Identify my winch! Is it big enough?

[Twinpinion]

Under all the coats of paint it is OD green. What did it originally come on and will it work on my Deuce? It's a Braden Winch. Use the oil container as a size refrence. Any idea the pound capacity? It looks very different from the Deuce winches I've seen...like it's an older model maybe. Is it big enough?

It's similar to, but much larger than the factory winch on the '45 Dodge WC-52 I have.

 

[Trango]

Is there any data anywhere on the body? What about either the dataplate or the casting on the winch body?

 

[Twinpinion]

Is there any data anywhere on the body? What about either the dataplate or the casting on the winch body?

Yeah, but it's stamped numbers. I found a code deciper website for it but the number will only give me the date it was made and stuff. Still need to do that. Will post up when I got the info.

 

[Twinpinion]

OK, kinda figured it out a little. The stamp reads:

MU5A
104899

Some of the numbers make sense, others don't. It is a Braden MU5 winch. I really have no idea what it's rated for. Good news, even NAPA has the seals, so I put those in. Braden also still sells a gasket and seal kit (PN 62840). The winch is also reversable so I could change the direction of the input if I wanted to (for mounting front or rear with PTO down the driver side or where ever). From what I found it was probably built in the '40s-'50s. At any rate, I got it back together now.

 

[Twinpinion]

I didn't pull it all the way down since most of it seems operational. Basically just the input. It's big, and heavy.

 

[Twinpinion]

Inside the gearbox is the worm gear. It freaked me out, it's made out of bronze or something! Kinda freaky to see that big of a gear in bronze.

I was having trouble installing the end seals. I didn't have any tubing that was the right size to pound them in with. Then I remembered shooting at a small piece of copper pipe that was in the empty lot next to my garage. So I ran out there, doug it out of the weeds and found out it was a little too big in diameter. No problem. Took a hacksaw to it and folded it over it's self. Now I have a Braden MU5 seal tool. I whackedd the seals in with a hammer, and put the races in too. One of the bearings looks not too good. If it was a rearend, I'd change it. But this is a free winch.

It was getting late and I wanted to finish up so that's all you get for photos. Inside there is a wierd little wheel brake that I am sure is made from asbestous (sp) but I don't have any pics. So there it is. On a Braden website (paccarwinch.com) there are current winches that use similar numbers and dimensions. Judging by these I'm guessing it's a 20K winch.

 

[Djfreema]

Did you or anybody else win any of those big winches out in Barstow?

 

[Desert Rat]

I'll volunteer to take one for free!!!!!!!

 

[Twinpinion]

I didn't. Too rich for my blood. I bailed out at $616 (about $300 more than I wanted to spend. Some went cheaper than that. It was just hard to watch all 32 of 'em.

Eh, no biggie. I'll make this one work. I just won a brand new double output PTO on ebay. Alternator is at the shop, should be done next week. Now I need to find 300 feet of 1/2-inch cable.