Winch gummed up?

[wombathole]

Haven’t needed to use my winch for 12 months. Wound the rope fully out and back in twice yesterday and found the gearbox seemed really tight. Had to use all my force to pull out the rope when the clutch was out. Motor sounded like it was working hard with the truck on a small incline.
Recommendations please?
Pull the gearbox apart and re-grease?
Other ideas?
TIA. Andy.

[Tombie]

Yep. Service time!

[trout1105]

Pull your winch out and give it a Full service, Clean out all the old grease and renew.
It is a good idea to run out about 15m of rope and wind it back on about once a month, This will usually prevent this sort of thing happening

[wombathole]

Yep. Service time!

Looks like water came in through the clutch handle seal. Grease had turned to muck and surface rust on the gears.
Cleaned it up and re greased.
Straight forward process, definitely a DIY task.

[rangieman]

I guessing Supa Centre Winch

[trout1105]

I guessing Supa Centre Winch

Regardless of what brand of winch you buy If you ignore giving it regular use it will turn to mud.
All the winch manufacturers recommend that you use your winch on a regular basis even if you only spool it out 10m-15m and wind it back on, this will heat up the winch and get rid of any condensation and it will also stir up the grease so that it doesn't harden.
Doing this also assures you that the winch will work when needed, Not much use carrying a winch that you don't know if it works when you really need it

[Tombie]

Regardless of what brand of winch you buy If you ignore giving it regular use it will turn to mud.
All the winch manufacturers recommend that you use your winch on a regular basis even if you only spool it out 10m-15m and wind it back on, this will heat up the winch and get rid of any condensation and it will also stir up the grease so that it doesn't harden.
Doing this also assures you that the winch will work when needed, Not much use carrying a winch that you don't know if it works when you really need it

Whilst the manufacturers say that - I’m pretty certain it’s only to ‘see if it’s still working’.

There isn’t a snowballs chance in hell that winching, even at full load, for one full length could even come close to drying the winch out!

It will churn the grease

[trout1105]

Whilst the manufacturers say that - I’m pretty certain it’s only to ‘see if it’s still working’.

There isn’t a snowballs chance in hell that winching, even at full load, for one full length could even come close to drying the winch out!

It will churn the grease

Manufacturers do not suggest using the winch regularly just to see if it works, who told you that.
Spinning the winch over may not completely dry everything out But it does ensure that the moisture doesn't stay in the same place for extended periods to cause damage.
The heat coming of the engine alone is probably enough to dry the winch out, turning it over will coat any offending areas with grease to prevent corrosion damage.
Doing nothing and expecting the winch to operate perfectly 12 months down the track is not a great idea.

[Tombie]

I think you misread my post. I agreed with you!
The manufacturers did state to use it regularly to keep it happy - but it’s more to make sure it works!

And all manufacturer documentation recommends removal for service at least annually.

[trout1105]

I think you misread my post. I agreed with you!
The manufacturers did state to use it regularly to keep it happy - but it’s more to make sure it works!

And all manufacturer documentation recommends removal for service at least annually.

I serviced mine last month and there was no corrosion or any other damage and the grease still looked to be in good condition.
I stripped the old grease out (Bugger of a job) then re greased everything and refitted the winch, I should be "Good to Go" for another year now
TIP, before you disassemble the winch for servicing put a mark on the gearbox and motor ( I used a white paint marker) so that when you reassemble everything is orientated correctly.