Polaris 500 Offroad Vehicle User Manual


 
57
WINCH GUIDE
Winch Cable Care
1. The life of a cable is directly related to the care it receives. The wire
cable on a new winch (and any replacement cables) must be re-
spooled under a minimum of a 100-lb. (45.4-kg) load before use.
Failure to do this will result in cable damage.
2. Inspect all cable before use. Mashed, pinched, frayed or kinked
areas severely reduce the load-carrying capability. Replace dam-
aged cable promptly.
3. Prevent kinks before they occur.
A. This is a start of a kink. Straighten
the cable before using it.
B. The cable was pulled and the loop
has tightened to a kink. The cable
is now permanently damaged and
should not be used.
C. The result of kinking is that each
strand pulls a different amount of
load, causing the strands under the
greatest tension to break. This
reduces the load capacity of the
entire cable.
4. Before re-spooling, remove all load from the cable. Hold the han-
dlebar switch lead in one hand and the cable in the other. Move
away from the vehicle as far as the switch will allow. Activate the
switch, walk in several feet of cable, then release the switch. Repeat
this process until the re-spooling is complete.
CAUTION! To avoid injury, always release the switch before your hand comes
within four feet of the fairlead (the physical opening through which the cable
passes).
5. Be sure the cable is distributed evenly and tightly on the drum. A
loosely wound drum may allow the cable to work its way down into
the layers of cable on the drum and become wedged.
6. Do not grease or oil the cable. Doing so causes dirt contamination
that will reduce the life of the cable.
A
B
C