How to setup a winch on an off-road rig.
Off-road Jeep Wranglers are an excellent rig for getting around the backcountry, but if you’re not careful, you can get stuck. Thankfully, there is a way to avoid this unfortunate fate: Winching! This article will show how to setup your Jeep Wrangler with a winch and find that perfect off-road location.
Become familiar with your Jeep Wrangler and the kinds of off-road situations you'll find yourself in. This will help you understand what kind of winches work best for each situation, as well as the different parts that make up a Jeep Wrangler! Let’s start by looking at Jeep Wranglers themselves. Jeep Wranglers come in many shapes and sizes: from stock to lifted, two doors or four doors; there is definitely an option for everyone! Even within these categories are multiple options such as hard top vs soft top (or no top), automatic transmission vs manual shifter, etc., which again means they can be customized to fit any lifestyle. Knowing whether you want a long wheelbase model or short one can help you decide what kind of winches will work best for each Jeep Wrangler.
The difference between a Jeep Wrangler and other off-road vehicles is that Jeep Wranglers have the ability to go just about anywhere, which means their capabilities are much higher than other types of rigs. Jeep Wranglers can take on hillsides, mountain trails, rockslides – pretty much anything short of an actual rock wall! Jeep Wranglers were made with all terrain in mind so they’re durable enough to handle any situation thrown at them even if it requires some extra equipment. Other kinds of off-roading vehicles need more preparation because they aren’t as versatile or as capable as Wranglers; however, they can be used for all kinds of activities like: bike hauling, boat towing and much more. Jeep Wranglers are a one-size fits all type of vehicle; they’re great for everything from weekend outings with the family to world class off-road trails!
The first step before getting your Jeep Wrangler stuck in mud or snow is determining whether you should even attempt it yourself. There will definitely come a time when you need someone else's help – such as if there happens to be too much snow on the roadways (but this doesn't mean that you shouldn’t at least try!). The first thing that you want to do is call up some friends and see who has an extra winch available, and to see if they’re willing to help. Having a winch as your back-up plan can be very helpful! Once you've found someone who is able to help you out (and doesn't mind), the next step is figuring out what kind of winches work best for each situation.
Winches are used in many different situations – from simply pulling a buddy's non Jeep Wrangler up an incline or hauling a boat across town – so having them on hand helps ensure that no matter where you go, you won't have any trouble getting there! Winches come with three main parts: pull line, wire rope/wire cable and drum/winch housing. The first thing that you need to do is determine where the winch should be located; makes sure that it can actually reach whatever needs pulling! Jeep Wranglers are equipped with front and rear bumpers so there's plenty of space for a winch.
The next step after finding out where the best place to mount your winch is to make sure that it can actually move the Jeep Wrangler; you don't want your to be stuck in one place, even if there's mud everywhere! This means making sure of how much power (in horsepower) and what kind of winch line speed work best for each situation. A good rule of thumb is that more horsepower equals more pulling capacity; this makes sense because bigger engines usually mean they're able to produce more power than smaller ones. The same goes with winches – generally speaking, a higher HP winch will pull faster than a lower HP wench which means less time spent trying to get unstuck!
After figuring out where the winch should be mounted and determining whether or not it can actually move your Jeep Wrangler, the next step is to make sure that everything works properly. Make sure that all of the wire and cable connections are secure. Winches use a drum and winch line system which means that there's typically no way for you to tighten or loosen any parts – they're either on correctly or not at all. This makes testing things out before using them very important because if something isn't right, then it probably won't work when you need it most!
Once everything has been tested once again (and double checked) then the only thing left to do is figure out what kind of winch to use in which situation. Jeep wranglers come equipped with a standard cable winch that can be used in most situations; this is also known as the “stubby” winch because it's not very tall and doesn't require much mounting equipment, making it an easy choice for off-road rigs! Jeep Wranglers are designed to handle heavy mud and snow so there should always be enough power on hand no matter what you choose to do!
Winches need both extra quality parts and sturdy mountings if they're going to work properly – otherwise, your winch will either get stuck or worse: break at just the wrong time. Jeep Wranglers are the perfect choice for off-road use, so make sure your winch is in tip top shape with these simple steps.
Steps to perform after installing a winch.
- Make sure that the winch is mounted securely in place.
- Find a flat and level location that is large enough for the winch to extend almost the entire length of its rope.
- Put the vehicle in park, engage the parking brake and exit the vehicle.
- Disengage the clutch on the winch. Pull by the hook strap and spool out the winch rope to the last 5 wraps on the drum (10 wraps if synthetic rope). After the winch rope is spooled out, engage clutch.
- Attach the hook end of the rope to a suitable anchor and return to the vehicle.
- Back the vehicle away from the anchor point until there is almost no slack on the winch rope. Set the parking brake, put the car in gear, or park it, then turn it off. If you're by yourself, get out of the car. You can stay inside if you don't want to leave.
- While standing about 8 feet away from the winch (or from from inside the cab if you have assistance), power-in the winch ensuring all the slack is wound onto the drum.
- With gloves on, apply tension to the winch rope with one hand and carefully push it to the side of the drum on which the winch rope is connected, so that there are no gaps between each wrapped coil. Make sure the winch rope is winding off the bottom of the drum, or else your winch will not work correctly.
- The following procedure should be completed by two people for optimum safety. Always set the parking brake, put the transmission in gear or park, and turn off the vehicle when you exit it to inspect the winch rope, if you try to tension your winch rope alone.
- The driver of the vehicle should operate the winch.
- Instruct your assistant to stand away from the winch rope and to the side of the car. Your assistant should inform you if the winch rope is winding correctly, by watching it move across the fairlead as the winch rope is powered in.
- Start it and put the gearshift or transmission in neutral. Then release the parking brake while applying moderate brake pedal pressure. Power-in the winch rope and begin to pull in. Stop winching when you've pulled 6 feet of rope into it.
- Slowly release the brake pedal and apply the parking brake. This will ensure that there is no strain or load on the winch rope.
- Place the transmission in park or in gear, apply the parking brake and turn the vehicle off.
- Exit the vehicle. Examine the winch to ensure that the winch rope is being evenly wound onto the winch drum rather than sinking into the lower layer. If the winch rope is sinking, power-out the rope by pushing the power-out button on the remote control and repeat this step again using greater brake pedal pressure.
- Once you're confident that the winch rope is winding onto the winch drum properly, repeat steps until the vehicle is 6 feet from the winch anchor. Once within 6 feet , gradually release the brake pedal then apply the parking brake. This will ensure that no strain is put on the winch rope. Next put the transmission in park or gear and turn off the vehicle.
That's all there is to it. Your winch may now be utilized to pull and you're READY TO GO PREPARED!