Caring for a Winch: How To?

[jeeper]

As a noob winch owner, I am hopeful to keep my winch as new as possible for as long as possible.
I have 2 winches. One will be mounted to the front of my truck, and will be exposed to all elements all the time. The other is kept on a hitch mount, and stored in the garage. It will be used only when on outings, and specific tasks.
What should be involved in Winch Care?

My current specific questions:
-With cable lines, should they be oiled or lubed?
-I have tried very hard to keep my cable wound neatly on the spool. After each use I have spooled out and back in to help it wrap around the spool in an organized fashion. Is this necessary?
-Those of you with winch bumpers that cover the whole winch, how do you wind the cable up if you can't see the spool?


Feel free to keep this thread going with any other questions, write ups, or videos.

Thanks guys!

 

[Kevin B.]

-Those of you with winch bumpers that cover the whole winch, how do you wind the cable up if you can't see the spool?

x2. Thinking about a hidden winch mount for the F150, but I'm not clear how to keep the cable dressed or even if it's necessary. I definitely don't wanna climb under the truck every time I spool it back, that's for sure.

 

[BCGPER]

Modern winch cable is galvanized, so no real maintenance is needed. Just keep from kinking it, and you'll get many years of use out of it.

 

[skippy]

Buy rope..... never worry about a kinked line again

 

[I Lean]

Care? Make sure the mounting bolts are tight, and the power cables are routed nicely. Other than that, it gets used when needed, and spooled back in when done.

 

[boogie_4wheel]

I had a permanent mount M12000 years back (exposed, could see spool from top, it was mounted in a Warn Classic bumper on a fullsize Ford). I kept the cable spooled neatly when not in use. The only issue I ever had with that winch was a solenoid failed.

I now have a M8000 on a hitch mount. It sits in the shed when not in use, neatly spooled. I never do anything special to it.

 

[TurboMinivan]

I decided to practice safe winching... so I bought my winch a condom.

 

[BCGPER]

Slacker, I build my condoms...
Rope don't like the sun.


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[Tonkaman]

Slacker, I build my condoms...
Rope don't like the sun. View attachment 97093


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That's a good idea!

 

[TurboMinivan]

Rope don't like the sun.

True, though I'm running steel cable.

 

[bryson]

I'm not a fan of the soft winch covers because they often hold moisture in like a steam room, and usually do more harm than good. The sun-shade is a good idea though - it'd also keep mud and crap out of your cable/rope without holding in moisture.

 

[skippy]

I have this awesome habit of not pulling my Wheeling rigs out of the shop.... I have yet to wear out a cable or have one get damaged by the sun

 

[jeeper]

Thread resurrection..

I am currently at 1 winch, which has found a semi-permanent home on my Colorado. It's still on a carrier, and can be removed.. but I have made it a little more difficult. I have really enjoyed always having it with me, and have made good use of it (only for work projects though.. the colorado can't actually get stuck)

I would really like to put a winch under the flatbed of my F350, and have it come out backwards. The winch would be used 99% of the time to pull a tree over, drag a car onto a trailer, or pull bushes out of the ground. The truck does not do much wheeling.. so I seriously doubt the need for an emergency self recover.. but the possibility is always there.
I want a synthetic rope, so I can go with the synthetic fair lead, which will be a little neater on the back of the bed. I have looked at many options, and even going for a HF winch, then adding a synthetic rope gets pretty expensive -might as well by a smittybilt comp winch for the same price.. However, I also know that I am not going to pay a lot to put a winch in. I can't justify a large cost for the little use it will get..
(this is getting long winded for a simple question)
Amazon sells this:

https://www.amazon.com/X-BULL-Synth...id=1502854359&sr=1-5&keywords=synthetic+winch

It fits the price and needs pretty well.

What are your thoughts on the winch?

 

[rholbrook]

Make sure that any place you run the power cable through the grill that you have plenty of rubber hose or that it does not rub on any sharp edges. My BIL burnt his Cummins down when his winch shorted where it had worn through over the years.

 

[jeeper]

Make sure that any place you run the power cable through the grill that you have plenty of rubber hose or that it does not rub on any sharp edges. My BIL burnt his Cummins down when his winch shorted where it had worn through over the years.

Yikes. That sucks!

 

[I Lean]

Thread resurrection..

I am currently at 1 winch, which has found a semi-permanent home on my Colorado. It's still on a carrier, and can be removed.. but I have made it a little more difficult. I have really enjoyed always having it with me, and have made good use of it (only for work projects though.. the colorado can't actually get stuck)

I would really like to put a winch under the flatbed of my F350, and have it come out backwards. The winch would be used 99% of the time to pull a tree over, drag a car onto a trailer, or pull bushes out of the ground. The truck does not do much wheeling.. so I seriously doubt the need for an emergency self recover.. but the possibility is always there.
I want a synthetic rope, so I can go with the synthetic fair lead, which will be a little neater on the back of the bed. I have looked at many options, and even going for a HF winch, then adding a synthetic rope gets pretty expensive -might as well by a smittybilt comp winch for the same price.. However, I also know that I am not going to pay a lot to put a winch in. I can't justify a large cost for the little use it will get..
(this is getting long winded for a simple question)
Amazon sells this:

https://www.amazon.com/X-BULL-Synth...id=1502854359&sr=1-5&keywords=synthetic+winch

It fits the price and needs pretty well.

What are your thoughts on the winch?

That winch looks essentially the same as pretty much every other Chinese winch, which means it would probably work fine for occasional, non-critical use. The synthetic rope and wireless remotes are a nice inclusion for the price, which makes me wonder how well (or how long) the wireless remotes will function...

 

[jeeper]

That winch looks essentially the same as pretty much every other Chinese winch

I also thought this. Looks most similar to the HF winch IMO.

 

[jeeper]

well, it's on it's way. We'll see how she does.