A hand winch is a very useful piece of kit in almost any vehicle.  However,
it can also be very dangerous.  That nice steel cable can and will break if
mistreated/overloaded.  Always clear spectators from the area, wear safety
goggles/gloves, stout clothing and hang a heavy blanket or such on the cable
to reduce possible flyback of the cable.

It (almost) goes without saying that the cable should be kept clean and dry
(or lightly oiled if appropriate for the winch) and free of kinks.  It
should also be inspected for any broken or frayed strands before use.

Very important is to make sure that the winch is suitably rated for the job.
Cheaper winches (often look like boat trailer winches) are generally
unsuitable, and I would only use a winch which has shear pins in the
mechanism to avoid overloading the cable (pins shear well before cable
reaches an unsafe tension).

Highly recommended are recovery equipment courses, usually run by
4WD/offroad clubs.

Then again, if Peder is actually referring to a "wench", that is a whole
'nother can of worms.......

Andrew

'92 Syncro

----- Original Message -----
From: "Peder" <pederthevwnut@MSN.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Monday, June 03, 2002 12:03 AM
Subject: Re: k&n airfilters

> Can't comment on the air cleaner issue.
> But on the wench issue, I'm thinking maybe they're talking about a
> "come-a-long" type hand wench. They're light, portable and very handy
things
> to have. And they don't need any special wiring or mounting. You just need
> hand power to pump them with.
> Peace out,
> Peder
> '84 Westy
>