How to prevent wire rope coming off (side of) drum of PTO winch

[stayalert]

Just got my winch sorted out or so I thought and I went to get a log I need to move to try it out. wire rope came off the side of the drum during the pull and did all kinds of damage.

How do I prevent this from happening? this was a straight pull. Really buggered the winch and cut the wire rope.

I had unspooled all of the wire rope and carefully wound it on the drum by pulling the truck up a small incline juse before I went to pull the log.

 

[george_tlc]

HUH? What do you mean "off the side of the drum"? Do you have a fairlead? Too much rope for the size of drum? Not enough tension pulling the log?

Some pictures would help...

cheers,
george.

 

[stayalert]

about 1/3 to 1/2 of the wire was pulled out to attach to the log, so too much rope on the drum not an issue. yes there is a roller fairlead. Not enough tension? Maybe. I thought I would start small and get used to the winch before I started bigger pulls. Now I am basically back to square one trying to get this winch back in service to do some work for me.

Real handy that the wire got cut at about 1/2 the length....

The wire rope seems dry, should I grease the length of it? I will check for burrs on the edge/rim of the drum, but don't recall anything that would grab the cable....

 

[george_tlc]

The fairlead should limit the rope to within the drum sides, i.e. it would only go to the sides if bunched up.

Given the damage, I presume you had no one looking to see how the drum was loading up as you winched... I use synthetic so am not particularly afraid to stand to the side and keep an eye on the drum loading up as I winch in (electric).

With steel rope you don't need to grease it. I presume it is in good condition.... It should load on the drum reasonably well under tension. If the log wasn't heavy enough to keep tension, i.e. it rolled along etc, then the rope could have too much slack and bunch up or tangle etc...

Winching for a long length without stopping to check how the rope is laying on the drum as it spools in isn't a good idea. I'd typically winch 10' at a time and then look at the drum when I ran steel rope. Also put a winch blanket on the steel rope in case it snaps etc...

Anyhow, sounds like insufficient tension was one issue (how big/heavy was the log) and also not checking every so often how the drum was loading up was the other.

cheers,
george.

 

[Mark W]

Did you operate the winch yourself from inside the cab? No one watching the cable? Did it stack upon one side of the drum until it was higher that the side of the drum?

Just a guess... seen it before.

Ideally, the PTO winch is opewrated with someone inside at the ignition (kill) switch, gear shifter, and even using the throttle sometimes... and someone at the winch.

Eventually I am gonna make a remote ignition/kill switch and fast idle (solenoid) setup for use on my PTO equipped rigs. Until then, if i have someone available, I station them out front to keep an eye on the winch and cable. It is hard on the cable when you let it stack up, it reduces the effectiveness of the winch and you may have to stop and respool before you finish your pull. Even if it does not climb over the side.

On one of my setups, I have clearances the rear mounting cross section so that I can run the drum all the way to the top. On this winch I have also added a couple of tabs that sit right at the edge of the rotating drum to help keep the cable on the drum if it does stack up on one side. I need to redo it to make it more effective, but the concept works.


Mark...

 

[stayalert]

Good info. I'm new to winching so was starting out with a small load. Too small it seems. The cable had to have stacked up on one side. I foresee the need to be quite frequently winching alone so I will have to accommodate the lack of someone at the controls and someone at the drum simult.

Mark: any chance you could show me a pic of the tabs that you mentioned?

The wire rope I have appears to be in good condition but surface oxidation (grey powdery)...is super grippy. I think an application of grease can't hurt....

 

[peteinjp]

I'm also thinking of putting a kill switch as well as a simple throttle cable that I can access from outside the front of truck while I watch the winch spool. And for cases where I need to be in the cab I'm thinking that a mirror that attaches to the hood with magnet or something would be a good way to keep an eye on the winch as it spools. I just have not been able to find a mirror that is not convex to fit the bill.


Pete

 

[sadam_husain]

it sounds like you did everything right mate?

usually the only way you get the cable jumping over the drum is from winching on an angle and the cable bunches up on the side and dosent layer evenly accross the drum or if your using a steel cable and you have spooled too much cable off and started winching without any tension on the cable and its jumped off the drum because of the coil in the cable?

 

[vangasman]

Had the same thing happen to mine. Made this plate which has a spring loaded door hinge that keeps pressure so you don't get a loop off the side.