Before Engaging the Winch

BEFORE ENGAGING THE WINCH YOU MUST FIRST ESTABLISH:

1.

IDENTIFY the HARD NUMBER or STATIC WEIGHT of the casualty or load.

2.

IDENTIFY if the casualty will be on a GRADE.

If a grade is present, CALCULATE what percent of the casualty’s ENTIRE static weight must be added or subtracted to compensate for gradient resistance.

3.

IDENTIFY the TYPES and LEVELS of RESISTANCE that are present and assign a WEIGHT for each VEHICLE.

4.

If a GRADE has been identified and the RESISTANCE occurs at multiple TYPES or LEVELS, calculate WEIGHT TRANSFER. REMEMBER: Weight transfer is always from the HIGH END to the LOW END.

5.

CALCULATE the SURFACE RESISTANCE using the new vehicle weights after weight transfer (when applicable).

6.

ADD or SUBTRACT gradient resistance (from step 2) to calculate TOTAL RESISTANCE.

7.

DIVIDE the TOTAL RESISTANCE by the WIRE ROPE’S W.L.L. to calculate LINES to the LOAD.