Thomas Winch From Australia

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Manuelsv

Manuelsv

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Feb 8, 2010
Threads
51
Messages
598
Location
Tempe, Arizona
Found this on CL for $100 Thomas Winch 8000LB worm gear Driven winch.
The story is it came of a 60 Series that was imported from Australia where the winch was installed as a factory option.
Winch works, but will need some reconditioning and work to make it look good, and do a kind of winch baselining ;) ... Also since I am planning to install it on an ARB 80 series bumper I have no clue about fitment issues... etc.. So I'll deal with that once i'm there.
I'll post pictures as I tear-down and rebuild, hopefully all the internals and everything are all good and I can just clean and put fresh fluids in it.
Anyone have any experience with these winches?

What I found so far on the net is this forum on the Aussie Land rover forums:
Thomas PTO & 12V electric winch - Australian Land Rover Owners
Thomas PTO & 12V electric winch - Australian Land Rover Owners
Thomas Hydraulic TK1001A
And Apparently this company still makes them and has spares Home - Gears & Winches Once I get "Thomas" torn apart and check if anything needs replacement.. we will see how hard it is to get parts! Anyhow If anyone knows anything more about these winches or has any advice I'd sure appreciate it.. Especially the Mates from down under since they seem to have been a popular brand there in the late 70's and 80's
I know it's a gamble but for $100.. I'll enjoy trying ! :idea::D:) I also figure if I cant make it fit into an ARB bull bar, I could always sell it to a 60 series guy since it was a stock option for it !:hhmm::cheers:
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It looks like a solid worm drive winch. May be a little slower than planetary gear winches, but it's definitely worth $100.
Good luck.
 
I have no idea how you are gonna mount that up to your ARB but I will be looking forward to finding out! Good luck!
 
seriously solid units mate. Can be a little problematic if not serviced and maintained my uncle had one on the front of his 40s they ares as slow as a wet week but if the cable is up to it it will pull over a 2 level house cant help you with any info but from what i remember as a kid his used to get used regularly and apart from a broken kable i dont ever remember seing it stop
:)
 
OK.. Started Cleanup and rebuild today

So I did a lot of degreasing, sanding, and cleaning.. Hoping to make Thomas look good as new..
All the internals in the electric motor look perfect, the contacts have a lot of life left in them the gears look solidly new no scoring nothing strange, and the gear fluid in there looked a little burned, but not worse than my diff gear oil after 15K ..
Looks like everything is A-OK and just need cleaning and that's it! :bounce: :D:bounce2::eek::bounce::eek::bounce2: :popcorn:
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some more

If anyone is good with Electric motors let me know if anything looks odd.. ;)
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I would say the motor looks OK as long as your winding is good (no opens). With a little cleaning up it should be good to go. I have seen motors that look a lot worse run without a problem.
 
I bet you could get the bearings replaced at a alternator shop if you can do it yourself. Clean up the copper commutator with scotch pad or fine sand paper and shoot clean with electric motor cleaner.. It looks like the brushes have tons of life left.
 
Got the TJM and Installed Thomas

Well It was a tough one.. had to fabricate a couple of L brakets and weld them on to the box, then fabricate a sapcer to offset the winch back to fit arround the angle of the TJM bumper.. Barely fits, but it does!!! :bounce::bounce2::bounce::clap: If anyone needs advice :steer:
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Some more pics

It actually fits quite nicely and does not hang below the bumper more than a 1/4 inch or so.. I need a skid plate for it next :)
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Good job. Keep in mind on a side-pull that cable will outgrow the capacity on the drum as it all loads up on one side and rub on whatever is in the way. A nice and neat re-wind under load will help and protect the cable from kinks as well..
I noticed the zirks and drain hole- some one wanted this design to last!
 
Working fine

Well just a quick update..
I've only had to use this winch 2x so far..
It is slooooo.....ooooooow but unstoppable .. Last time I was high centered on a few boulders.. and at a 30* incline.. fully loaded.. Tied it up to a huge pine tree and winched it up the boulder field!
Really has some torque to it.. Can't hear it struggle at all even pulling up a 30* incline dragging the fully loaded cruiser on it's belly! :eek:
Really happy with this mod! :grinpimp::cheers:
 
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Is the vertical handle used for in-gear versus free spool? Can solenoids be had? I think we have one of these in the back of an Aussie truck in the shed.

Dave
 
Manuelsv said:
Well just a quick update..
I've only had to use this winch 2x so far..
It is slooooo.....ooooooow but unstoppable
Click to expand...

video quote required here .. ;)
 
Oliver Montez said:
View attachment 1549271
When you’re out there in the thick of it, you need some serious machinery on your side. With an impressive range of pulling power and fast line speed under load, the recovery winches protect your prized possession, from the novice to the serious off-roader, should be without. Even in the most extreme conditions, these tough nutz have the muscle to haul your vehicle back on track-fast. Get serious with your safety and get yourself a winch from Winchworld!
Recovery winches
Click to expand...
Hey way to spam a 5-year thread. Way to go!
 
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