Chain come-a-long?

Anonymous-0 · Jan 20, 2011

I was using my chain come-a-long today to lift the stabilizers up on the backhoe frame on the back of my cat. I had the frame(less boom) there to straighten the broken mount and the hyd's weren't hooked up. I needed to get through 2 1/2 ft. deep snow. Anyway, after I had the stabilzer lifted, I flipped the lever to loosen the come-a-long and went to let off the tension just a bit. All of a sudden the chain went right back through the come-a-long, ripping off the ring on the end of the chain in the process and the darn stabilizer cam crashing down on my toes. OUCH! Luckily the stabilzer didn't sit flat on the ground or I think I would have had a couple broken toes. I went to lift the other stabilizer with the come-a-long and it wouldn't hold the load in the lift mode. Has anybody ever had to replace a clutch/holding dog on a chain come-a-long or heard of one failing? I loosened the hydraulic lines and there wasn't that much weight on the come-a-long. I think it's a Westward 1 1/2 ton, very similar to an Orange BeeBe(sp)model. Dave

NCWayne · Jan 20, 2011

The only ones I"ve ever owned are the old Tug-It brand which I"ve found to be nearly indestructable. That said, I"ve never had to change the brake in one due to it failing. I have put a new disc in a couple of them that I picked up in pieces and made one out of two, etc, when the brake disc happened to be missing. Regardless of the reason working on the brake wasn"t a big dealon the Tug-It"s and since most of them are similarly made I can"t see it being a big deal on your"s. The main thing is to make sure when you get it together that it"s adjusted tight enough to work but not so tight as to bind. One last thing though, I"ve heard over the years, right or wrong, that with the newer/cheaper ones being made it"s almost as cheap to just buy a new one as it is to get parts to repair one, that is if parts are even available. Good luck......

PJH · Jan 20, 2011

Dave - I have a lever type chain hoist, don't know the brand, and I no longer trust it for vertical lifts. It is unpredictable - in lowering, it comes down in jerks. I need to do some research on it - it has a spot that says, "Do Not Oil", and I think it needs oiled. . .

It works good for horizontal pulls.

Paul

NCWayne · Jan 21, 2011

If this is the same Westward tool company you ought to be able to give them a call and find out if parts are available, etc so you'll know or sure if it's economical to repair yours.
Westward

Anonymous-0 · Jan 21, 2011

Yes, I think it's the same Westward. I wonder if colder weather caused the problem. Dave

Adirondack case guy · Jan 22, 2011

Could it be that you took the come-a-long from a warm cosey shop out into the cold and 2' of snow and it got snow in it that turned to ice, causing it to slip or not latch properly?

Anonymous-0 · Jan 22, 2011

It wasn't in a heated shop but was sticking sometimes when I was trying to use it. Maybe when the weather warms up it will work again? Dave

Puddles · Jan 22, 2011

Dave I've never taken one apart, but Bee Be chain come-a-longs are the most popular brand around here. Over the years I've used thousands of them. Also thrown my share in the Sound because they didn't work properly. :x The biggest problem we had with them was working falsework and letting them set for weeks or months in saltwater. Once we retrieved them we would place them in a drum of diesel. It's amazing what a good soaking in diesel will do for them.

Roy Suomi · Jan 23, 2011

I know everybody has a favorite chain come-a-long..Mine is CM .. They haven't failed me yet..I have 2 of 'em.....Roy

Chain come-a-long?

Anonymous-0

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NCWayne

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PJH

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NCWayne

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Anonymous-0

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Adirondack case guy

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Anonymous-0

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Puddles

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Roy Suomi

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