do what the operator in the video was doing. Hook up to a tree, unlock the winch and free-spool off 30 ft or so of winch cable by slowly backing up. Then shut the truck OFF.
Check the winch cable for defects (always wear gloves when handling steel cable). Engage the winch clutch and get into the cab. Familiarise yourself with the in-cab controls. Flip up the lock and move the PTO lever into each detent so you know what it "feels" like. Put lever back in neutral (mental note: you THINK you put it in neutral; don't rely on it; check when you start the truck - let go of the clutch slowly).

Before you use the in-cab controls for real to winch the truck towards the tree, go through the motions of what to to when something goes wrong. Step on the clutch pedal to break power transfer to the winch and hit the brake to stop the truck. Actually DO it.

Now I would start the truck and winch the truck towards the tree, at low winch speed, as he did in the video. Keep the winch cable as close to centre line as possible so it layers nicely and always keep tension on the cable. It is better to do this with two people; one watching from a distance outside.

DO NOT attempt to winch up the final yards of the cable without a spotter and, again, be sure you can stop the winch in the blink of an eye.

Always maintain a healthy respect for the winch and its power, and the energy stored in a winch cable that is under tension.

 

[colyork]

thank you