Power Wagon Registry

I have never used a winch before and since getting the pw I have been reading up on how to use and what accessories are needed. The previous owner left the cable on the winch not very neatly wrapped so I have been wanting to unspool it most the way out and clean the cable and re-wrap it.
Questions: How much tension should i put the cable under? Is the vehicle in neutral a good weight? What can I use to clean (if needed, or even supposed to clean) the cable?
I was thinking I could attach the hook to a post or tree and winch the truck in while making sure the winding in the drum is close and neat. Is that typical method? Sorry if it has been covered and seems like an obvious situation just want to do it right.

The winch the truck in method works. Helps if there is a slight incline so that your truck doesn't roll out of control. That is what I did when I replaced my cable. Leave about 8-10 wraps on the drum as the connector is not meant to be under load. If you do take it all the way out, simple gloved hand tension will do to get those first few wraps. The copper connector is only there to hold the cable on the drum. I would think a wd-40 soaked rag run over it on the way back in as you are guiding it on neatly would suffice.

awesome that is what I was thinking but rather ask and not have to do it twice. Do the wraps on the succeeding layers stay on top of the previous layer during pulls? Not having ever used one I would think they would have a propensity to get pulled down through the layers, or does the cable have to be pulled almost all the way out with every use? Can I unspool like 30ft and use the winch?

You can unspool what you need for a pull. Keep in mind, the more cable you have on the drum, the less the actual pulling power is. You will have to unroll and re-roll after pulls if you want to keep it clean. Wire rope will deform from the pulls, as it finds its point to run in under load. It will tend to follow itself onto the drum, but you won't always be able to get a straight pull, and so it will bind up on the side you pull on.

As for cleaning it, WD 40 or something similar should work, and won't harm it.

Good luck, and make sure you wear heavy leather gloves handling that wire!


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Before getting the pw I assumed that the rating on the winch was good from start to finish. I need to get some snatch blocks and some shackles to add to my recovery kit. I have been looking at making an anchor similar to the pull-pal since most of my offroading is done on sand.

I have not read the article, but here is a link to the "winching and recovery bible" found on the main home page for PWR. Most likely will have some good information...

http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavist ... index.html

About applying WD40...never run the line through your hands even when wearing gloves. All it takes is one broken strand of wire to ruin your day. Wire rope can use lots of oil to keep the water and dirt out and to lubricate the strands from each other. But some people just leave the wire bare and dry which is ok if you don't use your winch much.

When I did it I used some old motor oil on a rag. Not a ton, just enough to get it

Do a search here on Bruce Elfstrom - you will find an article he wrote for the Overland Journal that is perhaps the best short lesson on winching available.

I don't worry about how the spool looks, and I don't leave in under tension. I always plan on removing all but the last few wraps of rope.

Cactus Red wrote:
I don't worry about how the spool looks, and I don't leave in under tension. I always plan on removing all but the last few wraps of rope.

Took this pic to show the difference between the first and the fourth layer on a winch as far as pulling force is concerned. This is what Cactus is talking about. This label is on a winch I saw in Costco. I thought it was worthy noting that the reduction of pulling force is almost cut in half due to torque increase on the load side on the fourth layer.
Spooling it in with the truck in neutral should be ok. If you spool it In under too much tension, when you free spool it out it can slip/ spring back to a neutral position causing what's called " a rats nest". If that happens you may not be able to unspool your cable without cutting a bunch off. I would spool it in under human tension and mildly snug it up against the fairlead. If you have synthetic line then "Rats nests" aren't possible because there is no spring tension and/or stretch in the line. If steel cable is wrapped under tension due to a winch extraction, unspool it with reasonable human tension while pulling it out and then rewrap it. With new steel line installation, it should be spooled with about 1800 lbs of tension or 1/10 th of line rating so as to help give it shape memory and give it an initial stretch to help unlay the wire fibres.
Here is an in depth link on safe winching and proper ringing procedures.http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/Recovery/

Thanks for the tips am info. I'm going to try it out later on today.

Haven't cleaned my cable yet (could probably use a cleaning though) but, I have had to respool MANY a time (every offroad recovery seems to be at such an odd angle to yield a birds nest!), since it's pretty flat around my house, I hook the cable to a friend's truck and then have them sit in my truck slightly applying the brakes as I carefully spool in the cable. I've already developed a couple rather nasty kinks in my cable from recoveries but, I imagine they'd be much worse if I hadn't carefully spooled it under tension before going wheeling!!!!

Odd angles are one of the reasons I have three snatch blocks in my kit. If there is anyway to rig a pull straight into the winch by redirecting it, I do. I use the winch more to clear trees off the roads after the winter than anything else, and that often requires some really odd rigging.

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Do yourself a favor and get the wireless remote, it's a god send.

Cactus Red wrote:Odd angles are one of the reasons I have three snatch blocks in my kit. If there is anyway to rig a pull straight into the winch by redirecting it, I do. I use the winch more to clear trees off the roads after the winter than anything else, and that often requires some really odd rigging.

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I just got a second snatch block for this reason, I still need to get another tree saver strap though.