Basic Winching Techniques

With all this talk about Kodiak 700 winches I’ve come to realize that we don’t have a guide on how to use one on the forum, so I’ve gathered as much information as I can (thanks Champion and Warn winch) on the subject in order to put together a guide on how to properly use a winch in case you get stuck. Please feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.

1. Before even hooking up your winch you must first put on a pair of gloves. Winch lines will develop sharp barbs over time and those sharp spines will injure your hands without protection.
2. Next step is to disengage the clutch on the winch to allow free spooling.
3. When reaching for the winch line, always grab it by the hook strap.
4. Pull the rope to your chosen anchor point and be sure to keep a bit of tension in the wire so it doesn’t twist and overwrap when slack.
5. Wrap your tree sling to the chosen anchor. Ideally, you would want to pick an anchor point that will position your wire in a 90 degree angle to the vehicle.
6. Attach the D-shackle to the ends of the tree strap through the hook loop.
7. Lock that clutch.
8. Power up the winch and slowly wind it up until the rope is no longer slack.
9. Once the rope is under tension, check your anchor and connections to make sure they’re all secure and that the rope is evenly wound around the drum.
10. Begin the winching! Slowly of course while making sure the rope is winding properly. You can steer the Kodiak at this point but don’t drive it.
11. Once you’re on even ground, out of whatever hole the ATV was stuck in and able to drive on its own power, be sure to park it.
12. Release tension on the rope and disconnect it from the anchor.
13. Rewind the rope tightly and evenly. The person holding the rope should walk it in and not let it slide through their hands, because sharp barbs.

Make sure everything is secure and continue on your way!

There are a few warnings you must keep in mind: everyone should steer clear of the rope in case it snaps, never use the winch if there are less than 5 wraps of rope around the drum and don’t overheat the winch. Give it some time to cool down if you’re winching for an extended period of time.

If someone can fill in the blank on how to winch someone else out, that will be great! I couldn’t find a decent guide on it, especially for the Kodiak 700.