2011 Ram 1500 Owner's Manual

Flowing/Rising Water
WARNING!
Do not drive on or across a road or path where water
is flowing and/or rising (as in storm run-off). Flow-
ing water can wear away the road or path’s surface
and cause your vehicle to sink into deeper water.
Furthermore, flowing and/or rising water can carry
your vehicle away swiftly. Failure to follow this
warning may result in injuries that are serious or
fatal to you, your passengers, and others around you.
Shallow Standing Water
Although your vehicle is capable of driving through
shallow standing water, consider the following Caution
and Warning before doing so.
CAUTION!
•Always check the depth of the standing water
before driving through it. Never drive through
standing water that is deeper than the bottom of
the tire rims mounted on the vehicle.
•Determine the condition of the road or the path
that is under water and if there are any obstacles in
the way before driving through the standing wa-
ter.
•Do not exceed 5 mph (8 km/h) when driving
through standing water. This will minimize wave
effects.(Continued)
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CAUTION! (Continued)
•Driving through standing water may cause dam-
age to your vehicle’s drivetrain components. Al-
ways inspect your vehicle’s fluids (i.e., engine oil,
transmission, axle, etc.) for signs of contamination
(i.e., fluid that is milky or foamy in appearance)
after driving through standing water. Do not con-
tinue to operate the vehicle if any fluid appears
contaminated, as this may result in further dam-
age. Such damage is not covered by the New
Vehicle Limited Warranty.
•Getting water inside your vehicle’s engine can
cause it to lock up and stall out, and cause serious
internal damage to the engine. Such damage is not
covered by the New Vehicle Limited Warranty.
WARNING!
•Driving through standing water limits your vehi-
cle’s traction capabilities. Do not exceed 5 mph
(8 km/h) when driving through standing water.
•Driving through standing water limits your vehi-
cle’s braking capabilities, which increases stop-
ping distances. Therefore, after driving through
standing water, drive slowly and lightly press on
the brake pedal several times to dry the brakes.
•Getting water inside your vehicle’s engine can
cause it to lock up and stall out, and leave you
stranded.
•Failure to follow these warnings may result in
injuries that are serious or fatal to you, your
passengers, and others around you.
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OFF-ROAD DRIVING TIPS
Care should be taken when attempting to climb steep
hills or driving diagonally across a hill or slope. If natural
obstacles force you to travel diagonally up or down a hill,
choose a mild angle and keep as little side tilt as possible.
Keep the vehicle moving and make turns slowly and
cautiously.
If you must back down a hill, back straight down using
REVERSE gear. Never back down in NEUTRAL or diago-
nally across the hill.
When driving over sand, mud, and other soft terrain,
shift to low gear and drive steadily. Apply the accelerator
slowly to avoid spinning the wheels.
Do not reduce the tire pressures for this type of driving.
After Driving Off-Road
Off-road operation puts more stress on your vehicle than
does most on-road driving. After going off-road, it isalways a good idea to check for damage. That way you
can get any problems taken care of right away and have
your vehicle ready when you need it.
•Completely inspect the underbody of your vehicle.
Check tires, body structure, steering, suspension, and
exhaust system for damage.
•Inspect the radiator for mud and debris and clean as
required.
•Check threaded fasteners for looseness, particularly on
the chassis, drivetrain components, steering, and sus-
pension. Retighten them, if required, and torque to the
values specified in the Service Manual.
•Check for accumulations of plants or brush. These
things could be a fire hazard. They might hide damage
to fuel lines, brake hoses, axle pinion seals, and
propeller shafts.
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•After extended operation in mud, sand, water, or
similar dirty conditions, have the radiator, fan, brake
rotors, wheels, brake linings, and axle yokes inspected
and cleaned as soon as possible.
WARNING!
Abrasive material in any part of the brakes may cause
excessive wear or unpredictable braking. You might
not have full braking power when you need it to
prevent a collision. If you have been operating your
vehicle in dirty conditions, get your brakes checked
and cleaned as necessary.
•If you experience unusual vibration after driving in
mud, slush or similar conditions, check the wheels for
impacted material. Impacted material can cause a
wheel imbalance and freeing the wheels of it will
correct the situation.
WINCH USAGE (POWER WAGON ONLY) — IF
EQUIPPED
Things To Know Before Using Your Winch
General Winch Information
Your vehicle is equipped with an electric vehicle recovery
winch. This winch uses the electrical power from the
vehicle charging system to power a motor that winds
wire rope into the winch drum via planetary gear reduc-
tion. By nature, a winch is capable of generating very
high forces and should be used with care. Do not operate
the winch without reading and understanding the com-
plete winch owner’s manual.
Tensioning The Wire Rope
The winch rope must be properly tensioned before use.
Follow the instructions below to tension the rope:
1. Un-spool the wire rope leaving five wraps of rope on
the winch drum.
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2. Attach the hook to a suitable anchor point.
CAUTION!
Be certain the anchor will withstand the load re-
quired to tension the wire rope.
3. Apply at least 500 lbs (227 kg) of tension to the rope
while winding the rope. Always use care to ensure the
rope does not pile up on one side of the drum and is
neatly wound onto the drum.
CAUTION!
Wire rope must spool on the winch drum in the
direction indicated on the drum rotation decal on the
winch.
Low Voltage Interrupt
Your winch is equipped with a device that will interrupt
winch function if the vehicle charging system voltage
drops to a low level. The winch will not power-in or out
for 30 seconds if this device is tripped. If the interrupt is
tripped, the vehicle should be operated at high idle for a
few minutes to allow the vehicle charging system to
recover before continuing to winch.
Winch Motor Thermal Protection
Your winch is equipped with a thermal protection device
in the motor. If the winch is operated for an excessive
duration, the device may interrupt motor function to
protect the winch motor. During this time the winch will
power-out but will not power-in. Allow the winch motor
to cool for a few minutes before continuing to winch. The
winch will resume normal function once the motor cools.5
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Understanding The Features Of Your Winch
Winch Components
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1.Motor: The winch motor is powered by the vehicle
charging system and features a thermal protection switch
that automatically stops motor function in the power-in
direction if the motor gets too hot.
2. Remote Socket: The remote socket allows the remote
control to be attached to the control pack to allow the
winch to function.
3. Winch Drum With Integral Brake: The winch drum
allows the wire rope to be stored on the winch and
transmits force to the wire rope. The winch is equipped
with an integral brake that will stop rotation of the winch
drum if the winch motor is stopped.
4. 3-Stage Planetary Gear Set: Provides balance between
speed and pulling power.
5. Wire Rope: The wire rope allows the winch to be
connected to an anchor to provide a pulling force. 6.
Clutch Lever: The clutch lever allows the winch drum
to be disconnected from the winch motor to allow the
wire rope to be pulled from the winch by hand.
7. Remote Control: The remote control provides the
interface between the winch operator and the winch. The
remote control provides the ability to power the winch in,
out, and stop the winch. To operate the winch, the toggle
switch is pressed down to power the winch in and up to
power the winch out. The winch will stop if the switch is
left in the neutral (center) position.
CAUTION!
If not installed, the hook strap must be placed on the
hook.
Fairlead: The fairlead acts as a guide for the wire rope
and minimizes damage to the rope.
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Winch Accessories
The following accessories are necessary to attach the
winch to anchors, change direction of pull, and for safe
winching.Gloves:Wire rope, through
use, will develop barbs
which can slice skin. It is ex-
tremely important to wear
protective gloves while oper-
ating the winch or handling
the wire rope. Avoid loose fit-
ting clothes or anything that
could become entangled in
the wire rope and other mov-
ing parts. Snatch/Block Pulley:
Used
properly, the multi-purpose
snatch block allows you to (1)
increase the winch’s pulling
power; and (2) change your
pulling direction without
damaging the wire rope.
Proper use of the snatch block
is covered in Before You
Pull.
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