Superwinch EP12.5 Manuel Du Propriétaire page 6

Rope In
Rope Out
Figure 8
The switch
CAUTION
!
assembly
must be kept free of dirt and
moisture to ensure safe operation.
PULLING OUT THE WIRE ROPE
The wire rope has been installed on
your winch under minimal load at
the factory. The wire rope must be
respooled onto the drum under
load so that the outer layers will
not draw down into the inner ones
thereby damaging the wire rope.
1. Rotate the clutch lever to the
"Disengaged" position as shown
in Figure 9. If there is a load on
the wire rope, the clutch lever
may not turn easily. DO NOT
FORCE THE CLUTCH LEVER.
Release tension on the wire
rope by jogging out some of
the wire rope, then try releasing
the clutch.
Engaged Disengaged
Figure 9
2. Pull out the wire rope and
secure to anchor or load.
3. Check that there are at least
five (5) turns of wire rope left
on the drum.
4. Re-engage the drum by rotating
the clutch lever to the "Engaged"
position (see Figure 9).
Lever must be in
CAUTION
!
the engaged
position and locked before winching.
10
BRAKE OPERATION
Your winch incorporates a propor-
tional friction-type brake. After
winching in a load, this mechanism
holds the load, up to the rated
capacity of the winch. While power-
ing out the load, the winch controls
the rate of speed by applying the
brake in proportion to the amount
of the load in the winch cable. This
results in heavier loads powering-
out more slowly than lighter loads.
Similar to the friction-type brakes in
your automobile which can gener-
ate heat if used for along period of
time, the winch brake can generate
heat if used to power-out a load for
a long period of time. To ensure
optimum winch performance,
always limit powering-out a
load to 2 minutes and allow the
brake to cool for 15 minutes
before continuing to winch.
Under normal use, the brake mech-
anism should not require any
adjustment. Should the brake fail to
hold a load or maintain a constant
rate of speed during power-out
operation, the brake pad may be
worn and require replacement.
After extended
WARNING
!
periods of power-
ing-out loads against the brake, the
gearbox housing may become hot.
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 10).
Figure 10
4. The pull required to start
a load moving is often much
greater than the pull required to
keep it moving. AVOID FREQUENT
STOPPING AND STARTING during
pull.
5. PREVENT KINKS BEFORE THEY
OCCUR (FIGURE 11).
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 perma-
nently damaged
and must be
b
replaced.
c. Result of kink-
ing is that each
strand pulls a dif-
ferent amount caus-
ing strands under
c
greatest tension
to break and
reduce load capac-
ity of wire rope.
Figure 11
The wire rope
must be
replaced.
6. EQUIPPING THE WINCH WITH A
ROLLER FAIRLEAD will substantially
reduce wear on the wire rope
during angle pulls (Figure 12).
The rollers eliminate heavy rubbing
and abrasion to the wire rope.
Figure 12
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.
REPLACING THE WIRE ROPE
Never substitute a heavier or lighter
wire rope. Never use rope made of
any other material other than wire.
Always use wire rope with a mini-
mum breaking strength of 14,400
lbs. (64kN) for the EP12.5 and
17,600 lbs (78kN) for the EP16.5.
Always replace damaged wire
rope with manufacturer's
identical 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 13). Tighten the
set screw securely.
Figure 13
11