Thread: Does one leave an electric winch in gear when left on a vehicle?

Originally Posted by joel0407

The brake mechanism should not be engaged while the winch is being driven

Only when winching IN.

When winching out the brake will be on, this is to assist in controlling the rate the rope/wire will be spooled out. This is why external brakes are better than in-the-drum brakes when using rope.

Hi I always left my winch in gear, (XD9000 Warn), so the drum wouldn't vibrate the wire loose as mentioned earlier. I'm don't know if the brake works paying out or not , but sometimes I power out my winch wire , ( especially if it hasn't run for a while, and it's bit stiff.) But mostly I pull it out since it's a lot faster. I have a 500 amp switch that isolates the battery from the winch, ( fitted beside the battery on the passenger seat base), If you don't have one the biggest risk is a dead short to earth if the insulation is damaged, by chaffing on corrugations or in a traffic accident. I'm sure most of us have seen the photos of cars totally burnt out due to electrical fire caused by short circuit. The power stored stored in a battery system is vast. I only turn on the switch when I go offroad, it powers the air compressor as well. The winch has been there for a long time and has had the drum bushes replaced, they're nylon and wear out, but they're cheap and easy to replace.