winch question

[poppop]

When I got my cargo truck the driveshaft for the winch was missing. When I tryed to install the new one it would not go on because the winch shaft had been roughed up quite a bit. I filed it enough to be able to drive the shaft on. After some earlier posts I am concerned it may be to tight and damage the winch. Should I take it back off and file the shaft until it will slide on without using a hammer?

 

[Recovry4x4]

Hmm, how was the shaft on the winch itself? What do you have installed for a shear pin? Even with an interference fit, if you stall the winch, the driveshaft will spin on the winch shaft without some type of pin in the hole.

 

[poppop]

The driveshaft I installed was brand new. The winch shaft was the one messed up. I assume it is from shearing pins and allowing the shaft to spin. The shear pin I used is the correct aluminum one. My concern is I had to drive the shaft on with a hammer to line up the holes and it was real tight. Are they supposed to be loose enough to slid the drive shaft on and line up the holes by hand?

 

[Recovry4x4]

Mine was pretty tight also. Once you snap a pin and it spins on tere for a few seconds, it gets to where you can line it up by hand.

 

[spicergear]

Those winches are pretty sturdy. Might want to just run around it with sandpaper then test fit again. If it goes on some but not the whole way, tap it on with a brass hammer...or you could heat the yoke and slide it right on then put in the bolt...oops, shear pin.

 

[poppop]

Thanks for the replys guys. I think i will probably loosen it up a bit as it was very tight going on. The place I bought the shaft warned me not
to use grade 5 bolts as shearpins as they had rebuild many winchs for the government because of soldiers using them.

 

[rdixiemiller]

And he's right. Most of the winches have a bronze gear, and a steel bolt will allow you to damage it. My father in law had a marina for years, no telling how many motors came in with busted lower unit gears where people had used grade 8 bolts instead of shear pins. The shear pin is used for a valid reason, to protect equipment.
You will also find shear pins used where the winch has enough reduction to break cables, or pull the winch bolts loose.