MAC AFRIC 5000 LBS Electric Winch with Wired Control

Basic Winching: Top Tips

Access the situation from all angles before beginning to winch.

Stop, slow down, think through all of your recovery options.

Determine who is responsible for winching, rigging, and being recovered.

Understand your equipment and use the safest methods possible when extracting a vehicle.

Recognize nearby danger zones before using a winch.

Put some weight on the line using a winch damper, heavy backpack, or thick jacket on each winch line before winching. It’ll help force the line down toward the ground if the rope were to break.

If the winch line is under tension, meaning it’s taut and ready to pull or is already pulling, never step over it. Picture a line snapping while you’re standing on top of it! Enough said.

If you’re winching a vehicle out of harm’s way, operate it from a safe distance or with you behind your vehicle’s open door or inside the vehicle itself. If the winch line or rigging breaks, your vehicle would take the damage rather than you.

If using an open-looped system (i.e., a hook), always remember to “hook up” the winch’s hook with the opening pointing upward. This will help the winch line fall to the ground instead of through the air should a rope failure occur.