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Winch Pre-tension on Flat Land

llaslo

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Last week I bought a Warn Evo VR 12s. I'm planning to install it this weekend. One of the things I need to do is pre-tension it, but unfortunately, I think I live in the flattest place on the planet. Some people suggested just doing it in a flat parking lot with the parking brake partially engaged to offer additional resistance since I don't have a grade available. Any thoughts on this?
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JimLee

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Last week I bought a Warn Evo VR 12s. I'm planning to install it this weekend. One of the things I need to do is pre-tension it, but unfortunately, I think I live in the flattest place on the planet. Some people suggested just doing it in a flat parking lot with the parking brake partially engaged to offer additional resistance since I don't have a grade available. Any thoughts on this?
That's how I do it, just a couple clicks on the E-brake and go slow.
 

entropy

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Last week I bought a Warn Evo VR 12s. I'm planning to install it this weekend. One of the things I need to do is pre-tension it, but unfortunately, I think I live in the flattest place on the planet. Some people suggested just doing it in a flat parking lot with the parking brake partially engaged to offer additional resistance since I don't have a grade available. Any thoughts on this?
2 clicks on the parking brake. It works. And good you are pretensioning it. A lot of people have no idea of this, and they find out when it is too late.
 

DadJokes

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Any tips to more easily get it wound up evenly? Can I reasonably get it better than this?

I’m trying to get this Warn hard plastic cover snapped into the front and that left side keeps me from sliding it down in there. I just need a little bit more room. Maybe the parking brake idea will let me manipulate the line more easily rather than the grade I used last time.

image.jpg
 

entropy

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Any tips to more easily get it wound up evenly? Can I reasonably get it better than this?

I’m trying to get this Warn hard plastic cover snapped into the front and that left side keeps me from sliding it down in there. I just need a little bit more room. Maybe the parking brake idea will let me manipulate the line more easily rather than the grade I used last time.

image.jpg
I usually stand there and carefully guide the line. There's not a real risk of it breaking when doing this, and I weigh down the line so in the extremely unlikely scenario it did, it would stay at the other end. I hope I am not trying to kill myself.
 

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I use the parking brake technique too with either a light pole in a parking lot or my truck as an anchor. I have my wife or daughter sit in it and I'll guide them to steer left or right with hand signals to help get the rope to go on evenly.

Edit: If you're not too far from Midlothian PM me. I'll come help.
 

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I usually stand there and carefully guide the line. There's not a real risk of it breaking when doing this, and I weigh down the line so in the extremely unlikely scenario it did, it would stay at the other end. I hope I am not trying to kill myself.
I’ll get some gloves on and try that hooked to my other Jeep on flat ground with the parking brake on. :like: It’s a tight fit down behind that winch plate. I even rounded off a few sharp spots and touched up thinking it may fray my line in the event it touched.
 
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DadJokes

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I use the parking brake technique too with either a light pole in a parking lot or my truck as an anchor. I have my wife or daughter sit in it and I'll guide them to steer left or right with hand signals to help get the rope to go on evenly.

Edit: If you're not too far from Midlothian PM me. I'll come help.
Thanks but I’m in KY right now. I’ll get it.
 

entropy

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Also, if you want to use an incline instead of Pbrake, it doesn't need to be a big hill. Just a very small incline should do. Can't be that flat where you are! lol.
 

BDinTX

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DadJokes

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Also, if you want to use an incline instead of Pbrake, it doesn't need to be a big hill. Just a very small incline should do. Can't be that flat where you are! lol.
It’s not. It’s more difficult to find a “slight” incline in a spot where you’re not in somebody’s way. lol My last house I had a big enough yard with a slight incline and did it there. My tiny yard and small neighborhood now makes it a little more tricky.
 
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llaslo

llaslo

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Texas is pretty darn flat up near the D/FW metroplex, but the parking brake method works for me. There is a big high school parking lot right down the street that will be perfect, so I can just do it there attached to my other vehicle! I appreciate everyone's feedback. I can't wait to get this sucker installed!
 

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I usually stand there and carefully guide the line. There's not a real risk of it breaking when doing this, and I weigh down the line so in the extremely unlikely scenario it did, it would stay at the other end. I hope I am not trying to kill myself.
I'm relieved to hear someone else admit this. I tried guiding the line from the side to keep myself out of harm's way, but I found I just couldn't get a satisfactory wind on the line. I ended up standing right there, guiding it carefully. I felt like it was something I really shouldn't have been doing, but I couldn't find a safer way.

I tensioned mine by pulling my pickup truck up a slight grade in a commercial parking lot after hours. It worked, but not having somebody in the truck to work the brakes was a very stupid decision on my part. At one point, the line went slack, because the truck was free wheeling right toward me. It was just a little dip in the lot I hadn't noticed, but that could have gone sideways quickly. In hindsight, that was very stupid.
 

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One general tip is if you're short on space, use a snatch block (or multiple) to cut down the amount of room you need between the winch and the anchor point. I park my other vehicle at the top of my driveway and hook the snatch block up to the front tow point on it. With the winch line length effectively halved, I can put the Jeep at the bottom of the driveway and pull it up with the winch. Without the snatch block I would be across the street and halfway up into the neighbor's yard.
 

entropy

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I'm relieved to hear someone else admit this. I tried guiding the line from the side to keep myself out of harm's way, but I found I just couldn't get a satisfactory wind on the line. I ended up standing right there, guiding it carefully. I felt like it was something I really shouldn't have been doing, but I couldn't find a safer way.

I tensioned mine by pulling my pickup truck up a slight grade in a commercial parking lot after hours. It worked, but not having somebody in the truck to work the brakes was a very stupid decision on my part. At one point, the line went slack, because the truck was free wheeling right toward me. It was just a little dip in the lot I hadn't noticed, but that could have gone sideways quickly. In hindsight, that was very stupid.
If you are alone. do it on flat terrain. Hook up to a tree or post and pull your own jeep on neutral with 2 clicks on the parking brake.
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