Come Along Question

[Weldo]

I have an old come along winch I found a while back.  the cable is all rusty and frayed, so I got some 1/4" cable to replace it, so my question is, Is there any special way to initially wind the cable so the cable does't rapidly unwind when you release pressure on the drum?  I wanna wind the cable nice and tightly so I doesn't overlap itself and bind up.  Thanks.

[scheid6996]

SLOWLY

[mudguts]

I anchor my winch hook to something, then guide the cable on the spool with my hand while operating the controls with the otherhand. If you have help, have your buddy pull tension on the line while you guide and operate.  Warning: Do this on flat ground so your truck doesn't roll away or roll over you. Keep your hand guiding the cable at least a foot from the fairlead and wear gloves. Seems like a lot of work, but you can get your winch line wound up perfectly with minimal effort.

[Weldo]

cool thanks a lot!

[Weldo]

OK, so I got the cable wound nice and tightly.  Now when I wanna take some cable out, should I back it out slowly?  If I let it free wheel, it just unspools quickly and wildly.  Maybe when I let some cable out, I could keep a gloved hand on the spool to try and control it, being careful not to pinch a finger of course...

[scheid6996]

well at first let it out slowly, but the more u use it, the cable will wear in and work better

[Weldo]

OK, I just tried it a while ago, I can use my thumb as a brake to keep it from going crazy.  Thanks for all the advice.