TIPS FOR EXTENDING THE LIFE OF
THE WINCH
1. KEEP A TIGHTLY WOUND WIRE
ROPE DRUM. Do not allow the
wire rope to become loosely
wound. A loosely-wound drum
allows a wire rope under load to
work its way down into the layers
of wire rope on the drum. When
this happens, the wire rope may
become wedged within the body
of the windings damaging the
wire rope. To prevent this prob-
lem, keep the wire rope tightly
and evenly wound on the drum at
all times. A good practice is to
rewind the wire rope under ten-
sion after each use. One way to
do this is to attach the hook to a
stationary object at the top of a
gradual incline and winch your
vehicle up the incline.
2. DO NOT ALLOW WINCH MOTOR
TO OVERHEAT. Remember, the
winch is for intermittent use only.
During long or heavy pulls the
motor will get hot. The internal
parts will be hotter than the case.
To check the motor temperature,
stop winching and carefully touch
the motor case, if the motor is
uncomfortable to touch, allow
the motor to cool before continu-
ing. KEEP THE ENGINE RUNNING
TO RECHARGE THE BATTERY dur-
ing this break.
3. To maximize winch and wire rope
life, use a pulley block to double
line heavier loads (Figure 14).
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4. The pull required to start a load
moving is often much greater
than the pull required to keep it
moving. AVOID FREQUENT STOP-
PING AND STARTING during pull.
5. PREVENT KINKS BEFORE THEY
OCCUR.
Figure 14
a. This is the start
of a kink. Wire
rope should be
straightened.
b. Wire rope was
a
pulled and loop
has tightened into
a kink. Wire rope
is now permanent-
ly damaged and
must be replaced.
c. Result of kink-
ing is that each
b
strand pulls a dif-
ferent amount caus-
ing strands under
greatest tension
to break and
reduce load capac-
ity of wire rope.
c
The wire rope
must be replaced.
Figure 15
6. EQUIPPING THE WINCH WITH A
ROLLER FAIRLEAD will substantially
reduce wear on the wire rope
during angle pulls (Figure 16).
The rollers eliminate heavy rub-
bing and abrasion to the wire rope.
Figure 16
M A I N T E N A N C E
Periodically check tightness of
mounting bolts and electrical con-
nections. Remove any dirt or corro-
sion that may have accumulated on
the electrical connections.
Repairs should be done by
Authorized Superwinch Repair
Centers ONLY. Do not attempt
to disassemble the gearbox.
Disassembly will void warranty.
LUBRICATION
The gearbox and drum bearing are
permanently lubricated with a high
performance gear lube. If relubrica-
tion is necessary (after repair or
disassembly) only use factory
approved grease (Superwinch
Part No. 90-15020).
HANDHELD REMOTE
DIRECTIONAL SWITCH
(Spring to Center)
BLUE
YELLOW
BLUE
BLACK
BLACK
GROUND
GROUND
RED
RED
WHITE
BLACK
MOTOR
FIELD WINDINGS
OFF
Figure 18
Figure 17
REPLACING THE WIRE ROPE
Never substitute a heavier or lighter
wire rope. Never use rope made of
any other material other than wire.
Always replace damaged wire
rope with manufacturer's identi-
cal replacement part (see
Replacement Parts list). Pass attach-
ing end of wire rope through the
fairlead (if equipped) and attach it
to the drum. When inserting the
wire rope into the drum, insert it
into the correct end of the hole
provided (Figure 17). Tighten the
set screw securely.
It is important that the wire rope
be wound tightly onto the drum. A
good way to do this is to attach the
wire rope hook to a fixed object at
the top of a slight incline, then
winch the vehicle up the incline.
HANDHELD REMOTE
HANDHELD REMOTE
DIRECTIONAL SWITCH
DIRECTIONAL SWITCH
(Rope-In Position)
(Rope-Out Position)
YELLOW
BLUE
BLACK
GROUND
RED
RED
RED
RED
WHITE
WHITE
BLACK
BLACK
MOTOR
MOTOR
FIELD WINDINGS
FIELD WINDINGS
WIRE ROPE IN
WIRE ROPE OUT
YELLOW
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