Thread: Truck winch drum modification - help needed

Id like to modify my warn winch so it can hold tons of rope

can I just cut the drum supports and make the sides really tall, or is it best to make the drum really long

Its just so I can do long pulls with my boat on its trailer to avoid having to pulling it thru the soft sand

Ill make a mount on the back of the truck as needed as iv allready got another winch in the front of the truck already

If you make the drum diameter bigger it will effectively gear it up when full of line which will make it faster but less powerfull and possibly overload the motor/gears.

thats fine

It will only be pulling relatively light weight well below its capacity
traction of my truck is the limiting factor even with no air pressure

the gearing up issue wouldnt be an issue if I went longer rather than taller?

Use a hydraulic capstan winch with rope as it can be as long as you like.Modifing a warn drum to hold more would make it horrible to manage it bird nesting if you can't even out the incoming wire during winching in.You could try dyneema in smaller dia to get more on but I find that stuff a expensive gimmick as it doesn't wear well for day to day use.

Cant just use an extension strap/rope? I swapped mine to the dynamic rope stuff and got the original wire crimped so I got an extension, then with all the other buts I got bout 80m

Originally Posted by Bill999

thats fine

It will only be pulling relatively light weight well below its capacity
traction of my truck is the limiting factor even with no air pressure

the gearing up issue wouldnt be an issue if I went longer rather than taller?

Yep your onto it.

As others have said tho you cant just use an extension strap?

http://www.4wdbits.co.nz/ProductDeta...?productID=247

Should be able to get 50-60metres of that on your drum easy, then have a 20metre extension strap for the long retrieves

Originally Posted by MSL

Should be able to get 50-60metres of that on your drum easy, then have a 20metre extension strap for the long retrieves

So standard wire rope on a 10,000 lb or so winch is 9 mm what makes you think dyneema at 8.1mm will fit double the amount on a winch drum?

Originally Posted by Bill999

Id like to modify my warn winch so it can hold tons of rope

can I just cut the drum supports and make the sides really tall, or is it best to make the drum really long

Its just so I can do long pulls with my boat on its trailer to avoid having to pulling it thru the soft sand

Ill make a mount on the back of the truck as needed as iv allready got another winch in the front of the truck already

Watch the side pressure on any extention you put on the original drum

Originally Posted by Markgibsonr25

So standard wire rope on a 10,000 lb or so winch is 9 mm what makes you think dyneema at 8.1mm will fit double the amount on a winch drum?

I have 32metres of 12mm dyneema on my 9500lb. Dyneema compresses onto the drum whereas wire does not.

Originally Posted by MSL

I have 32metres of 12mm dyneema on my 9500lb. Dyneema compresses onto the drum whereas wire does not.

Agreed but with a outer braid abrasion core on the out side it won't compress that much and about $750 for 60 m

Yeah it's expensive alright

Originally Posted by Markgibsonr25

Agreed but with a outer braid abrasion core on the out side it won't compress that much and about $750 for 60 m

Not that much if you know the right people!! Didn't pay that much but it's worth it not to get wire splinter spikes

For the cheapest and simplest option I would consider an extension strap. You don't lose pulling power if you want to use it to recover your 4wd or another. And how often will you really need the extra length of rope/wire?
From my 4WD experience I would go this way, less chance or rope binding on your drum if it doesn't spool on evenly, less chance of damaging your drum due to uneven loading/strain when winching. If winching with a low load on the rope it can cut into the lower wraps and jam which can be a real pain when you go to unspool it the next time you want to use it.
The other thing is imagine how long it will take to pull out heaps of wire or rope off the winch verses quickly un rolling an extension strap and hooking it up and getting the job done.
Also bear in mind after each winch use you will potentially have to unspool all the wire or rope and re spool it on by hand to keep it tidy and usable..
Just my 2c worth.