Dodge Ram 1500 (2011 year). Manual — part 23

WARNING!

• Driving through standing water limits your vehi-

cle’s traction capabilities. Do not exceed 5 mph
(8 km/h) when driving through standing water.

• Driving through standing water limits your vehi-

cle’s braking capabilities, which increases stop-
ping distances. Therefore, after driving through
standing water, drive slowly and lightly press on
the brake pedal several times to dry the brakes.

• Getting water inside your vehicle’s engine can

cause it to lock up and stall out, and leave you
stranded.

• Failure to follow these warnings may result in

injuries that are serious or fatal to you, your
passengers, and others around you.

OFF-ROAD DRIVING TIPS
Care should be taken when attempting to climb steep
hills or driving diagonally across a hill or slope. If natural
obstacles force you to travel diagonally up or down a hill,
choose a mild angle and keep as little side tilt as possible.
Keep the vehicle moving and make turns slowly and
cautiously.

If you must back down a hill, back straight down using
REVERSE gear. Never back down in NEUTRAL or diago-
nally across the hill.

When driving over sand, mud, and other soft terrain,
shift to low gear and drive steadily. Apply the accelerator
slowly to avoid spinning the wheels.

Do not reduce the tire pressures for this type of driving.

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

364

STARTING AND OPERATING

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.

Check tires, 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 sus-
pension. Retighten them, if required, and torque to the
values specified 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.

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.

• 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.

5

STARTING AND OPERATING

365

WINCH USAGE (POWER WAGON ONLY) — IF
EQUIPPED

Things To Know Before Using Your Winch

General Winch Information
Your vehicle is equipped with an electric vehicle recovery
winch. This winch uses the electrical power from the
vehicle charging system to power a motor that winds
wire rope into the winch drum via planetary gear reduc-
tion. By nature, a winch is capable of generating very
high forces and should be used with care. Do not operate
the winch without reading and understanding the com-
plete winch owner’s manual.

Tensioning the Wire Rope
The winch rope must be properly tensioned before use.
Follow the instructions below to tension the rope:

1. Un-spool the wire rope leaving five wraps of rope on
the winch drum.

2. Attach the hook to a suitable anchor point.

CAUTION!

Be certain the anchor will withstand the load re-
quired to tension the wire rope.

3. Apply at least 500 lbs (227 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.

CAUTION!

Wire rope must spool on the winch drum in the
direction indicated on the drum rotation decal on the
winch.

366

STARTING AND OPERATING

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.

Winch Motor Thermal Protection
Your winch is equipped with a thermal protection device
in the motor. If the winch is operated for an excessive
duration, the device may interrupt motor function to
protect the winch motor. During this time the winch will
power-out but will not power-in. Allow the winch motor
to cool for a few minutes before continuing to winch. The
winch will resume normal function once the motor cools.

5

STARTING AND OPERATING

367

Understanding The Features Of Your Winch

Winch Components

368

STARTING AND OPERATING

1. Motor: The winch motor is powered by the vehicle
charging system and features a thermal protection switch
that automatically stops motor function in the power-in
direction if the motor gets too hot.

2. Remote Socket: The remote socket allows the remote
control to be attached to the control pack to allow the
winch to function.

3. Winch Drum with Integral Brake: The winch drum
allows the wire rope to be stored on the winch and
transmits force to the wire rope. The winch is equipped
with an integral brake that will stop rotation of the winch
drum if the winch motor is stopped.

4. 3-Stage Planetary Gear Set: Provides balance between
speed and pulling power.

5. Wire Rope: The wire rope allows the winch to be
connected to an anchor to provide a pulling force.

6. Clutch Lever: The clutch lever allows the winch drum
to be disconnected from the winch motor to allow the
wire rope to be pulled from the winch by hand.

7. Remote Control: The remote control provides the
interface 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.

CAUTION!

If not installed, the hook strap must be placed on the
hook.

Fairlead:

The fairlead acts as a guide for the wire rope

and minimizes damage to the rope.

5

STARTING AND OPERATING

369

Winch Accessories

The following accessories are necessary to attach the
winch to anchors, change direction of pull, and for safe
winching.

Gloves:

Wire rope, through

use,

will

develop

⬙barbs⬙

which can slice skin. It is ex-
tremely important to wear pro-
tective gloves while operating
the winch or handling the wire
rope.

Avoid

loose

fitting

clothes or anything that could
become entangled in the wire
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 wire rope.
Proper use of the snatch block
is covered in

⬙Before You

Pull.

⬙

370

STARTING AND OPERATING

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 re-
moval.

Tree Trunk Protector:

Typi-

cally 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 liv-
ing trees.

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 wire rope rated capacity.

• Always wear heavy leather gloves when handling

the wire rope.

• Never touch wire rope or hook while in tension or

under load.

• Never engage or disengage clutch if winch is

under load, wire rope is in tension, or wire rope
drum is moving.

(Continued)

5

STARTING AND OPERATING

371

WARNING! (Continued)

• Always stand clear of wire rope and load and keep

others away during winching.

• Always keep hands and clothing clear of the wire

rope, hook and fairlead opening during operation
and when spooling.

• Never wrap wire 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 ⴖbungeeⴖ straps that develop tremen-

dous and potentially dangerous amounts of force
when stretched.

(Continued)

WARNING! (Continued)

• Always disconnect the remote control when not in

use.

• Never winch when there are less than five wraps

of wire rope around the winch drum.

• Always pass remote control through a window to

avoid pinching lead in door, then using remote
inside a vehicle.

• Never leave the remote control plugged into the

winch while free spooling, rigging or sitting idle.

372

STARTING AND OPERATING

General Information
Practice using your winch before you get stuck. Some key
points to remember when using your winch are:

1. Always take your time to assess the situation and plan
your pull carefully.

2. Always take your time when using a winch.

3. Use the right equipment for the situation.

4. Always wear leather gloves and do not allow the wire
rope to slip through your hands when handling the rope.

5. Only the operator should handle the wire rope and
remote control.

6. Think safety at all times.

Vehicle Recovery Using the Winch

CAUTION!

• Always Know Your Winch: Take the time to fully

read and understand the included Installation and
Operations Guide, and Basic Guide to Winching
Techniques, in order to understand your winch
and the winching operation.

• Always inspect winch installation and wire rope

condition before operating the winch. Frayed,
kinked or damaged wire rope must be replaced
immediately. Loose or damaged winch installation
must be corrected immediately.

• Always be sure any element which can interfere

with safe winching operations is removed prior to
initiating winching.

(Continued)

5

STARTING AND OPERATING

373

CAUTION! (Continued)

• Always keep remote control lead clear of the

drum, wire rope and rigging.

• Inspect for cracks, pinches, frayed wires, or loose

connections. Replace if damaged.

• Be careful not to pull the Winch Cable Collar

through the rollers. Watch and listen to Winch for
proper snugness.

1. Inspect the winch, winch mount, and wire rope for
damage. Do not use the winch if the mount is loose or
rope shows excessive wear or damage.

2. Put on gloves.

374

STARTING AND OPERATING

3. Disengage the clutch to allow free spooling of the
winch drum, rotate the clutch lever on the winch to
disengage. Freespooling conserves battery power.

4. Free the winch hook and attach the hook strap. Free
the winch hook from its anchor point. Attach the hook
strap to the hook (if not attached).

5. Pull the wire to the anchor point. Pull out enough wire
rope to reach your anchor point. Be sure to keep a certain
amount of tension on the wire as it can become twisted
and over-wrapped when slackened, leading to wire rope
damage. To prevent losing the end, hold the hook strap
while you work.

Free Spool

Hook Strap

5

STARTING AND OPERATING

375

6. Secure to the anchor point. Once you have established
your anchor point, secure the tree-trunk protector or
choker-chain around the object.

CAUTION!

Always be certain the anchor you select will with-
stand the load.

Tree Trunk Protector

376

STARTING AND OPERATING

NOTE:

How to choose an anchor point:

A secure

anchor is critical to winching operations. An anchor must
be strong enough to hold while winching. Natural an-
chors include trees, stumps and rocks. Hook the cable as
low as possible. If no natural anchors are available when
recovering another vehicle, your vehicle becomes the
anchor point. In this case, be sure to put the transmission
in NEUTRAL, apply the hand brake and block its wheels
to prevent your vehicle from moving. Ideally, you’ll want
an anchor point that will enable you to pull straight in the
direction the vehicle will move. This allows the wire rope
to wind tightly and evenly onto the spooling drum. An
anchor point as far away as possible will provide the
winch with its greatest pulling power.

7. Attach the Clevis/D-shackle and Tree Trunk Protector.
Attach the shackle to the two ends of the strap or chain
and through the hook loop, being careful not to over
tighten (tighten and back-off 1/2 turn).

8. Lock the clutch. Lock the winch drum by rotating the
clutch lever on the winch to engage.

NOTE:

Always ensure the clutch is fully engaged or

disengaged.

Clevis/D-Shackles

5

STARTING AND OPERATING

377

9. Connect the remote control to the winch control box,
located behind the front bumper. Be careful not to let the
remote control cord dangle in front of the winch. If you
choose to control the winch from inside your vehicle,
always pass the remote through a window to avoid
pinching the cord in the door. Always disconnect the
remote control when not in use.

10. Put wire rope under tension. Using the remote con-
trol switch, slowly wind the wire rope until no slack
remains. Once the wire rope is under tension, stand well
clear of it and never step over it.

11. Check your anchor. Make sure all connections are
secured and free of debris before continuing with the
winching procedure.

378

STARTING AND OPERATING

12. Check wire rope. The wire rope should be neatly
wound around the spooling drum. Improper winding
can cause damage to the wire rope.

13. In certain situations you
may decide to throw a heavy
blanket or similar object over
the wire rope. A heavy blan-
ket can absorb energy should
the wire rope break. Place it
on the wire rope midway be-
tween the winch and the an-
chor point. Do this before the
wire rope is put under ten-

sion. Do not approach or move the blanket once tension
is applied. Do not allow it to get pulled into the fairlead.
If it is necessary to move or remove the blanket, slack the
tension on the wire rope first.

14. Establish

ⴖno peopleⴖ zones: Make your intentions

clear. Be sure that everyone in the immediate vicinity
surrounding the winching operation is completely aware
of your intentions before you pull. Declare where the
spectators should not stand - never behind or in front of

5

STARTING AND OPERATING

379