Winch Modifications

[BobRip]

Bob,



For cable pull out/freewheeling, you could attach a gate valve across the hyd motor, and open the valve when you want to freewheel the cable/drum.

On the winch blanket, are you talking about something to put on the winch cable to help with whiplash. People have put jackets, sweat shirt on the cable.

J_J, I tried what you suggested for freewheeling and it works if you can pull on the cable with about 100 pounds of force, and it's slow. Just not very practical.

For the winch blanket, my wife found an old blanket that I can use. It's about 4 x 4 feet.

 

[J_J]

OK.. Wait.... Direct Drive? What kind of motor are they using?

And 2 Tons? You expected a 5 ton?

Hmmmm....

Carl,

The older hyd winch probably had a smaller hyd motor, and they geared it up to get the torque, via chain, The larger hyd motors probably have enough torque to get the job done using direct drive at a certain rpm.

Bob,

Are you using aux hyd for the winch, or the PTO hyd?

 

[woodlandfarms]

OK, I am an idiot

What is a winch blanket and how would you use it? My winch stays quite warm without one ;-) Or is it just that the previous winch was made by michael jackson (lets see if you guys get that one).

But seriously, what is it and what do you use it for?

 

[KentT]

OK, I am an idiot

What is a winch blanket and how would you use it? My winch stays quite warm without one ;-) Or is it just that the previous winch was made by michael jackson (lets see if you guys get that one).

But seriously, what is it and what do you use it for?

A winch blanket is a heavy blanket, usually with weighted ends, that you drape across the cable when you're pulling. It is there to absorb the impact, should the cable snap, and keep it from whip-lashing around. Some people just drape a coat or something across the cable... same idea.

I've heard mixed results on how well this actually works. It can work in some instances, for sure, but the cable can also pull "through" the blanket or jacket, and still do damage...

 

[BobRip]

Carl,

Bob,

Are you using aux hyd for the winch, or the PTO hyd?

It's the aux hyd. That way they can use the existing valve for wind and unwind operation. It also makes for smaller hoses. Of course the power is less.

 

[BobRip]

A winch blanket is a heavy blanket, usually with weighted ends, that you drape across the cable when you're pulling. It is there to absorb the impact, should the cable snap, and keep it from whip-lashing around. Some people just drape a coat or something across the cable... same idea.

I've heard mixed results on how well this actually works. It can work in some instances, for sure, but the cable can also pull "through" the blanket or jacket, and still do damage...

I read a comment where someone had witnessed three cable breaks with blankets and saw the cable just drop to the ground. It's a big help, I am sure, but not perfect.

 

[BobRip]

I got a fair lead from Northern Tools today. It was in the discontinued bin. After doing some research I can really see the need for one.

I modified my 2 inch receiver on the back of the PT today by adding a second receiver over the original This way I can keep the winch out of the mud and keep other things from dragging on steep slopes. It was pitch dark in my paint booth (a tree with a wire hanging off of it), so the pictures were hard to take. I attached one.

 

[woodlandfarms]

On this whole winch blanket.. I guess I get it if you are standing in the path of the wire, but everytime I have seen cable break, the line basically goes slack, That the reason you use wire instead of chain is to keep the slap to a minimum.

I guess what I am saying is that I believe in safety first, so why not on the blanket, but also seems like a way to extract dollars from your wallet that does nothing...

Then again, what do I really know.. I have never been rubbing elbows with a wire when it has failed.

 

[SpringHollow]

Back when i was looking for a used pickup, there was one with a hole in the windshield. The owner was pulling with a winch, something broke and it came flying back and killed the driver inside of the truck. (My guess is that he started using the truck itself to pull also). So definitely get out of the way. Another advantage of a gas portable winch - use as long a line as you want so it is easy to get out of the way with puleys, you can stand a little to the side when using it, and low stretch rope does not snap back like wire or chain.

Ken

 

[cqaigy2]

I guess what I am saying is that I believe in safety first, so why not on the blanket, but also seems like a way to extract dollars from your wallet that does nothing...

Then again, what do I really know.. I have never been rubbing elbows with a wire when it has failed.

I've never seen blankets used but i have seen cables snap and some of them, all you see a puff of dust and the cable is gone. It typically ends up in line with the pull or as you could probably guess, if using a snatch block or similar the cable may get bound up into it during the recoil and will bring the big chunk of metal with it. Brush up on your geometry and don't stand where cable might go if something fail including angles if your using pulleys and their anchor point fails.