Whats the Rachet Noise ?

[Gordon Gould]

I was skidding out some firewood this morning with my L3010 Gear Transmission tractor and Farmi Winch. I got a small log I was winching hung up behind a very short stump and thought I should be able to get over it. I pumped the lanyard a couple times with medium pressure and it didn't come so I gave it A good hard pull to really put on the pressure. The tractor was anchored well and the cable was tight. I heard a rachet noise that I never heard before. It came from the pto or the winch. I have been using this equipement for nine years and have slipped the winch clutch before but never heard this rachet noise. But I rarely pull that hard on the lanyard. I have an independent pto.
Any ideas what it was or what it means ? Where I never heard it before I am wondering if a problem is developing.
After I freed the log, which I should have done before, every thing seemed normal even with some pretty hefty logs.

 

[leonz]

Hello Gordon,


It may just be that you slipped a tooth if the winch has a spiral bevel gear on it ; It probably will not hurt to look at the gear oil in the winches gear box to look for metal fragments as you may or may not have broken a tooth.

Forgive me the the question Gordon but do you have a limited slip friction disc clutch on the P.T.O. shaft?

 

[Gordon Gould]

The winch has a gear reduction through a chain drive, no gear box. The PTO turns a small gear. Chain turns a large gear. Then there is a clutch between the large gear and the cable drum. The clutch pressure is controled by the lanyard pull. The chain is not slack and could not have allowed the drive gear to to jump. The tractor, in the past, could always over power the winch clutch and make it slip. I do not have a separate additional slip clutch on the PTO shaft. I am wondering if there is something in the PTO that could make this noise.

 

[leonz]

Now that I know whats what Gordon. the sprocket jumped- we have had that happen with carwash pit cleaners which use chains to move the booms in one controlled movement (if the pits dirt was deep and hard the suction created by the clamshell bucket dipping and lifting up to break the suction if the bucket was set too deep.

As long as the chain is not used to time the movement of a boom its not an issue.

I see a sheave block in your future

 

[Gordon Gould]

So your saying that it is definately in the winch. There is nothing in the PTO that could account for that noise ? To me that is good news. It is the PTO I am concerned about.

That chain is short and pretty tight it is hard for me to imagine the sprocket jumping but ... who knows. What can I check to see if that was it?
I wonder if it could have been clutch chatter when it slipped that caused a loose choker chain to vibrate or something.

I probably worry to much but it was so strange to hear a noise like that.

 

[leonz]

So your saying that it is definately in the winch. There is nothing in the PTO that could account for that noise ? To me that is good news. It is the PTO I am concerned about.

That chain is short and pretty tight it is hard for me to imagine the sprocket jumping but ... who knows. What can I check to see if that was it?
I wonder if it could have been clutch chatter when it slipped that caused a loose choker chain to vibrate or something.

I probably worry to much but it was so strange to hear a noise like that.

Hello Gordon,

They can and will jump Gordon; The chains rollers precipitate that as they do roll,
anyone with a car wash pit cleaner will tell you that as it will screw the timing up and the upper and lower boom will not allow the clam shell bucket to dump in the trailer.


Is that chain powered in both directions? if it is it can not have ANY SLACK period.


The only way to be sure is to paint a spot on the sprocket and a spot on the chain to be a starting point just in case it happens again as there is no way to tell other wise.

 

[Baby Grand]

Gordon-
Any chance it was a loosely wound turn of cable on the drum pulling tight and jumping as it slipped tight around the drum or neighboring turns?
-Jim

 

[Gordon Gould]

Gordon-
Any chance it was a loosely wound turn of cable on the drum pulling tight and jumping as it slipped tight around the drum or neighboring turns?
-Jim

Well I don't really know what it was. But I have heard that cable crunching noise before and this was much different. But thinking about it maybe several turns or a whole layer tightening up could make a noise like that. Some times I don't have a lot of weight on it when I pull it in.

leonz, the chain only goes in one direction. Putting a timing marker on the chain and sprocket is a good idea. But will only work if the number of links in the chain is an even multiple of the number of cogs on the sproket. ( I think ) I'll try to think of a way to do this and try to recreate the situation.

 

[Dead Horse]

Gordon, my farmi 601 does the same thing..........under the same conditions. i know it is not the PTO because my big tractor would turn that implement (or any for that matter) into a pretzel given the chance.....

I have tightened the chain tensioner, which is not a real good design for holding tension. That may be on purpose though as it looks to be the weakest link by far on the whole mechanism. It "gives" before something breaks.

I first thought it was clutch chatter, but it only happens when I am putting all the tug I can into the lanyard and a log does not want to free up. My clutch is in excellent shape, so I think it is the small sprocket jumping the chain.

It certainly does get one's attention though!

My advice is 1) tighten up the chain and 2) ease up on the lanyard.......

 

[Gordon Gould]

I tried to repete the the noise by hooking on to a stump with the tractor well anchored. I put a mirror in behind the drum so I could watch the chain w/o sticking my head in there. Of course there was no noise when I put on the pressure. As much or more than yesterday.
I did notice that the cable is wound on the drum in a conical shape so I am going to assume that I heard the cable skipping along turn to turn along the slope as it was tightened as Baby Grand suggested.
I feel a little like the boy who cryed wolf but new noises always concern me.
Thanks for the input guys.

gg