ATV Winch Problem Warnings
- Until 1959, when Arthur Warn built the first commercially available electric winch, vehicles stuck in remote locations were either dug out by hand, towed or freed by block and tackle hand-operated come-a-longs. Warn's power winches were small electric devices, usually spooled with a few hundred feet of wire cable mounted on front bumpers. To free a stuck vehicle, the cable is secured to the nearest tree or boulder and the powerful tool pulls the truck back onto the beaten path.
- When an ATV gets stuck, it's often in an area where a truck or other outdoor vehicle can't get to it to tow it. And an ATV user might be riding alone, without someone else to pull him out. That's where a winch comes in handy, but using one without first reading all warnings contained in the owner's manual will put you at risk of serious injury.
- One would not think of the dangers of spooling the wire cable on an ATV winch, but it's one of the easiest risks to overlook. Always wear heavy leather gloves when handling the cable as the wire will cut you deeply in an instant. And when spooling in, always stop a few feet before the end; every year people lose fingers when their hands become entangled inside the housing of the winch as the operator is spooling under power. The final few feet must be done manually to avoid this type of injury.
- The shorter the length of cable you have to unspool to reach a solid pulling point, the safer you are. Imagine the enormous amount of tension that is placed on the wire cable while trying to pull your ATV out of its predicament. If the anchor point you have attached to gives way, or if your cable breaks, there will be a rapid and deadly backlash. Anyone in the danger zone of the out-of-control cable risks serious injury, even death. And it's the backlash that makes winching an ATV more dangerous than winching a truck or jeep. When winching a full-size vehicle, the driver has some safety from the cab he sits in, but an operator steering an ATV out of the mud has no protection whatsoever and is directly in the line of fire.
- While winching, keep all bystanders at a safe distance and never step over the cable. Make sure your winch is large enough for your ATV by weight, and never use it as a hoist. Read the owner's manual thoroughly and use common sense. Winching is dangerous, but if done correctly, the risks will be minimized.
