To the OP, you like safety, and that's a good way to go, especially with something as potentially dangerous as a logging winch. First and foremost, ALWAYS wear gloves when connecting to your winch cable, choker chains, snatch blocks etc. Keep away from the cable ends where they are swedged from the factory. The little cut end pieces will puncture skin without any effort.
If your hair is long, ALWAYS wear it up, and use a screened face chainsaw helmet with ear muffs to protect your head, eyes and hearing.
Try to keep your cable from twisting while winching in. Never let the cable slide through your hands, even with gloves on. Don't even run your hand along the cable with the winch cable not in use. Broken strands of cable can be anywhere along the cable length. ONLY hold on to the cable hook at the end when pulling the cable out to your load location.
Periodically hook your cable onto a tree or other immovable object and drive the tractor away from the object to allow the entire cable or close to the full length off the drum it winds onto. Then reel the tractor back to the object; easy way is to have a driver on the tractor while you pull the cable lever, while the cable winds back onto the drum. This keeps the cable from getting pinched at spots that overlap while spooling back onto the drum during use. Your winch will work smoother and less chance of pinching or the cable unwinding some areas of the tightly wound multiple strands.
While in learning stages you can take an old blanket and throw it over the cable say 1/2 way between the winch and your attached log load. If the cable were to snap for some reason, the blanket would absorb some of the tension and would allow the cable to more likely drop to the ground instead of trying to whiplash back toward you.
You may experience some slippage as the new cable tightens on the drum during your first number of pulls. This would be considered normal.
The picture of the blue tractor with the orange snatch block has a plow lip at the bottom of the rearward facing edge. Ideally you would tilt your winch so the edge is angled to dig into the ground so pulling the winch cable toward the tractor will NOT pull the tractor toward your log. Tish is SOP for winches mounted to tractor PTO 3PH's ( SOP: std. operating procedure, PTO
ower take off 3PH: 3 point hitch). So your tractor's rear tires should face the load, (log) you want to winch in, and the winch should be angled with it's top section further away from the tractor than the bottom edge; again so as to resist the tractor/winch from being pulled toward your load when the winch is in use. So your winch to tractor PTO spline needs to be able to slide, by being properly greased for use BEFORE installing to the tractor/PTO & winch, and it needs enough length to accommodate the backward lean spoken about above. However, the drive shaft and shaft (covers) need to be long enough to allow for this but NOT too long, which could cause binding if the winch is lifted too high off the ground. ALWAYS turn your tractor off before going anywhere near the PTO shaft, even when the guard is on the shaft. Long hair and long sleeves above rules apply here; beware even after tractor is turned off the PTO shaft can still be winding down for a minute or so. Do not approach until the shaft is still.
Lastly, for now, using a snatch block, (I use a 'clam shell' type block) can be setup to double the winches pulling power.
How this effect is accomplished is better explained by those who use this technique on a regular basis, than by me.
I also suggest you have someone nearby but out of the danger zone of your work in case you were to need assistance. Next best solution is carrying a cell phone that works in the work area, or a Walkie with someone with another radio within range; test it before beginning work to verify clear communication.
