winch problem...

[woody]

the In/Out lever on my TMax has had an attitude for the past year....stiff and such....and it's clocked wrong...

so i pull it apart today.....

remove winch, pull gear side, reseat the planetaries, and reassemble....reattach to the bumper and it pulls with NO reduction....like 100mph....stupid fast.....

so, remove and re-do everything to be sure it's right......reinstall and the same issue....

3rd time, and it's on the shop floor....

what part of the reassembly am i missing that causes it to spool in and out at 100mph? it acts like the reduction assembly isn't connected at all....

TIA for any help.....

 

[Wile E Coyote]

EW series or EWi series? Do you have a parts diagram? I found a pdf from T-Max Website - Maximum Offroad Recovery - Services if you don't. That site also gives a US # for Technical Support for T-Max, LLC:Toll Free: 877-223-8683
I say you are seeing no reduction as well. Something in the gear carrier or shaft is not sending power through the planetary set. Can you safely remove that side's cover and operate the winch? You could see if the shaft is moving the planetaries or just spinning freely. However, I'm likely not much help beyond the phone #, I'm afraid.

 

[woody]

EWseries....

found the problem....metal ring in the brake assembly snapped apart and was jamming inside the drum.....

next step: call TMax for a replacement, and see if it can arrive tomorrow so I can winch this weekend....

or, run without that part and not have the internal brake...which would be fine for this trip....

 

[woody]

....and TMax has been sold to Westin Automotive and they presently have zero winch parts available....

'might' know something on parts availability next week...but for now, nothing....
'
uugh....so, any guesses if I can operate the winch without the ring?

 

[JohnnyC]

maybe truevalue or a hardware supplier would have a ring to fit? maybe something could work

 

[JohnnyC]

if you have a micrometer you could try McMaster-Carr also:
McMaster-Carr

search for ' shim rings '

also look under ' Thrust Washer '

 

[woody]

removed the brake portion, appears it'll be easy to run without if needed....

off to True Value with the 'good' piece to see if I can find something....not gonna get too wound on it, don't need the brake for this weekend anyways....

 

[woody]

and as an FYI, the winch works just fine without the brake system installed...one e-clip off the end, slide the brake mechanism off, re-install the internals that slide over the shaft, and viola

 

[Wile E Coyote]

and as an FYI, the winch works just fine without the brake system installed...one e-clip off the end, slide the brake mechanism off, re-install the internals that slide over the shaft, and viola

That's what I was assuming when I told you to try it. By 'cover' I not so clearly was meaning to include the clutch/brake as well.

Good luck with the hardware store fix.

 

[Wile E Coyote]

Man-a-fre claims they have T-max winch parts in stock
Snipped from their site: T-Max Winches
"1-Year Warranty:
New T-MAX winches come with a 1-year warranty. Parts for T-MAX winches are in stock. T-MAX was designed for inexpensive repair, not expensive sub-assembly replacement."