[cruisernerd]

hi,
i have a question about the pto winch.
do you shift into N in the t-case to engage the winch? or can the use it while the truck is in gear?
i'm interested in finding one, but am only asking out of curiousity. and i have no experience with them.
thanks,

[Cruiser_Nerd]

Not a dumb question for someone who hasn't seen one. Most Cruiser PTO's are driven off the ouput shaft of the transmission so there are multiple speeds available.

You can put the transfer case in neutral or you can engage the PTO as well as any gear at the same time to assist with the driven wheels. I've never had occasion to do that, I'm sure others have, no idea if it's recommended or not. There's a set of operating instructions kicking around here somewhere.

[orangefj45]

cruisernerd meet cruiser-nerd!

[lostmarbles]

I have always been too scared to put my transfer into anything other than "neutral" for winching - because I know my rope needs to be kept taut in order to get wound onto my drum neatly/properly.

Loose rope + inward-winding-winchdrum = jam-ups, tangles, damaged rope, and worse (ie - breakages).



(And even winching with the rope kept taut - I still succeed in getting things "messed up" occasionally - Usually when the situation forces me to choose an anchor point that's off to one side where the rope builds up on itself (on that same side) rather than being wound evenly across the whole width of the drum.)

PS. --- But it sure looks cool when I see people spinning their wheels while winching. (However it's just another pleasure I can't afford. )

[HelimanBD]

cruisernerd,
I will shift to,
>>> "N" and use 1st/2nd/3rd/4th gear while trying to recover
another stuck off roader when acting as an achor point.
Also this mode for tensioning the cables just before self
recovery.
>>> "4L" once cables tensioned. Use 1st/2nd/3rd/4th gears
(your pref) and the 4 wheels will turn, lessening the
strain on both PTO and cables. If you are really bog
down, tire spins, PTO try to retrieve BUT will eventually
breaks the safety pin. You will then need to replace the
safety pin and use a pulley/snatch block to further lessen
the load on cables and PTO......
>>> in all cases, the use of pulley/snatch block is recommended.


regards,
HelimanBD.

Originally Posted by cruisernerd

hi,
i have a question about the pto winch.
do you shift into N in the t-case to engage the winch? or can the use it while the truck is in gear?
i'm interested in finding one, but am only asking out of curiousity. and i have no experience with them.
thanks,

[shelfboy1]

there may be times when your stuck bad and you need the wheels to assit.i have always used 4lo 1st gear with the winch and no problems after only 30 or so years good luck.