A winch is designed to bring things to it. It is not designed to move itself. We all use it this way, but it is not made to do this. While this may seem a trivial point, it does make a difference in the way you operate the winch and the method used. It’s especially important when determining if and where to put a pulley block to increase the advantage of the pull. It is also important to realize that the winch “wants” the rope to be spooled in at right angles to the spool face. Its design is such that any angle other than this will reduce the winch’s pulling power and increase stress on the rope. Always rig a straight-line pull to the face of the winch.If you do not—and I am sure we all have ignored this or worked in ignorance—then pay very close attention, because you have changed the physics of the entire rig, as well as the way the winch was designed to work. Direct right angle pulls are ideal for the winch itself, although rarely practical in field. That fair lead should be centered in the drum to help facilitate this though. How much winch line do you have on your drum? Bear in mind, each additional layer reduces the rated pulling capacity. Better to carry a shorter line on the winch and extensions with your gear. Also bear in mind, typically before winching it's better to pull all but ten wraps of your line to use max performance of your winch as well as avoid the friction issues you are concerned with.
