2019 Ram 3500 Anc

332 STARTING AND OPERATING
effectively increasing the water level on the vehicle. Be
sure to consider this when determining the depth and the
ability to safely cross.

• Crossing Puddles, Pools, Flooded Areas Or Other Standing
Water – Puddles, pools, flooded or other standing water areas
normally contain murky or muddy waters. These water types
normally contain hidden obstacles and make it difficult to
determine an accurate water depth, approach angle, and
bottom condition. Murky or muddy water holes are where
you want to hook up tow straps prior to entering. This makes
for a faster, cleaner and easier vehicle recovery. If you are able
to determine you can safely cross, than proceed using the low
and slow method.
• Crossing Ditches, Streams, Shallow Rivers Or Other
Flowing Water – Flowing water can be extremely dangerous.
Never attempt to cross a fast running stream or river even in
shallow water. Fast moving water can easily push your
vehicle downstream sweeping it out of control. Even in very
shallow water, a high current can still wash the dirt out from
around your tires putting you and your vehicle in jeopardy.
There is still a high risk of personal injury and vehicle damage with slower water currents in depths greater than the
vehicle's running ground clearance. You should never
attempt to cross flowing water which is deeper than the
vehicle's running ground clearance. Even the slowest current
can push the heaviest vehicle downstream out of control if the
water is deep enough to push on the large surface area of the
vehicle's body. Before you proceed determine the speed of the
current, the water's depth, approach angle, bottom condition
and if there are any obstacles, then cross at an angle heading
slightly upstream using the low and slow technique.

Airing Down For Off-Road Driving
Running lower tire pressure off-road can improve your ride
comfort and vehicle traction. Reducing the tire air pressure
allows the tire to bulge slightly, improving its surface area
for better flotation and ability to mold or form to the ground
contour. Different terrain, tires, and vehicles require
different tire pressure. Hard surfaces like rock and heavier
vehicles require higher pressures than softer surfaces such as
CAUTION!
Muddy waters can reduce the cooling system
effectiveness by depositing debris onto the radiator.
WARNING!
Never drive through fast moving deep water. It can push
your vehicle downstream, sweeping it out of control.
This could put you and your passengers at risk of injury
or drowning.

STARTING AND OPERATING 333
sand and lighter vehicles. You will need to experiment to
determine what is right for your situation. It is easier and
faster to let air out than it is to replace it so, start high and
lower it as required. Remember you must return the tires to
normal air pressure before driving on road or at highway
conditions. Be sure you have a way to return the tires to their
normal on road air pressure.
Vehicle Recovery
If you drive off-road, you may encounter a situation where
you will need to recover your vehicle. Vehicle recovery
should always be given consideration before attempting a
questionable obstacle. You should never go off-road driving
without the ability to recover your vehicle from a situation.
Having another vehicle with you usually works best for most
situations. The first thing to do is assess the situation. Why
are you stuck? Are you hung up on something? Would it be
easier to go forward or to go backward? Can you still movethe vehicle? Is there an anchor point to winch to? Are you
alone or do you have another vehicle to help? Is there high
risk of vehicle damage during the recovery process?
Answering these questions will help you determine the best
method of recovery. If you can still move the vehicle slightly
and the only issue is slick ground, then rock cycling your
vehicle would be the first choice. If you have ample room, an
additional vehicle and there is low risk of vehicle impinge
-
ment on the surroundings, then using a tow strap to the
vehicle tow hooks would be fast and easy. If the vehicle is
severely hung up or in a situation where great care needs to
be taken during the recovery, then nothing can do the job
better than a winch. If you are severely hung up on some -
thing you should jack the vehicle up and stack something
under the wheels to allow the vehicle to roll off the object
without causing further damage. This should be tried before
attempting any recovery method.
CAUTION!
Reduced tire pressure increases the risk of tire damage
and may cause tire unseating with total loss of air
pressure. To reduce the risk of tire unseating, while at a
reduced tire pressure, drive at slower speeds and avoid
sharp turns or abrupt maneuvers.
CAUTION!
Pulling the vehicle off an obstacle, without first clearing
the object, may result in additional underbody damage.
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STARTING AND OPERATING 335
•Winching (Refer To “Winch Operation” For Additional
Information) – Winching is most commonly used in the
following situations: there is no support vehicle available,
a high controlled force is required to recover the vehicle,
there is a high risk of environmental or vehicle damage, or
where nothing else seems to work. A winch can deliver a
high pulling force with a great deal of control. It allows
you to walk the vehicle out of the situation in a slow
controlled manner. This control works well for avoiding
further vehicle damage. Once you decide it is time to use
the winch look for a good anchor point. It needs to be
strong enough to hold more than the vehicle's weight and
provide a direction of pull as straight as possible. Use
block and tackle if necessary to improve the angle of pull
or increase the winch's pulling force. If the anchor point is a tree use a strap around its base and hook the cable to the
strap. If it is another vehicle, then place that vehicle in
PARK and block the front tires. If you cannot find an
anchor point within reach try using your spare tire by
burying it. Once you have determined an anchor point
hook up the cable, ensuring there are a least five wraps of
cable left on the drum, and place a floor mat or something
else over the strung out cable. Placing something over the
strung out cable helps keep the cable on the ground if it
breaks. Next, place the vehicle in first gear and apply a
very light throttle as you power the winch in. Be careful
not to allow slack in the cable as you recover the vehicle.
Do not try to guide the cable into the drum. If it starts to
bunch up on one end, let it. You can re-spool the cable
afterwards. Never use a winch cable as a tow strap and
always stand back while winching.
WARNING!
Never use tow straps with end hooks or link two straps
with a clevis pin. These heavy metal objects could
become projectiles if a strap breaks, which could cause
severe injury. Never leave more than 2 to 3 feet (.6 to
1 meter) of slack in the strap. More slack than this greatly
increases the risk of injury and vehicle damage. Always
keep everyone at least 30 feet (9 meters) away from a
strapping or winching situation.
WARNING!
Winch cables are under high tension when in use and
can become a projectile if they fail. Never stand over or
straddle the winch cable. Never jerk or overload the
winch cable. Never stand in front of the vehicle while
winching. Failure to follow these instructions can result
in serious or fatal injury.
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336 STARTING AND OPERATING
After Driving Off-Road
Off-road operation puts more stress on your vehicle than
does most on-road driving. After going off-road, it is always
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. Checktires, 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 suspension.
Retighten them, if required, and torque to the values spec -
ified 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. • 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.
• 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.
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.

338 STARTING AND OPERATING
Tensioning The Winch Rope
The winch rope must be properly tensioned before use.
Follow the instructions below to tension the rope:
1. Un-spool the rope leaving five wraps of rope on thewinch drum.
2. Attach the hook to a suitable anchor point.
3. Apply at least 1,000 lbs (454 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. 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.
CAUTION!
Be certain the anchor will withstand the load required to
tension the winch rope.CAUTION!
The winch rope must spool on the winch drum in the
direction indicated on the drum rotation decal on the
winch.

340 STARTING AND OPERATING
1.Motor: The winch motor is powered by the vehicle
charging system.
2. Remote Socket: The remote socket (which will be located
on the bumper assembly) allows the remote control to be
attached to the control pack to allow the winch to func -
tion.
3. Winch Drum With Integral Brake: The winch drum
allows the rope to be stored on the winch and transmits
force to the rope. The winch is equipped with an integral
brake that will stop rotation of the winch drum if the
winch motor is stopped.
4. Synthetic Rope: The synthetic rope allows the winch to
be connected to an anchor to provide a pulling force. This
synthetic rope is highly flexible, lightweight, and it floats. 5.
Clutch Lever: The clutch lever allows the winch drum to
be disconnected from the winch motor to allow the rope
to be pulled from the winch by hand.
6. Remote Control: The remote control provides the inter -
face 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.
Fairlead: The hawse fairlead acts as a guide for the synthetic
rope and minimizes damage to the rope. CAUTION!
If not installed, the hook strap must be placed on the
hook.

STARTING AND OPERATING 341
(Continued)
Winch Accessories
The following accessories are necessary to attach the winch
to anchors, change direction of pull, and for safe winching. Gloves: It is extremely important to wear protective
gloves while operating the winch or handling the
winch rope. Avoid loose fitting clothes or anything
that could become entangled in the rope and other moving
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 winch 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 nylon, 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. Abrasion Sleeve:
The abrasion sleeve is provided with the
synthetic rope and must be used with the synthetic rope at all
times to protect the rope from potential abrasion wear. The
sleeve has a loose fit so it can easily be positioned along the
synthetic rope to protect from rough surfaces and sharp
corners.
Operating Your Winch
WARNING!
Failure to observe any of these warnings regarding
proper winch usage may result in severe injury.
• Always use supplied hook strap to hold the hook when spooling wire rope in or out.
• Never use as a hoist.
• Never use to move persons.
• Never exceed winch or synthetic rope rated capacity.
• Always wear heavy leather gloves when handling the synthetic rope.
• Never touch synthetic rope or hook while in tension or under load.
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342 STARTING AND OPERATING
(Continued)
General Information
Practice using your winch before you get stuck. Some key
points to remember when using your winch are:
• Always take your time to assess the situation and planyour pull carefully.
• Always take your time when using a winch.
• Use the right equipment for the situation.
• Always wear leather gloves and do not allow the synthetic rope to slip through your hands when handling the rope.
• Only the operator should handle the synthetic rope and remote control.
• Think safety at all times.
• Never engage or disengage clutch if winch is under
load, synthetic rope is in tension, or rope drum is
moving.
• Always stand clear of synthetic rope and load and keep others away during winching.
• Always keep hands and clothing clear of the synthetic rope, hook and fairlead opening during operation and
when spooling.
• Never wrap synthetic rope back onto itself. Always use a choker chain, wire choker rope or tree trunk protector
on the anchor.
• Never attach a recovery strap to the winch hook to increase the length of a pull.
• Never attempt to tow a vehicle with the recovery strap attached directly to the winch hook.
• Never use bungee or kinetic straps that develop tremendous and potentially dangerous amounts of
force when stretched.
• Always disconnect the remote control when not in use.
• Never winch when there are less than 10 wraps of synthetic rope around the winch drum.
WARNING! (Continued)
• Always pass remote control through a window to avoid
pinching lead in door, when using remote inside a
vehicle.
• Never leave the remote control plugged into the winch while free spooling, rigging or sitting idle.
WARNING! (Continued)