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Winch help, leaks from drum

socom688

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So I went to grease and respool my winch, and the ONLY time the clutch handle gets ******* stuck was today. So, naturally with my luck, it wrapped the chain up And now it leaks from the left side housing, where the cursed handle is. Fortunately nothing else was damaged. I'm so mad right now I could drive it off a cliff (not actually but close!). So any suggestions? I'm guess at the least I have to take it apart, and replace the seals. Do I have to dismount it from the truck to do that? And is it a pain in the ass?
 

cattlerepairman

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You did not happen to spool the winch with the winch drive engaged, by popping the clutch handle on the winch in or out? Dangerous. You would stand in the wrong place with respect to a moving steel line and things can get dangerous in a split second when winching. The winch needs to be run from the inside of the cab. No exceptions.

As for the leak...if no damage, then use corn head grease on both sides of the winch, instead of oil. Many people report leaking winches even after having rebuilt them with new seals.
 
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KsM715

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That clutch handle is not to be used to spool the winch in by standing at the front of the truck ( as you found out). It's a simple dog ear clutch, meaning with a load on it it will not easily disengage.

This is not meant as a dig on the OP. It's meant for anyone new to these trucks/winches that happens upon this thread. That clutch handle is there to disengage the winch when winching ops are over and done. You pull the clutch out to keep anyone from bumbling the in cab controls while the truck is in gear. And make sure you put the drum lock in to keep the drum from unspooling while traveling down the road.

(a smart man learns from his mistakes. A wise man learns from the mistakes of others)
 
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73m819

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Wonder WHY the -10 calls for "TWO MAN WINCH OPERATION"
 
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73m819

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Wonder WHY the -10 calls for "TWO MAN WINCH OPERATION"
Yeah... I wonder why :roll:
Yep, more then one person has learned this costly lesson, you Sir are getting off cheap, I have seen busted drive housings, busted ptos, bent winch driveshaft, busted radiators, bent bumpers/frame rails, winch structure members bent, ect., all of this both as a only one item damage to ALL of the above at one time, this is with the OM shear pin, use a grade 8 bolt as the shear pin then TWO BLOCK (crane term for what you did) and watch the large amount of damage acclimate rapidly.
 

socom688

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Yeah I've seen pics of that kinda carnage. Thankfully I got it stopped right before the hook got wrapped up. I did discover, with the help of Rayzer, that the upper and rear supporting bracket are bent and the threaded support rod on the bottom is also bent. We had an expert in the metal fabrication field take a look at it, he isn't concerned in the least that they being bent is harming the winch. Also, the cable has some kinks in it now, one squished flat, the other 2 are where some strands are tucked into each other. Again, he said it was no big deal and I could hammer them out (patience for that job required). We ran it as is and respooled it (the proper way) and it worked great. I'll just hammer those bracket straight and put some corn head grease in it and call it a day.


That winch is ONLY being used in emergency situations from now on. The winch is cool to have, but a PITA to use. Regreasing and respooling sucks.
 
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porkysplace

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I would find a new "Expert" if he thinks squished flat cable is no big deal , it has created a weak point in the cable .
 

socom688

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You misunderstood. He said the bent supports aren't a huge deal. Heat and a hammer can massage them back into place. As far as what he said about the kinks, they can be worked out with a few simple hand tools, anvil or hard surface of the like, and a lot of patience.
 

73m819

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I would REPLACE the cable, you can make the cable look ABOUT right but you can NOT replace the strength lose, under a heavy load that looks ABOUT right cable could decide to come apart and KILL someone. With cable KINKS and smashed FLAT SPOTS, there IS a LOT more going on in the cable then "JUST " some bent wire. AGAIN I will add to others comment, FIND A NEW CABLE EXPERT, someone that KNOWS something ABOUT cable.

Emergency situations is when you will most likely really load up your winch, at time well over the rated pull, in this case "looks about right" does NOT count.
 

socom688

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Well then, I will replace the cable. I found them for $300 with chain and hook, but would you happen to know a reliable source for just the cable to maybe save a few bucks?
 

cattlerepairman

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Well then, I will replace the cable. I found them for $300 with chain and hook, but would you happen to know a reliable source for just the cable to maybe save a few bucks?
Some have said that elevator companies are a good source for the cable; they have to switch out cables after a certain run time even if they have no visible defects and you may be able to get the 150 ft you need before they cut the cables up into pieces.
 

clinto

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Well then, I will replace the cable. I found them for $300 with chain and hook, but would you happen to know a reliable source for just the cable to maybe save a few bucks?
Is that new? Because if so, I'd like to buy 2.

The absolute cheapest I have found the correct wire rope is about $3.60 a foot and with the M44 using 200', that's a lot more than $300, plus that doesn't include the end termination pieces or a chain.
 

73m819

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Is that new? Because if so, I'd like to buy 2.

The absolute cheapest I have found the correct wire rope is about $3.60 a foot and with the M44 using 200', that's a lot more than $300, plus that doesn't include the end termination pieces or a chain.
Yes, the DOC. is correct on the price, the days of HIGH quality cable at a reasonable price is over, Good cable is EXPENSEVE, VERY expensive, the cheap cable is so bad that most crane and rigging outfits will not even go near it let alone use it.

I would NEVER put USED cable that you do not know on a winch or other high load uses, It is different taking cable from one of your trucks a putting it on another one of your trucks, you know the care, feeding, and use of this cable.
 

m16ty

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There is a large wire rope supplier in Nashville. They take used wire rope from elevator, crane companies, and the like and resell it. It all goes through a inspection process before they sell. They clearly state it is to not be used for overhead lifting but is fine for winches. I haven't bought any personally but all the local loggers use it on their skidders.
 
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