The wire cable on a new winch needs to be stretched before use.
Yes. New winch cable (including the pre-installed cable on a new winch) needs to be re-spooled under tension before you try to winch somebody out. If the cable is not spooled tight enough on the drum, it can get tangled or kinked in the inner layers, leaving you with a rat’s nest or a damaged cable.
“Stretching” cable is not actually stretching the rope but getting the cable tight on the drum. If you don’t “tension” the cable before using it, you can kink your new cable on the first pull.
How do I “stretch” my winch cable?
Spool the cable out until there’s only five to six wraps left on the drum. The screw that secures the cable to the drum is not designed to hold the full load of the pull by itself. Keeping a few wraps of cable on the drum helps anchor the cable in place.
Next, hook the winch up to a sturdy anchor point (a tree, your buddy’s vehicle, a telephone pole, etc.) that’s on a slight incline to your vehicle. The load should be at least 500 pounds to apply the right amount of tension.
With the vehicle engine running, spool the cable in slightly to test the anchor point and make sure it’s going to hold. Once you’re confident that the anchor point is secure, keep spooling in the cable, making sure that it winds in neat, even layers on the drum.
Once the cable is wound with the proper tension on the drum, your winch is ready to use!
Tags: Steel Winch Cable, Winch Cable
