2008 Ford F250 Special Off-Road Package Supplement 1st Printing - Page 14

Driver Controls How to spool under no load Arrange the remote control lead so it cannot be caught in the winch. Arrange the wire rope so it will not kink or tangle when spooled. Be sure any wire rope already on the spooling drum is wound tightly and evenly layered (unspool and tighten and layer evenly, if necessary). Keep the wire rope under light tension and spool the wire rope back onto the winch drum in even layers. Stop frequently to tighten and straighten the layers as necessary. Repeat this process until the winch hook is the same distance as the full length of the remote control from the winch. Attach the hook strap, then walk the wire rope toward the fairlead, carefully spooling in the remaining rope by pulsing the remote control switch. Store the hook at the fairlead or tensioned to a suitable location to the side. If you do not have the hook strap, use a length of cord or something similar. To help prevent serious injury, never put your fingers inside the hook area as you are powering in. Rigging techniques Various winching situations will require unique winching techniques. These could range from too little distance to achieve maximum pull using straight line rigging, simply increasing pulling power or maintaining a straight-line pulling situation. How to change the pulling direction All winching operations should have a straight line from the winch to the object being pulled. This minimizes the wire rope collecting on one side of the drum which will affect pulling efficiency and may damage the wire rope. A snatch block, secured to a point directly in front of the vehicle, enables you to change the pulling direction while allowing the wire rope to be at 90° to wind properly onto the drum. 14 2008 F-250/350/450/550 (f23) Supplement USA (fus)