Winching -- Purchasing, Setting Up

Winching

Purchasing, Setting Up, and Using

By Jerry Smith

Part 1

Winches and winching are something that can be highly technical if you are into some intense 4-wheeling.  Choosing the right winch for your intended use can be easy or difficult.  Money is often the first obstacle you must overcome. 

Money to buy a winch is not always an easy find.  I remember buying my first winch.  Not long after spending a large pile of hard earned cash on my first new Jeep, a 1973 CJ5 with no top to save some initial money and to be able to later buy a new Bestop because I liked the features better than the stock top, I began looking at my options for buying and installing a winch.

I purchased the CJ5 in late October.  Living in western Montana that late in the year, riding around in an open top Jeep could be considered a bit insane.  I quickly determined that a top would be firmly on the top of my “accessory” list.

By mid-December, I had finally saved enough to order a new Bestop from our only 4-wheel drive shop.  When it finally arrived, I found out that the installation instructions had one caveat… install it on a warm, 70-degree plus day.  Those temps were still several months away and the 17-mile drive to work every morning was proving to be brutal.

I found that installing a new Bestop in 30-degree weather to be one great challenge, but it turned out that it could be done.

In 1973, there was no internet.  Information about winches for a Jeep was by word of mouth from mostly inexperienced people.  Just finding a source of winches was difficult, and finding good info on buying a quality winch, what size, and if and what accessories were available was quite a feat.

At the time, I worked as a heavy equipment mechanic for a Caterpillar dealer that sold cable and accessories, so sourcing the accessories was a no-brainer.  Having already installed new Hyster winches on log skidders and Caterpillar equipment gave me some background on the intricacies of that operation. 

When the money was available and the decision of which winch to buy were finally made, I ordered a new Ramsey 8000# electric winch.  That’s when I found that the Jeep was not set up with a platform to simply install the winch.

A friend who had an older CJ5 had a homemade PTO winch on the front.  His father, who owned a truck repair shop, had built the bumper from some old truck frame, which had proven to be substantial, so we copied some of that bumper, and created an integrated winch mount and bumper for the Ramsey.

That Ramsey winch proved to be a most reliable, very useful and often used Jeep accessory.  I could now go places that most of my club members would not follow.

Over the years, we moved many downed trees from trails.  More than once, we removed large rocks from the road and pulled others or me out of what we had gotten ourselves into.  We had pulled fence posts, tightened fences, and all sorts of odd jobs.  That winch proved to be one of the best investments I ever made.

One thing I found about the Ramsey electric winch that always bothered me was how slow it was.  It seemed like watching paint dry as the winch pulled in what seemed like inches of cable.  Rewinding the cable after use was something I came to dread and often just wrapped the cable around the bumper.

When the need for a new winch for a new Jeep came along many years later, knowledge of winching, how to choose a new winch, and the technology in winches had vastly improved.  Options were now available on the Internet that made the choices easier and more difficult. 

I knew what I wanted in a winch, but because the availability of installing a Power-Take-Off (PTO) on the transfer case was no longer an option, I looked for a winch capable of pulling all day if the need came along.  More than once I had the need to pull long distances… like 100+ feet.  Once I winched off a snowy, off-camber shelf road for nearly 1/4–mile.  I also wanted one with a higher speed of recovery if possible.

All those wants pointed the way to a hydraulically driven winch.  The power steering pump could supply the hydraulics, so the source of power already existed.  The heating problem an electrical winch created would be alleviated, and I found a winch with a two-speed retrieval capability.

The Mile Marker hydraulically driven winch was a military proven winch.  Being a military vet, I knew that the military can tear apart an anvil barehanded, so if the winch could stand up to them, I had little to worry about.  Over a ten-year period of fairly intense use, I can honestly say that I have zero complaints with the Mile Marker winch.

(Well… maybe one.  Remembering which lever belongs in which direction for high and low speed can be a long learning process.)

Over the years, I have found that there are some little things you can do to improve the operation of your electric winch.  Electrical winches are a heat-building machine.  Heat and electrical energy are the greatest of enemies.  As the temperature rises, the demand for more power is increased.  That demand causes the temperature to rise even more… and the process continues until something fails.  This is NOT a good system.

Many of the newer winches have sensors that will shut the winch down when the temperatures reach critical numbers.  Once that happens, you must wait until the winch cools down to continue.

There are two things you can do to help this problem. 

The first is to take the cables that come with a new winch and throw them away or recycle them.  Those are just extended battery cables to be able to reach from the battery to the winch.  The average battery cable is a stranded heavy copper wire with a non-conductive coating.

Battery cable is made for short, heavy electrical loads… such as starting an engine.  If you hold a battery cable in your bare hand under load, you can feel it building heat.  As it heats up, less amperage can flow through the wire.  This causes it to heat even more, which reduces the amperage the starting motor (or winch motor) is demanding.  In the case of the winch, heat reduces the pulling power, the opposite of what you want from a winch.

The easy fix for this problem is to replace the heavy battery cable with a length of welding cable.  Think about it this way… welding is a long-term heat process.  You are literally melting metal to join two surfaces together.  That welding cable is made to carry high amperage for long durations.  If you winch for any distance, your winch needs all the power that battery can supply.  Why not supply the maximum amperage while reducing the heat build up??

The next possible way to enhance the use of an electric winch is to shorten the length of steel cable or synthetic rope on the drum.  A shorter rope requires fewer layers of rope on the drum.  Fewer layers actually increase the pulling power of your winch. 

The majority of pulls with a vehicle winch are of short distances.  Sometimes, just a few inches or feet will get you back underway.  Most of the time, the anchor you pull from is not all that far away from the winch.  All that extra rope is dead weight and of little value.

For those instances where you need a longer winch line, carry a length of rope as an extension.  Learn how to use the extension to the length you need without tying it in permanent knots.  You can carry as much extension rope as you feel comfortable with or can afford.

Your battery and charging system will love you if you do both.  They will not need to produce as much energy to do the same job.

Your winch will love you also.  It will not heat nearly as much because it will be operating at a lower rate of pull. 

In part two of this series, we’ll talk about how to choose the right winch for your rig.

Mountain Driving Tips

By Jerry Smith

Whether there has been a real uptick in the number of instances of mountain wrecks this year or there has been more reporting of those incidences, Colorado’s mountains have experienced several wrecks and near wrecks in 2017.

Many people think I’m nuts when I tell them that mountain driving is different from canyon country or the deserts.  From significant experience, I believe there are some big-time differences.  Of course, there are many similarities too, but if you don’t know what you don’t know, how are you going to learn the differences?

Some of what we’re about to cover will look and sound familiar because it is.  On any 4wd trip, there are certain things you should know and do.

Some of the big things have to do with “before you go”.

Ø Check the weather for the area you’re going to.

Ø Leave word with someone

·      Where you’re going

·      When to expect you back

Ø Is your rig ready?

·      Oil and water levels

·      Visual check of the running gear

Ø Fuel…

Ø Food and water for at least two-days for everyone on one-day trips.

Go prepared!!  Certain things should ALWAYS be in your rig on every outing.

Ø Coat(s)

Ø Gloves

Ø Rain gear

Ø Blankets

Ø Tools  -- can you change a flat tire?

Ø Fire extinguisher

Ø First aid kit

Ø Hi-lift Jack and accessories

Ø Fire starting gear

Ø Flashlight(s)

Ø Shovel

Ø Water bucket

Ø Maps and GPS

Those are the MINIMUM you should have.  Whether you leave them in your rig or have them in a “to go bag” for fast loading, anything less is taking a chance you don’t need to.

Next is – don’t go alone if you can.  If you do, these minimums might increase.  Having another vehicle is always a plus, but is also not always possible.

The following are some things you want to be aware of in the mountains.  Some are common sense, some should be but are not.

1)   Here is one you seldom hear of but is something to take into account.  When people who come from lower elevations start exploring the higher elevations (8000 feet or higher), they may not notice it, but your brain reacts to the lack of oxygen and you CAN begin losing your ability to focus and even your cognitive abilities will lag.  In extreme cases, your judgment will become impaired.  Being aware of ALL your circumstances while driving the high country is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY, so you want to be aware of this problem and even stop occasionally just to take some deep breaths and bring your blood oxygen up.  Losing focus while driving a narrow mountain road is not something you want to do.  I have suffered from this more than once, and it’s not fun.  At 13,000 feet, most of us humans are not in top shape and can start having a lapse in judgment.  Being aware of your condition can help you focus, but you must stay vigilant. The mountains have many things to distract from your driving.  In most cases, it’s better to “stop and gawk”.  Don’t lose focus on your number one priority - driving.

2)   When you stop and get out, make darn sure you are in park or in a LOW gear with a manual transmission and have the parking brake on.  In some cases, you may want to chock the tires.

3)   Turn the downhill side of the steering tires so the vehicle will go on the high side of the road should it start moving.

4)   The general rule of thumb is… uphill traffic has the right of way.  This is mainly because backing downhill is very dangerous.  Stopping a moving vehicle going backward downhill is difficult.  This rule is often not practical for several reasons, but you should try to make it happen more often than not.

5)   Pay attention to pullouts and wide areas.  You can never tell when you might need to use one.

6)   If you must pull over to pass or be passed, be careful about soft shoulders on the road.  Most of the outside of dirt roads are not compacted and can slough-off very easily.

7)   Learn about the tire tracking of your vehicle.  This is a long-term process that can take a while to learn and then should be practiced every time you go out.

         Your tires track differently when turning.  The sharper you turn, the more your rear tires track inside of where the fronts do.     Using non-threatening rocks on the road, (ones that won’t cut a tire or bounce you off the road) learn to just “touch” the rock with the inside and outside sidewall of all 4-tires going straight or in a curve.  You must do this without hanging your head outside to become good at it.  You just want to graze the rock with the sidewall.  When you can do this, you’ll be a much more confident driver because you will KNOW where your 4-tires are.

8)   Wet trails will have characteristics that dry ones don’t.  Muddy tires won’t have the same traction. (duh)  Especially when crawling on wet rocks, you can expect to slide off of various rocks with no warning.  This sliding can be in any direction, so you must “plan” for it to happen.  Don’t put yourself in a position that a slight slip to the side will put you over the edge.  You may already be in an off-camber situation and that little slip may put you in a worse condition.  You MUST be ready for that to happen.

9)   Off-camber situations are common in the mountains.  Sometimes, the seat covers will be stretched to the max.  Most of us drive by the “seat of our pants”, but they do make good tilt gauges for this.  Every vehicle has a different “tip over point”.  How you load a vehicle can change that point, so you must become a good judge of your vehicle’s character.  Even how full your gas tank is will have some effect.  Different soil conditions on off-camber places can change your approach.  Mud, loose gravel, rocky conditions, and any combination of them can change how your vehicle will hold on.

10)                 Snow driving.  Snow in some mountains can happen any time of year.  The higher you go, the more likely you may see snow or hail accumulations.  Snow and ice on a steep mountain road can be terrifying or thrilling.  Either way, it is dangerous.  The only real way to learn to drive it is experience, but if you learn in a safe snow-covered parking lot, you’ll be well ahead of most.  You must learn to control slides.  How to brake effectively.  How to accelerate smoothly.  There are tons of little things to do on snow in the mountains that only experience and technique will get you through.  One that stands out is to put an automatic transmission into neutral when going downhill slow.  This keeps the engine from pushing you faster than you wish to go which makes you slide out of control.  Let the vehicle coast with no power.  On a manual trans, just push in the clutch.  Light brake application is the best.  Some will tell you to pump the brakes, but that only works if you begin to skid. You’ll find that control is increased and braking is much easier to control.

11)                 Temperatures.  You will encounter mornings when the ground and road is frozen and firm.  As the day progresses, the temperature can melt the upper crust of certain roads making them treacherously slick.  Slick muddy tires on a frozen sub-surface are a place looking for an accident to happen.

12)                 Dry your brakes.  Just after crossing streams or puddles of water or mud, apply the brakes to dry them. (Especially on drum brakes).  Wet brakes often have a “lag-time” before they begin to stop you.  On a steep mountain road, you want brakes immediately, not when they “get around to it”.

13)                 Water crossings – in the mountains, the water is often running crystal clear.  Gauging the depth of running water is difficult.  Using a long stick to probe the depths is good practice.  Easing into running water is the smart way.  Charging an unknown water crossing can result in some severe breakage when a hidden rock or hole is encountered.

14)                 More on water crossings.  Crossing water is best done at a slow, steady speed.  Keep your momentum.  When you stop in some places, the bottom will wash out from under the tires and you become stuck.

15)                 Hairpin turns.  On tight hairpin turns where you must do a three-point or more turn,

Ø Don’t pull out to the edge of the road.  Leave about two feet. (Some will put the shifter in “reverse” only to go forward or will let off the brakes and engage a clutch too late and slip forward)  Leave yourself some “whoops” room.

Ø Make sure you are in the right gear before “backing up”.

Ø If you are uncomfortable, use a “competent” spotter if one is available.

16)                 While on the trail, you will encounter many intersections.  Really pay attention to each one.  Know which way you turned.  Some mountain roads will bring you around in a circle without you realizing it.  If you don’t recognize an intersection, you will become disoriented and lost.

17)                 Try to remember trail numbers or names if they are marked.  Write them down or photograph them for later review.

18)                 Try to know where you are on maps and/or GPS.  This can help if you become disoriented or need to tell someone where you are.

19)                 Use a lower gear to keep your speed low when going downhill.  Don’t ride your brakes all the way.  Let the engine maintain the speed whenever possible.  Use the brakes when the engine is over-revving.

20)                 Make a habit of getting out of your vehicle when you come to an obstacle that you can’t see clearly or are not comfortable just driving over.  Walk around it looking at it from different angles.  This can save you a lot of work later.

21)                 Climbing steep rocks or other obstacles can be difficult.  You may already be on a steep road when an object will present you with a steeper climb.  If you must slow and/or stop, do it a safe distance from the object.  Get out if necessary.  Either way, slow and steady is nearly always the best way to proceed.

22)                 Reading the trail.  This applies to every kind of trail.  Learning to gauge the height of a rock is vital to the longevity of your axle housings.  It’s important that you become very quick in mentally measuring obstacles accurately.  Knowing whether to go over, around or straddling an obstacle is vital.

23)                 Shadows.  When in a forest, you can expect tall trees to cast shadows and to allow some direct sunlight through.  In the right conditions, this plays hell with your vision… especially depth perception.  Seeing and measuring holes and tall obstacles become very difficult in shadowy conditions.  Slow down and be very aware of the conditions.

24)   

This, by no means, covers everything about mountain driving, but it will give you some ideas of the little differences between normal driving and being in the mountains.  Some of this will help you in canyon country as well.

Wherever you wheel, be safe and have fun.

One last thing... when you come to a fork in the road, take it!