Thread: Any 4WD winch experts on here?

OK

So I've fucked something up and I cannot for the life of me work out what.

After servicing my Runva winch this arvo for the third time, upon putting it back together and testing it, the drum is totally locked when the lever is in the ON position. Will not rotate by hand or under power. There's something wrong with the way the gears are meshing when the lever pulls the outer ring up to the frame. Works fine in the OFF position, rotates freely by hand and under power.

I've had this winch apart for a major service twice before and it went back together just fine. It's not exactly complicated.

The planetary gears are easy as to slot back together after re-greasing and there's no damage. But it won't work. There's something mechanical fundamentally wrong with the gears and it's done my head in big time.

Probably easier to talk to someone directly or on a video call if you're the main man and know winches inside out. Would really appreciate that. I've just given up for the evening and am now going to drink a beer and try and forget about it.

That's one of those things that happens with a pin or a bearing slightly out of line and getting pinched. I've done that before and pulled the thing apart - couldn't find anything but for some reason known only to the gods of winches it worked fine when it went back together.

As you say - it won't be much but it's really frustrating when you can't work it out. There will be a pin or a bit of the lever that isn't sitting right in it's mating slot and when you engage the clutch it will be pushing the works out of line. I wouldn't consider myself a winch expert, but have destroyed and rebuilt several that gave up in the line of duty hauling crap out of the way of underwater structures and pipelines.

Appreciate the response mate. It’s not the gearbox after all. When you look at the design it’s actually impossible to get something misaligned or one tooth out.

It’s the brake inside the drum. For some reason it’s locking solid as soon as you wind the drum in with the lever engaged in the IN position. It’s locked so tight in the drum I had to knock it out with the club hammer and half axle method after soaking it in penetrating oil. So not something I had fucked up myself and now that I think about it I’ve been happily winching in and out with the lever in the out position… not that I’ve done particularly heavy work with it recently but I have been picking up quite a few deer and cattle and pulling down the old shed and doing a bit of general vehicle dragging. I think it’s a case of having a problem I didn’t know I had.

I can turn the drum attached to the gearbox by putting a drill on the driveshaft via an 8 mm socket. Works fine in both directions. So I have been able to eliminate the gearbox as a problem. But as soon as I drop the cleaned up brake unit into the drum and reassemble it just locks up again and the unit is not going to budge.

It’s really annoying because there is no stock of a replacement brake in New Zealand and it’s 4 to 5 months until the next lot arrive. Some might just buy a new winch, but its such a simple mechanism I reckon that’s all wrong considering it’s just one tiny part that doesn’t bloody work. So I have appealed to the Australian distributor to be kind and send me a brake. We’ll find out what he says in due course.

I will knock the brake out again and reinstall without the pads to triple check the logic

It’s defo the brake unit because I knocked it out again and reinstalled without the pads and the winch works fine in both directions when the lever is in the IN and OUT positions. Can’t see that I need a new drum. It’s not corroded or scored inside.

Yep, that sounds like a plan - I recall something about the Runva winches having replaceable brakes and not serviceable?

If the distributor won't send one out you should be able to find one of the 50,000 people fleeing to Aussie for work that can freight one out as a gift haha!

Just the quick question, you've checked the cam that applies the brake shoes?

Yup, cam seems to be working fine. But that’s to an inexperienced eye. There’s got to be something up with it but I just haven’t been able to work it out yet. The one good thing is that it’s very easy to dismantle the winch and put it back together again, the pain in the arse is knocking the brake out of the drum because it locks solid and I have to smack it out.

The cam that applies the brake isn't in 180 degrees out??

It may have slightly different clearance dimensions...just because

Off topic here, but are you sealing it when putting back together?


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Originally Posted by XR500

The cam that applies the brake isn't in 180 degrees out??

It may have slightly different clearance dimensions...just because

I’m going to apply my considerable lack of winch brake wisdom to the matter in the morning. In short, I don’t know.

Originally Posted by MSL

Off topic here, but are you sealing it when putting back together?

Kind of. It doesn’t have an IP rating. The newer ones do. I just use waterproof heavy grease around the seals as per the instructions. I can see there is minor water ingress in places but not enough to get into the gearbox or the electric motor.

Yep, grease the seals - glueing the thing together with sealant means they are a bastard to get apart and you likely have to destroy the seals... My guess is the cam is not cooperating but without eyeballing it I can't offer anything else constructive.