Worm Gear Winch Service - Basic Operation

Drum Clutch Operation:
Visually check that drum clutch is fully engaged, shift handle at full travel or locked in detent, before operating the winch drum under load.

!WARNING!
DO NOT move the load, the winch, or the winch platform before making certain the drum clutch is set to "engage" and the clutch is fully engaged. A partially engaged drum clutch may "jump out" of engagement. A load on the winch line may prevent a partially-engaged clutch from disengaging, but any change in the load may allow the clutch to disengage unexpectedly. This may cause a loss of load control, which could result in property damage, injury or death.

To Engage Clutch
1. Insure winch motor or PTO is not running and the winch cable and cable drum are not loaded. The prime mover is stopped in neutral with parking brake set.
2. Lift lock knob on shift handle (where applicable) to disengage lock detent. Move handle to full travel to engage clutch. If shift handle lock knob will not engage detent hole, the clutch is not fully engaged. At this point it may be necessary to manually rotate the cable drum slightly in either direction to align clutch lugs while holding slight pressure on shift handle.
To Disengage Clutch
1. Insure winch motor or PTO is not running and the winch cable and cable drum are not loaded. The prime mover is stopped in neutral with parking brake set.
2. Lift lock knob on shift handle (where applicable) to disengage lock detent. Move shift handle full travel to disengage clutch. If shift handle has resistance to shift, cable drum may be manually rotated in the direction to haul-in cable to relieve the self-energized load on the drum clutch lugs and allow the shift.

!WARNING!
DO NOT attempt to engage drum clutch while cable drum is rotating.
DO NOT attempt to disengage drum clutch with a load applied to the winch cable.
DO NOT use "cheaters" to extend the shift handle length or other means to apply undue force on the shift handle.
Engaging or disengaging the drum clutch while the cable drum is rotating or under load, or the use of undue force, may result in damage to drum clutch components. Damaged drum clutch components may disengage under load, and cause a loss of load control, which could result in property damage, injury or death.

NOTE: If your operation involves lifting loads and does not require the clutch to be disengaged, Braden strongly recommends the drum clutch be mechanically locked in the fully engaged position to avoid accidental disengagement of the clutch.

!WARNING!
Accidental disengagement of the clutch while lifting or lowering a load may cause a loss of load control, which could result in property damage, injury or death.

Procedure For Determining Condition of Clutch Lugs:

There is typically a negative draft angle on the load bearing faces of the clutch and drum lugs to prevent disengagement of the clutch under load. Since these surfaces cannot be visually inspected on all winches without disassembling the winch, the following procedure was devised to insure that the clutch lug condition is such that the clutch cannot disengage under load:

Fully engage clutch (as described above).
Power about 10 feet (3 m) of cable off the drum.
Power in very slowly while holding 2-4 lb. (1-2 Kg) of tension on the cable. This tension must be maintained throughout the balance of this procedure. The purpose of this step is to take up the slack in the power train and maintain a no-slack condition.
Stop the winch, leaving the clutch engaged and approximately 3 feet (1 m) of cable off drum.
Mark one line on or near the outside diameter of the drum flange and another on the worm gear housing adjacent to the first line.
While maintaining cable tension, disengage the clutch slowly and observe the lines. The drum flange should move 1/16 in. - 5/16 in. (1.5 - 8 mm) in the direction that spools cable onto the drum. If less than 1/16 in. (1.5 mm) travel occurs, or if the travel is in the opposite direction, the winch should be disassembled and the clutch visually inspected for wear and/or damage and replaced if necessary. The drum clutch should be routinely inspected using the above procedure.

Basic Winch Operating Method:

Before taking your new winch to the jobsite, we suggest that you operate the winch under no-load conditions to familiarize yourself with the winch controls at various line speeds.

Engine speed, PTO controls and winch controls will influence your "feel" of the winch operation. Remote lever controls, air-shift cylinders and emergency stop systems should be adjusted at time of installation and all operators fully trained on their operation under a no-load condition.

!WARNING!
Ground personnel must stay in view of the operator and clear of load and winch drum. Do not allow personnel near winch line under tension. Do not allow personnel to be in line with winch load. A broken cable and/or lost winch load may cause property damage, severe personal injury or death. Ground personnel should maintain a safe distance of at least 1 1/2 times the working length of the cable.

Typical Winch Maneuver:

When possible, position winch such that the centerline of the winch drum is perpendicular to the winch load. The angle the winch must pull from (fleet angle) must not exceed 1 1/2°. If the fleet angle exceeds 1 1/2°, the cable will not spool correctly resulting in damaged cable and prematurely worn winch components.

Disengage the drum clutch, as described earlier, and pull cable off of winch drum. If equipped, apply shoe or band type drum brake to control drum over-spin or "birdnesting".

!WARNING!
The small shoe and band-type drum brakes are to be used to control drum over-spin or "birdnesting" only. They are NOT intended to control the winch load. The worm gear set and safety brake are designed to hold the winch load. Attempting to hold a load using a shoe or band type drum brake may result in the loss of a winch load, property damage, severe personal injury or death.

Avoid powering out winch cable as this practice causes unnecessary heat and accelerated wear of winch brake components.

Securely attach winch cable to load in such a manner to avoid damage to the load or cable. Fully engage the drum clutch as described earlier.

!WARNING!
Worm gear winch clutches may disengage and drop or lose control of a load if they are not fully engaged at the beginning of a lift or pull. The winch operator must visually determine that the clutch is fully engaged before lifting or pulling a load. Failure to do so may result in property damage, severe personal injury or death.

Release band type drum brake, if so equipped, and engage winch control. Operate controls smoothly to avoid "jerking" of load. Operate winch at slowest speed practicable for your application to reduce worm gear heat rise and maintain winch load control.

Observe winch operation carefully to make certain that all ground personnel remain clear of winch cable and load and that load does not shift requiring the repositioning of the winch cable or winch. When the load is properly positioned, stop the winch. The automatic safety brake and worm gear set are designed to hold the load when properly adjusted. (Refer to "Safety Brake Service & Adjustment".)

Secure the load in position. Pay out enough winch cable to remove all tension on cable and drum. Disengage drum clutch and disconnect winch cable from load.

Engage drum clutch as described earlier. When possible, visually determine that the drum clutch is fully engaged.

Wind winch cable back onto cable drum while maintaining minimum fleet angle and sufficient tension to cause the cable to spool properly being careful to keep hands and clothing away from cable drum and fairlead rollers.

Winch Break-In:
As a worm gear winch operates, the steel worm will burnish a unique wear pattern onto the aluminum-bronze alloy worm gear. For this reason, we recommend that a worm gear should not be replaced without also replacing the steel worm. A proper "break-in" of a new winch or a repaired winch with a new worm gear set, is needed to produce a gear wear pattern which will maximize component life. Follow the procedure listed below to properly "break-in" a Braden worm gear winch before operating at rated capacity.

Fill winch to oil level plug with recommended worm gear oil. The proper oil level for most worm gear winches is near or slightly above the centerline of the worm shaft. Locate the proper oil level plug for your application. Refer to "Preventive Maintenance" section for additional information.

Spool the new cable onto the winch at very low speed while monitoring worm gear housing temperature if a load is used to hold tension on new wire rope. The first ten winching operations should be made at approximately 60% of rated capacity and at less than rated line speed to obtain a good worm gear wear pattern. Never operate winch at speeds higher than the published maximum input RPM for the given load as excessive heat and accelerated worm gear wear may result.

Capstan Use: Braden has provided two basic types of capstans: Quick disconnect bayonet type and a bolt-on type.

Before installing a bayonet type capstan, make certain the spring is properly located in the bore. The spring holds the capstan in the lock position on the extension shaft. If the spring is omitted, the capstan may come off of the extension shaft and cause a sudden loss of load control which may result in property damage, severe personal injury or death. Also, closely inspect the edges of the lock pocket to make certain they are still sharp and not rounded from extensive use. A badly worn lock pocket may prevent the capstan from locking securely to the extension shaft which could allow the capstan to come off of the extension shaft and cause a sudden loss of load control which may result in property damage, severe personal injury or death.
When installing a bolt-on capstan, make certain that a ¾ in. x 5-1/4 in. (19 x 133 mm) Grade 8 capscrew and self-locking nut are used. A soft bolt or pin may shear off and cause a sudden loss of load control which may result in property damage, severe personal injury or death.
Make certain that the vehicle is positioned such that the capstan load line and hand line are perpendicular to the center of the capstan barrel. Do not allow rope to pull against flange of capstan as rope may get damaged or may "jump" over flange and cause a sudden loss of load control which may result in property damage, severe personal injury or death.

As a general rule, always wrap rope around the capstan in the same direction that wire rope is wrapped around the cable drum to take advantage of the worm shaft brake which is effective in one direction only.

To install the bayonet type capstan, push the capstan onto the extension shaft, against spring tension, then turn counter-clockwise (viewed from the outside) to the stop. Release the capstan and verify that the spring has pushed the capstan outward into the lock position.

!WARNING!
Exposed areas fo extension shafts and/or capstan shafts are dangerous. Clothing and other items may become tangled and wrapped around the shaft when rotating. Appropriate guarding should be installed to prevent and part of the body or clothing for contacting the shaft when it is rotating. Failure to provide appropriate guarding could result in property damage, personal injury or death.

Auxiliary Rigging:

Snatch Block
An auxiliary sheave or "Snatch Block" as it is often called, increases the versatility of the winch and is highly recommended for the following applications:

Securely attach snatch block to anchor point following manufacturer's recommendations. Only use a snatch block of the recommended type and load capacity for your application.

Tree Protector
If a winch cable or snatch block must be secured to a tree or other structure for recovery applications, a heavy nylon web sling of proper capacity rating should be used to avoid inflicting serious damage to the tree.

!WARNING!
A poorly attached or undersized snatch block may break loose and cause a sudden loss of load control which could result in property damage, severe personal injury or death.