Toyota Factory Electric Winch - cable jumping off drum (1 Viewer)

[AirheadNut]

While winching a plow truck out of the ditch last weekend the winch cable jumped off the side of the drum and fouled on the motor shaft between the drum and motor housing. It took about 20 minutes of working at it with screwdrivers and pulling on loops of cable to get it un-jammed so the cable could be spooled in. This is now the third time I've had this happen, twice with the original bumper/fairlead setup and now once with my ARB bumper and aftermarket fairlead. Has anyone else experienced this? I would like to come up with a solution so it can't happen again. For reference this is on a 1991 LJ78 with the factory 12V winch.

Here is where the cable jumped off and wrapped itself around the drum shaft. The cable wrapped about 3/4 of the way around the shaft and was pretty well jammed in that little gap between the side of the drum and the motor housing.

Another view of the current fairlead setup. I have noticed that the winch drum is not centered between the frame rails, it is offset by about 1" to the LH side, which might explain why it likes to jump off that side.

 

[Onkel]

too much cable

 

[Rigster]

I have the exact setup on my 76. I had wondered about the slight off-center situ after using the factory plate and welding it to the ARB bumper. I did not want to drill holes and weaken that plate in order to center it. And it IS pretty close... just not ideal.

While I have not had it jump the spool (yet) I do take the cable out after use and take the 10 mins to respool the cable nice and even again, as it tends to stack up on the right side during use because it is off-center

I also thought it was odd that they designed this winch to spool in a direction that causes the cable to have to spool on the top of the drum as soon as it gets past the fairlead. I actually re-wrapped the entire cable the opposite way and tested it... but that would mean to winch inwards you would actually have to run the winch in reverse. Although it worked fine, I rewrapped the winch cable as designed by Toyota for safety reasons in case I am not the one using it for some reason. Additionally, without the winch engineering documents to review, I cannot say running it under load in reverse would not cause premature failure as it was not designed to run that way.

My suggestions:
1. - rewrap the cable evenly after each use so it is even on the drum
2. - use a snatch block to run out more cable (plus it is easier on the winch as then you are creating a 2-1 mechanical advantage), then do step 1 after every use
3. - either drill new mount holes and center the winch properly (may weaken mount plate) OR:
4. - make a new mount plate and center/install again (if there is room!)
5. - buy a winch that the ARB bumper is designed for and call it done....

I await the results as I may be forced to do the same over time if what I am doing now (options 1&2) is not sustainable in all scenarios down the road. Good Luck!!

 

[AirheadNut]

too much cable

I am still using the original cable that came on the winch from the factory, so I doubt it is too much for the drum. The photo is a little misleading also, since I haven't taken the time to respool the cable after the last time I used the winch so it is jumbled and bulky.

I have the exact setup on my 76. I had wondered about the slight off-center situ after using the factory plate and welding it to the ARB bumper. I did not want to drill holes and weaken that plate in order to center it. And it IS pretty close... just not ideal.

While I have not had it jump the spool (yet) I do take the cable out after use and take the 10 mins to respool the cable nice and even again, as it tends to stack up on the right side during use because it is off-center

I also thought it was odd that they designed this winch to spool in a direction that causes the cable to have to spool on the top of the drum as soon as it gets past the fairlead. I actually re-wrapped the entire cable the opposite way and tested it... but that would mean to winch inwards you would actually have to run the winch in reverse. Although it worked fine, I rewrapped the winch cable as designed by Toyota for safety reasons in case I am not the one using it for some reason. Additionally, without the winch engineering documents to review, I cannot say running it under load in reverse would not cause premature failure as it was not designed to run that way.

My suggestions:
1. - rewrap the cable evenly after each use so it is even on the drum
2. - use a snatch block to run out more cable (plus it is easier on the winch as then you are creating a 2-1 mechanical advantage), then do step 1 after every use
3. - either drill new mount holes and center the winch properly (may weaken mount plate) OR:
4. - make a new mount plate and center/install again (if there is room!)
5. - buy a winch that the ARB bumper is designed for and call it done....

I await the results as I may be forced to do the same over time if what I am doing now (options 1&2) is not sustainable in all scenarios down the road. Good Luck!!

Good point on the snatch block, I should really pick one up to have with me anyway. Normally the cable is properly and evenly spooled (it was when I was pulling the plow truck). I don't think there is clearance between the frame rails to center the winch, but I may be able to offset the fairlead on the bumper to match the winch drum.

The first time this happened I was stuck halfway up a steep, snowy climb, and the winch would neither spool in or out. I had to pack tree branches under the tires to get enough traction to drive uphill just enough to release the tension on the winch cable so I could untangle it. Not a situation I wish to repeat!

 

[Rigster]

Ah, yes, I could not remember if there was enough room to move the winch over, and you just reminded me that is not a possibility. I suppose modifying the ARB where the fairlead attaches is another option for sure, I am just reticent to start hacking into it! Though to be honest, it could be reversed anyways with some steel, welder and fresh powdercoating...

Congrats on getting out of a persnickety situation without the winch... that must have been frustrating!

 

[Omrib]

I have the exact setup on my 76. I had wondered about the slight off-center situ after using the factory plate and welding it to the ARB bumper. I did not want to drill holes and weaken that plate in order to center it. And it IS pretty close... just not ideal.

While I have not had it jump the spool (yet) I do take the cable out after use and take the 10 mins to respool the cable nice and even again, as it tends to stack up on the right side during use because it is off-center

I also thought it was odd that they designed this winch to spool in a direction that causes the cable to have to spool on the top of the drum as soon as it gets past the fairlead. I actually re-wrapped the entire cable the opposite way and tested it... but that would mean to winch inwards you would actually have to run the winch in reverse. Although it worked fine, I rewrapped the winch cable as designed by Toyota for safety reasons in case I am not the one using it for some reason. Additionally, without the winch engineering documents to review, I cannot say running it under load in reverse would not cause premature failure as it was not designed to run that way.

My suggestions:
1. - rewrap the cable evenly after each use so it is even on the drum
2. - use a snatch block to run out more cable (plus it is easier on the winch as then you are creating a 2-1 mechanical advantage), then do step 1 after every use
3. - either drill new mount holes and center the winch properly (may weaken mount plate) OR:
4. - make a new mount plate and center/install again (if there is room!)
5. - buy a winch that the ARB bumper is designed for and call it done....

I await the results as I may be forced to do the same over time if what I am doing now (options 1&2) is not sustainable in all scenarios down the road. Good Luck!!

You were right (and safe) to go back to OEM wrap direction dur to the lack of engineering data.

Most winches I have opened had a directional braking mechanism.
All the Warn winches I have seen, had brake pads inside the drum which were only auto braking if the drum was wrapped the intended way.

This also means that power spooling out under tension is not recommended for long line lengths if can be avoided.

I am not familiar with the Toyota winch designs but they do seem similar to the warn winches (at least from the pictures I've seen of them).

You can try to obtain the engineering g data or ask here in the forum.
Or, even better, disassemble the winch.
You would be able to recognize the braking mechanism and see for your self and it would be great opportunity to service the winch (new grease, cleanup etc.).

Winches need to be serviced every once in a while, especially on wet and high temp differences conditions.

Good luck
Omri