Winches

[Brisey]

Seeing winch failures have been mentioned with Davidman & crew on their hell track I was wondering how many of us regularly service their winches or even think about the need. I ask this because a mate of mine asked me to have a look at his Warn XD 9000 that wasn't working.

I found the gearbox was corroded & the grease was full of mud & water, needless to say it was siezed & one of the motor bearings siezed as well. I have spent 4-5 hours cleaning it out & should get it back together for him by the weekend with a bit of luck. Here is a few pics of inside it.

As you can see they are not sealed against water or dust & they live on the front of the 4by forever going through every water crossing then up dusty hills etc. Fortunately my mate wasn't in a position where he was really depending on the winch but very inconveniant.

Certainly food for thought

Cheers

Bri

 

[monk2]

Hi Brisey nice mess you got to work with plenty to clean check and replace not a lot of fun ,I do my own winch on a regular bassis not sure what grease you going to use but I use moly grease in all parts of mine have had the winch for about 15 years now and still working like new servising it regularly has helped

 

[deepop]

That is a bit of a mess, isn't it?

This is the reason I'm thinking of getting a portable winch bracket. It can then live in the car on trips, in the garage at other times and can just slot into a hitch receiver built into the front behind the bull bar, or the rear towbar receiver if required.

A bit more flexibility and much more protection for it so it should work when I need it.

Any thoughts from anyone for or against this type of set up?

 

[Brisey]

That is a bit of a mess, isn't it?

This is the reason I'm thinking of getting a portable winch bracket. It can then live in the car on trips, in the garage at other times and can just slot into a hitch receiver built into the front behind the bull bar, or the rear towbar receiver if required.

A bit more flexibility and much more protection for it so it should work when I need it.

Any thoughts from anyone for or against this type of set up?

Apart from the winch in the back of the car it's a good idea just strap it down to something so it doesn't end up in the front with you. . You could also use the large 350 amp anderson plugs to connect it as well.

Cheers

Bri

 

[Brisey]

Hi Brisey nice mess you got to work with plenty to clean check and replace not a lot of fun ,I do my own winch on a regular bassis not sure what grease you going to use but I use moly grease in all parts of mine have had the winch for about 15 years now and still working like new servising it regularly has helped

Sure was messy, I'm an electrical fitter by trade & motor/gearbox overhauling is all part of my usual type of work so it isn't so much of a problem.

Doing this winch has given me an idea of a sweet little part time business for when I retire.

Cheers

Bri

 

[rodw]

Brisey, what brand of winch was it?

 

[monk2]

totaly agree with you Brisey luck we live lots of klms apart ormay be not so lucky but room for thought,

 

[bmurray2250]

looks pretty stuffed to me.

 

[Brisey]

Brisey, what brand of winch was it?

It is a Warn XD 9000

Being a brand name is no escape.

Cheers

Bri

 

[Brisey]

looks pretty stuffed to me.

I've nearly finished repairing it all it needs now is to get the drive gear off so I can replace the bearings but I need to take it to work tomorrow to get the hydraulic puller onto it my bearing puller at home won't shift it. It will be good & will probably last another couple of years.

Cheers

Bri

 

[rodw]

Brisey, Next time you have one apart, would it be too much to ask to take a few pics and put a "How to service your winch" howto thread up on the forum? My Ironman one has been repaired under warranty and now it seems I probably should service this once a year at least... It would be good to know how to do this in case it dies on the road somewhere..

 

[russell1974]

They are not that hard to service them theres not to much to them once a year is good when I got mine was told evan if I never use it for a recovery should pull it out at least once a month and either stretch it or winch it back in both so you no it works and two it helps move the grease around in the gears

 

[Brisey]

Brisey, Next time you have one apart, would it be too much to ask to take a few pics and put a "How to service your winch" howto thread up on the forum? My Ironman one has been repaired under warranty and now it seems I probably should service this once a year at least... It would be good to know how to do this in case it dies on the road somewhere..

I've still got it apart I will see if I can take a series of pics as I reassemble it & see what I can come up with

Cheers

Bri

 

[cloughcarib]

Brisey(and all)

Not sure what grease you use, and I'm sure that there is a plethera of choices on the market, but in heavy duty windlasses on the boats, I have found that NOTHING(can you tell I'm tooting my own horn) lasts as well as my own formula.

4 parts white lithium grease to one part auto trans fluid.

It's an absolute bugger to get to mix together, but once mixed to an even consistancy will pack easily, repel water/dust/dirt(mud and seashells) beautifully and(on a daily used windlass) last at least 6 months.

I have used this on 12,000lb winches with increased performance in rpm loaded.

I have NO experience with 4WD winches, but thought this might be worth mentioning.

 

[teza h]

Yeh! Thanks for that Clough, I just finished doing mine with regular grease ha!

 

[bmurray2250]

lithium grease is great. Used it on all my boat trailers and never had an issue.

 

[Davidman]

What about a canvas or heavy duty plastic winch cover for when it is not in use. Won't protect it against water, but will certainly stop the dust / mud etc getting in.

 

[Swaggie]

Hiya Guys

I try and unwind my Warn XP every couple of weeks..A lot of people dont realise if you dunk the winch under water once, the warranty is VOID...Still reckon they should have to put a big red sticker on the box alerting buyers.(but that will never happen will it lol)..On one hand they convey that you can use it in water,mud,dust etc etc...But dont want to warrant it if you do so...

If i had my time again

1 x Warn 9XP = $2400
4 x Iron Man (600each) = $2400

 

[Brisey]

Also another thing to consider is the location of the control box, you see a lot attached to the winch I would prefer to mount it as high as possible in the engine bay to keep it out of the water.

Cheers

Bri

 

[Brisey]

Brisey, Next time you have one apart, would it be too much to ask to take a few pics and put a "How to service your winch" howto thread up on the forum? My Ironman one has been repaired under warranty and now it seems I probably should service this once a year at least... It would be good to know how to do this in case it dies on the road somewhere..

While I was searching for the wiring connections for the winch so I could test it I came across this great detailed description of a warn winch overhaul probably better than I could do.

Warn xd9000i Winch Rebuild

I would suggest that overhauling the motor be done by an electrical motor rewind shop though as there is no substitute for experience when it comes to motors. All winches are similar.

Also when reassembling don't be tempted to fill the gearbox with grease as more is not better, if there is no room for everything to turn then too much pressure can build up & crack the casings.

Cheers

Bri