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Can you use the Clutch Lever to operate the winch from outside?

pitpawten

Active member
259
199
43
Location
Centreville, Maryland
NO!

I knew the lever won't disengage under load, however I didn't realize the weight of the cable alone is enough to prohibit disengaging!

I'd finished cleaning and lubing the cable and was winding it neatly. I'd stopped several times without problem, however at the last 2 feet or so the lever would not disengage.

It gobbled the last 2 feet in a blink and then started binding. I dashed to the cab and hit the clutch before any serious damage.



The cable wound up extremely tight digging into itself

20171017_193832.jpg
The clevis end bound between the guard and the gearbox

20171017_193839.jpg

And the chain pulled tightly between the two links


20171017_193845.jpg


Though I was aware enough of the risk to keep myself out of the moving parts, I was dumb enough to try it anyway. Worst (or best) of all I had my 13yo son there and had been giving profuse "safety lessons" the whole time :/ He was not near the winch but hearing the grinding and seeing me running to the cab shook him...as it should have.


We had a good "even dads screw up" talk and post-mortem afterwards and we're thankful no-one was hurt and only minor damage.


Posting this as a "don't risk it" for others who are searching for shortcuts in the future.
 

cattlerepairman

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
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113
Location
NORTH (Canada)
Thanks for posting this as a reminder. The winch looks innocent enough, but can become a dangeropus piece of kit very quickly.

Winching with this setup is one of the activities where you should take a second before you start, close your eyes and think through, step by step, how you will react if you had to abort in a hurry. That is especially important when you work ALONE, which is what many of us (have to) do, but operating the mechanical winch safely is really a two person job.
 

pitpawten

Active member
259
199
43
Location
Centreville, Maryland
Whats bolted to the left of the winch?
Good eyes :)

That is a mount for the bed crane for lifting from the front bumper, particularly for lifting the heads off easily.

Built by the previous owner a SS member who had a thread on it methinks (kaiserjeeps iirc)

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using Tapatalk
 

M543A2

New member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
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Location
Warsaw, Indiana
For my trucks I mount a west coast mirror sideways on brackets angled to give me a cab view of the winch as it wraps. I position the truck far enough from the object being winched so I can, when the cable reaches the side of the winch drum, release the brakes and let the winch pull my truck forward, turning the wheels to set the fleet angle so the cable will evenly wind the other way across the drum then hold the brakes again. I also used a license plate light mounted to shine light on the drum for low light and night operations.
Winch Light.jpgWinch Mirror 2.jpgWinch Mirror 3.jpgWinch Mirror.jpg
 

MikeON

Member
134
11
18
Location
Lucinda PA
Did anyone ever rig up linkage to the clutch pedal, so you could engage/disengage the engine clutch from the front of the truck?
 

snowtrac nome

Well-known member
1,674
137
63
Location
western alaska
I would get a pneumatic cylinder and rig it up next to the transmission to pull back ,or push the release fork ,than mount a flipper switch up front to control it with air I have several older fuel trucks in the fleet and that is how pto engagement is controlled from the rear of the truck
 
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