2017 Ram 3500 lock

WARNING!(Continued)
•Failure to follow these warnings may result in inju-
ries that are serious or fatal to you, your passengers,
and others around you.
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 water.
• Do not exceed 5 mph (8 km/h) when driving through
standing water. This will minimize wave effects.
• Driving through standing water may cause damage
to your vehicle’s drivetrain components. Always in-
spect your vehicle’s fluids (i.e., engine oil, transmis-
sion, axle, etc.) for signs of contamination (i.e., fluid
that is milky or foamy in appearance) after driving
through standing water. Do not continue to operate
the vehicle if any fluid appears contaminated, as this
(Continued)
CAUTION! (Continued)
may result in further damage. 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.
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.
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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 barbswhich can
slice skin. It is extremely impor-
tant to wear protective gloves
while operating the winch or
handling the wire rope. Avoid
loose fitting clothes or anything
that could become entangled in
the wire rope and other moving
parts.
Snatch/Block Pulley: Used prop-
erly, 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. Clevis/D-Shackles:
The D-Shackle is a safe means
of connecting the looped ends
of cables, straps and snatch
blocks. The shackle’s pin is
threaded to allow easy removal.
Tree Trunk Protector:
Typically
made of tough, high-quality ny-
lon, it provides the operator an
attachment point for the winch
rope to a wide variety of anchor
points and objects, as well as
protect living trees.
478 STARTING AND OPERATING

6. Secure to the anchor point. Once you have establishedyour anchor point, secure the tree-trunk protector or
choker-chain around the object.
CAUTION!
Always be certain the anchor you select will withstand
the load. NOTE: How to choose an anchor point:
A secure anchor
is critical to winching operations. An anchor must be
strong enough to hold while winching. Natural anchors
include trees, stumps and rocks. Hook the cable as low as
possible. If no natural anchors are available when recover-
ing another vehicle, your vehicle becomes the anchor point.
In this case, be sure to put the transmission in NEUTRAL,
apply the hand brake and block its wheels to prevent your
vehicle from moving. Ideally, you’ll want an anchor point
that will enable you to pull straight in the direction the
vehicle will move. This allows the wire rope to wind tightly
and evenly onto the spooling drum. An anchor point as far
away as possible will provide the winch with its greatest
pulling power.
Tree Trunk Protector
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7. Attach the Clevis/D-shackle and Tree Trunk Protector.Attach the shackle to the two ends of the strap or chain
and through the hook loop, being careful not to over
tighten (tighten and back-off 1/2 turn).
8. Lock the clutch. Lock the winch drum by rotating the clutch lever on the winch to engage.
NOTE: Always ensure the clutch is fully engaged or
disengaged. 9. Connect the remote control to the winch control box,
located behind the front bumper. Be careful not to let the
remote control cord dangle in front of the winch. If you
choose to control the winch from inside your vehicle,
always pass the remote through a window to avoid
pinching the cord in the door. Always disconnect the
remote control when not in use.
Clevis/D-Shackles
Winch Box Remote Control Connector
484 STARTING AND OPERATING

under tension. Do not approach or move the blanket once
tension is applied. Do not allow it to get pulled into the
fairlead. If it is necessary to move or remove the blanket,
slack the tension on the wire rope first.
13.Establish no people zones:Make your intentions
clear. Be sure that everyone in the immediate vicinity
surrounding the winching operation is completely
aware of your intentions before you pull. Declare
where the spectators should not stand - never behind
or in front of the vehicle and never near the wire rope
or snatch block. Your situation may have other no
people zones. 14. Begin winching. With the winching vehicles engine on
and light tension already on the wire rope, begin
winching slowly and steadily. Be sure that the wire
rope is winding evenly and tightly around the spooling
drum. For additional assistance, the winched vehicle
can be slowly driven while being pulled by the winch.
Continue pulling until the vehicle is on stable ground.
If you are able to drive the vehicle, the winching
operation is complete.
No People Zones
Using The Remote Control
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Rigging Techniques
Various winching situations will require application of
other winching techniques. These could range from too
little distance to achieve maximum pull using straight line
rigging, simply increasing pulling power, or maintaining a
straight-line pulling situation. You will have to assess what
technique is correct for your situation. Thinksafetyat all
times.
How To Change The Pulling Direction
All winching operations should have a straight line from
the winch to the object being pulled. This minimizes the
wire rope collecting on one side of the drum affecting
pulling efficiency and damaging wire rope. A snatch block,
secured to a point directly in front of the vehicle will enable
you to change your pulling direction while still allowing
the wire rope to be at 90° to wind properly onto the
spooling drum.
Increasing Pulling Power
In some cases, you may find yourself needing more pulling
power. The use of snatch blocks increases mechanical
advantage and that increases your pulling power.
Change Pulling Directions
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Double Line
Because pulling power decreases with the number of layers
of wire rope on the winch drum, you can use a snatch block
to double line out more wire rope. This decreases the
number of layers of wire rope on the drum, and increases
pulling power. Start by feeding out enough wire rope to
free the winch hook. Attach the hook to your vehicle’s
frame/tow hook and run the wire rope through a snatch
block. Disengage the clutch and, using the snatch block,
pull out enough wire to reach your anchor point. Do not
attach the hook to the mounting kit. Secure to the anchorpoint with a tree trunk protector or choker chain. Attach
the clevis/shackle. Attach the shackle to the two ends of
the strap/chain, being careful not to over tighten (tighten
and back-off 1/2 turn).
POWER STEERING
Electric Power Steering — 1500 Models
The electric power steering system will give you good
vehicle response and increased ease of maneuverability in
tight spaces. The system will vary its assist to provide light
efforts while parking and good feel while driving. If the
electric steering system experiences a fault that prevents it
from providing assist, you will still have the ability to steer
the vehicle manually.
If the Steering icon is flashing, it indicates that the vehicle
needs to be taken to the dealer for service. It is likely the
vehicle has lost power steering assistance.
If the Steering icon is displayed and the “POWER STEER-
ING SYSTEM OVER TEMP” message is displayed on the
instrument cluster screen, they indicate that extreme steer-
ing maneuvers may have occurred which caused an over
temperature condition in the power steering system. Once
driving conditions are safe, pull over and let the vehicle
idle for a few moments until the icon and message turn off.
Wire Rope Routing
490 STARTING AND OPERATING

When the parking brake is applied with the ignition switch
ON, the “Brake Warning Light” in the instrument cluster
will illuminate.
NOTE:
•When the parking brake is applied and the transmission
is placed in gear, the “Brake Warning Light” will flash. If
vehicle speed is detected, a chime will sound to alert the
driver. Fully release the parking brake before attempting
to move the vehicle.
• This light only shows that the parking brake is applied.
It does not show the degree of brake application. When parking on a hill, it is important to turn the front
wheels toward the curb on a downhill grade and away
from the curb on an uphill grade. Apply the parking brake
before placing the gear selector in PARK, otherwise the
load on the transmission locking mechanism may make it
difficult to move the gear selector out of PARK. The
parking brake should always be applied whenever the
driver is not in the vehicle.
WARNING!
•
Never use the PARK position as a substitute for the
parking brake. Always apply the parking brake fully
when parked to guard against vehicle movement and
possible injury or damage.
• Never leave children alone in a vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. Leaving unattended
children in a vehicle is dangerous for a number of
reasons. A child or others could be seriously or
fatally injured.
(Continued)
Parking Brake Release
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