2018 Ram 2500 winch

In certain situations you may decide to throw a heavy
blanket or similar object over the wire rope. A heavy
blanket can absorb energy should the wire rope break.
Place it on the wire rope midway between the winch and
the anchor point. Do this before the wire rope is put 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.
No People Zones
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14. Begin winching. With the winching vehicles engine onand 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. NOTE:
•Avoid overheating the winch motor. For extended
winching, stop at reasonable intervals to allow the
winch motor to cool down.
• What to look for under load:
The wire rope must
always spool onto the drum as indicated by the drum
rotation decal on the winch. As you power-in, make sure
the wire rope winds evenly and tightly on the drum. This
prevents the outer wire wraps from drawing into the
inner wraps, binding and damaging the wire rope. Avoid
shock loads by using the control switch intermittently to
take up wire rope slack. Shock loads can momentarily far
exceed the winch and wire rope ratings. During side pulls
the wire rope tends to stack up at one end of the drum.
This stack can become large enough to cause serious
damage to the winch. So, line up pulls as straight ahead
as possible and stop winching if the wire rope comes close
to the tie rods or mounting plate. To fix an uneven stack,
spool out that section of the rope and reposition it to the
opposite end of the drum, which will free up space for
continued winching.
15. Secure vehicle. Once recovery of the vehicle is com-
plete, be sure to secure the vehicle’s brakes and shift
the transmission to PARK. Release tension in the wire
rope.Using The Remote Control
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16. Disconnect the wire rope, and disconnect from theanchor.
17. Rewind the wire rope. The person handling the wire rope should walk the rope in and not let it slide
through the hand, control the winch at all times.
WARNING!
To prevent serious injury, NEVER put your fingers
inside the hook area as you are powering-in. NOTE: How to spool under no load:
Arrange the remote
control lead so it cannot be caught in the winch. Arrange
the wire rope so it will not kink or tangle when spooled. Be
sure any wire rope already on the spooling drum is wound
tightly and evenly layered. Tighten and straighten the layer
if necessary. Keep the wire rope under light tension and
spool the wire rope back and onto the winch drum in even
layers. Stop frequently to tighten and straighten the layers
as necessary. Repeat this process until the winch hook is the
same distance as the full length of the remote control from
the winch. Pinch the hook between your thumb and
forefinger and attach the hook strap. Hold the hook strap
between the thumb and forefinger to keep tension on the
wire rope. Walk the wire rope towards the fairlead, care-
fully spooling in the remaining wire rope. By pulsing the
remote control switch.
18. Store the hook on the most outboard loop of the tow hook.
Rewinding The Wire Rope
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19. Disconnect the remote control. Disconnect the remotecontrol cord from the control box and store in a clean
and dry place. Winching operations are now complete.
Put the cap on the solenoid plug-in.
NOTE: Always store the remote control in a protected,
clean, dry area.
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. Think
safetyat 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
Hook In Stored Position
Change Pulling Directions
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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.
Double Line
Because pulling power decreases with the number of layers
of wire rope on the winch drum, you can use a snatch blockto 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 anchor
point 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.
Wire Rope Routing
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There are two ways to assemble the tools:
Assembled For Spare Tire Lowering/RaisingCAUTION!
•The lug wrench can only be attached to extension 2.
• When attaching the tool to the winch mechanism be
sure the large flared end opening on extension 4 is
positioned correctly over the winch mechanism ad-
justing nut.
• Damage to the lug wrench, extensions and winch
mechanism may occur from improper tool assembly.
Assembled For Spare Tire Lowering/Raising
1 — Lug Wrench 3 — Extension 3
2 — Extension 2 4 — Extension 4
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IN CASE OF EMERGENCY 471

Assembled For Jack Operation
WARNING!
After using the jack and tools, always reinstall them in the
original carrier and location. While driving you may expe-
rience abrupt stopping, rapid acceleration or sharp turns. A
loose jack, tools, bracket or other objects in the vehicle may
move around with force, resulting in serious injury.
Removing The Spare Tire
1. Remove the spare tire before attempting to jack up thetruck. Attach the lug wrench to the extension tubes with
the curved angle facing away from the vehicle. Insert the
extension tube through the access hole between the
lower tailgate and the top of the bumper and into the
winch mechanism tube.
Assembled For Jack Operation
1 — Lug Wrench 4 — Extension 4
2 — Extension 2 5 — Extension With Jack Hook
3 — Extension 3
Inserting The Extension Tubes Into The Access Hole
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4. Lift the spare tire with one hand to give clearance to tiltthe retainer at the end of the cable.
5. Pull the retainer through the center of the wheel. NOTE:
The winch mechanism is designed for use with the
extension tubes only. Use of an air wrench or other power
tools is not recommended and can damage the winch.
Preparations For Jacking
1. Park the vehicle on a firm, level surface. Avoid ice or slippery areas.
Gaining Access To The Retainer
Pulling The Retainer Through The Center Of The Wheel
474 IN CASE OF EMERGENCY