Winch Followup

DRussell · Dec 5, 2020

This is a followup to the winch post from yesterday. I unwound the wire rope. See the picture. It looks to me like the winch is designed to be wound either direction, but with the way the clamp is currently set up it should wind clockwise in the picture to wind up and counter clockwise to unwind.

Dennis Minn · Dec 5, 2020

drussell,

By looking at this picture, I think the wire rope needs to go into the left relief groove. I believe the paint marks indicate a previous error in winding. Look close at the apparent chafe of the wire rope. especially where it first touches the drum.

from what I see, and from this perspective, I think the drum should wind clockwise.

D.

Determined · Dec 5, 2020

I agree the drum looks like it was designed to attach the cable for wrapping in either direction.

Most every winch I have worked on or with was capable of hauling line in either direction but not all are capable of holding the load in both directions.

Worm drive winches by design will hold well in either direction but planetary winches that rely on a braking mechanism can be rotation specific for holding power.
Many of the bigger ones can be converted so the brake functions properly to accommodate various installations.

I discovered I had a cable installed the wrong way when I was in the bush 30 miles from nowhere with a flat tire, the jack I always kept in the truck bed was nowhere to be found.

Ran the winch cable up a tree and pulled the truck over to it, raised up the front of the truck just fine but as soon as I let go of the control it would wind itself backwards until the truck was back on the ground.

Spooled out all the cable and wound it back onto the drum in the opposite direction, tried again and it held.

DRussell · Dec 5, 2020

Agree, I think it was wound incorrectly previously. But, one question from my previous post was whether the winch would pull more from one direction than the other direction. Given that the drum can be set up to pull either direction I don't think the pulling direction matters as far as the pulling power of the winch.

bc · Dec 5, 2020

We used those winches back in the day when I worked in the oilfields moving rigs, pipe, etc. They are made to go either way so you could mount them on either side depending upon where the auxiliary transmission is mounted on the truck. Ours aux trans were usually on the driver's side.

Usually had 1" cable for those heavy loads of drill pipe. Really like the galvanized cable over the regular stuff. Used a special wind cable with more wires so it is more flexible for winching. Forget the number buy something like 7 by 39 comes to mind but could be wrong and maybe that is the regular and winch cable was 50 something. Can't use the same cable we used on cable tools, etc. as it is not flexible.

I remember there is a certain way to tie the knot for the chain so it lays just right. I tied one the wrong way and it stuck out like a sore thumb so cut it off and retied it.

As I recall, some trucks had the Braden winches and some had the Tulsa winches. I preferred the Tulsa.

Those D6 winch cats had heavier cable on them. Sometimes in the mud we would have 2 winch cats pulling in rig parts. Fun times.

shaun wallace · Dec 5, 2020

Most applications the line goes over the top. Move clamp to other hole where tail is. My winch truck a big pto driven Tulsa,line can be put on either direction depending how clamped, has braking in both directions, has reverseing pto. winch can be shifted out to freewheel

john in la · Dec 5, 2020

When you wind the cable back up take a shop towel and hold it around the cable.
If the cable grabs the shop towel and pulls it out of your hand the cable is most likely no good for real winching.
It has broken wires where the shop towel grabbed the cable.

Bob Bancroft · Dec 5, 2020

I agree it looks like it was wrong, but only because of the clamp orientation. Put quite a kink in the cable.

bc · Dec 5, 2020

(quoted from post at 11:16:46 12/05/20) When you wind the cable back up take a shop towel and hold it around the cable.
If the cable grabs the shop towel and pulls it out of your hand the cable is most likely no good for real winching.
It has broken wires where the shop towel grabbed the cable.

Yep. No swamper likes to deal with a broken wire in the cable. We would reverse the cable ends to get more life out of the cable when the working end would have a broken wire. We always used those munk gloves with cuffs for that work.

DoubleO7 · Dec 5, 2020

(quoted from post at 13:50:10 12/05/20)

(quoted from post at 11:16:46 12/05/20) When you wind the cable back up take a shop towel and hold it around the cable.
If the cable grabs the shop towel and pulls it out of your hand the cable is most likely no good for real winching.
It has broken wires where the shop towel grabbed the cable.

Click to expand...

Yep. No swamper likes to deal with a broken wire in the cable. We would reverse the cable ends to get more life out of the cable when the working end would have a broken wire. We always used those munk gloves with cuffs for that work.

s

No kidding
I would not want just a shop towel between the cable and my hand though. Stout leather glove holding the towel on the cable.
I have seen a broken wire go clear thru a guys palm before he could react fast enough to stop it.

miangus · Dec 5, 2020

Yes, heavy leather gloves with big cuffs and long sleeve shirt. Laugh if you want but that’s what I used when I ran our C4 Treefarmer. No matter how hot it was, Grandpa’s rules.

john in la · Dec 5, 2020

Wearing gloves can be dangerous.
If the broken cable grabs the glove it can about pull your arm out the socket at crane winch speeds.
At least with a towel it pulls the towel out of your hand.

We use to used a over sized shop towel.
About the size of a bathroom face towel.
The broken pieces of the cable are not sticking up much so a couple layers of towel are plenty.

Winch Followup

DRussell

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Dennis Minn

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Determined

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DRussell

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bc

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shaun wallace

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john in la

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Bob Bancroft

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bc

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DoubleO7

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miangus

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john in la

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