Learn the ropes.

Drivers, when you lift a load on your HEMTT's boom winch, you don't want the wire rope suddenly popping loose. That's a disaster for whatever it is you're lifting.

Keeping the load secure means you have to properly attach the wire rope to the hook. The best way to do that is with a good wedge socket. Follow these steps:

1. Make sure there are no rough edges or burrs on the wedge or socket that might damage the wire rope.

2. If the end of the rope is welded, cut off that portion. Thai allows any distortion of the rope strands--caused by the sharp bend around the wedge--to adjust itself at the end of the rope.

3. Thread the rope through the socket, make a 180[degrees] turn, and thread the rope back through the other side of the socket.

Make sure the end of the rope extends past the socket six to nine times the rope's diameter. For example, if you're using 1/2-in diameter rope, the end will have to extend 3 to 4 1/2 inches past the socket. Leave it short and the rope may slip free of the socket during a lift.

4. Insert the wedge into the socket.

5. Clamp the dead end of the rope to a short extra piece of rope. Position the clamp, NSN 4030-00-233-9566, with the dead end of the rope against the U-bolt and the short extra piece against the saddle. Clamp the two as close to the wedge as possible.

Never clamp the dead end of the rope to the live end. The live end should form a nearly direct line to the clevis pin of the fitting. Clamping to the live end could add a wear point, bend the nearly straight line, and keep the wire rope from pulling the wedge in tight against the socket.