You can't get a winch wet?

[tech_dog]

So I'm all excited about the stuff I have coming for my LC, and I go about my business of picking out my winch. I'm reading a few of the owners manuals when to my horror I learn that if you submerge your warn winch you have to have it serviced and replace the control pack. I can't find a price for a regular control pack, but they conveniently sell a MOSFET waterproof pack for a coool $550 or so.


Is that for real? You gotta be kidding me. You put this $1000 thing on the lower front of your LC's bumper, but it gets ruined if you go through a puddle?

Someone tell me that they don't really mean it, otherwise I'm going to have to figure out the hydraulic winches like landtank did: https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=59466

Has anyone done a milemarker hydraulic on a slee bumper?

T.

 

[topend yobbo]

My old Warn has been through countless muddy and watery bog holes, hose off after every trip and spray some CRC in the control box every now and again , no worries. Mine still works like a charm.Hydraulic winch = S$&T. Simple as that.

 

[Mickldo]

BS, of course you can get winches wet. As I've posted in other threads if you can get hold of a copy of the Australian Outback Challenge DVD you will see the advantages and disadvantages of different winches as well as the amount of abuse a winch can handle. In one of the stages the competitors drive into a lake and have to do a long winch to get out. Most of the recovery the winch is under water.

That being said anything including winches will last longer if looked after. There are methods to waterproof winches to prevent corrosion,etc. One way (which I plan to do to mine one day) is to relocate the solenoid pack under the bonnet in a water tight box. Cleaning the winch and lubing it after every trip helps too. I also spray CRC Electrasheild over all my electrical stuff.

If you decide on an electric winch they will take years of abuse with just a little PM.

 

[reffug]

As others have said I have taken mine completely underwater multiple times and never encountered a problem. Other than just having it cook in the middle of a trail but that's cause it was a supersuck and not a warn.

 

[Kaderabek]

Mine bonked on me after being submerged in a mud hole for 45 minutes. May have been more the mud than the water though. In any case I dried it out and sprayed the connections with electrical connection cleaner and it came back to life.

TJK

 

[dfmorse]

Keep in mind that the solenoids on most WARN winches are sealed and water proof. Of course, water will get into the winch, but it won't kill it. I have found that WARN does a poor job of greasing the inside of the winch. U may need to disassemble and use Amsoil grease. It helps a bunch.

...

 

[bjowett]

Waterproof winch...

http://www.superwinch.com/pages/husky/huskySeries.html

Making it a little quicker...

https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=15306

 

[helocat]

I have had mine completely submerged countless times. Of course I also care and feed to (Clean and lube). Like any type of equipment you need to maintain it. Don’t forget to care for the rope/cable as well. If you pull on a half spooled out drum you should later pull it all out and respool it evenly loaded. (Like when you first stretched your cable, after you installed the new winch.)

More so for something you hope to grab when it’s all going down and the time comes you have to pull cable.

Mark

 

[tech_dog]

I'm still having trouble getting over the differences in the manufacturer recommendations.

Warn: "No lubrication is required for the life of the winch, unless the winch is submerged in water. If this occurs, a qualified service center must complete service as soon as possible to prevent corrosion damage. If the control pack is submerged, it must be replaced when the winch is serviced."

vs.

Milemarker Hydralic: "Sealed against the elements. Can use underwater. Corrosion resistant, Stainless Steel Tie Bars and Fasteners. "

 

[John E Davies]

I'm still having trouble getting over the differences in the manufacturer recommendations.

Warn: "No lubrication is required for the life of the winch, unless the winch is submerged in water. If this occurs, a qualified service center must complete service as soon as possible to prevent corrosion damage. If the control pack is submerged, it must be replaced when the winch is serviced."

vs.

Milemarker Hydralic: "Sealed against the elements. Can use underwater. Corrosion resistant, Stainless Steel Tie Bars and Fasteners. "

IMHO the Warn recommendations are to keep the winch "like new" and 100% ready for use the next time.

I don't have a winch yet, but when I do it will be hydraulic. The actual moving parts of the winch drive are pretty simple and well sealed. This will turn into a hydraulic vs electric thread very shortly - there are plenty of those for you to read up on and make your decision.

What winches are on military vehicles? Hydraulic.

John Davies
Spokane WA

 

[Kaderabek]

What winches are on military vehicles? Hydraulic.

John Davies
Spokane WA

What vehicles are they on? Jeeps.

TJK

 

[spartan]

I guess I'll need to get a little winch raincoat....

 

[FJ809496TLC]

It can get wet. Just have to check the gearbox when you go high water. I had to disassemble mine one time to let the water out of the box. Just buy some rebuild gaskets, o-ring and new grease.

 

[alia176]

What winches are on military vehicles? Hydraulic.

Is that still the case? Can someone confirm this? I thought they're going away from the hydraulics?

 

[topend yobbo]

Dont reckon a main battle tank would need a winch!!!!

 

[cptmud]

So I'm all excited about the stuff I have coming for my LC, and I go about my business of picking out my winch. I'm reading a few of the owners manuals when to my horror I learn that if you submerge your warn winch you have to have it serviced and replace the control pack. I can't find a price for a regular control pack, but they conveniently sell a MOSFET waterproof pack for a coool $550 or so.


Is that for real? You gotta be kidding me. You put this $1000 thing on the lower front of your LC's bumper, but it gets ruined if you go through a puddle?

Someone tell me that they don't really mean it, otherwise I'm going to have to figure out the hydraulic winches like landtank did: https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=59466

Has anyone done a milemarker hydraulic on a slee bumper?

T.

Best thing i found to do is pull it apart, silicone any part that may let water in.

 

[jaxcruiser]

mine has been totally under for about 2 hours when i was stuck and i hosed it off and sprayed sylicone spray on the c-box. It still works like a charm

 

[tech_dog]

Thanks for all the feedback.

I think I'm going to go with an electric winch with dual battery, and if the control pack dies I'll replace it with the MOSFET sealed control pack.

 

[jcolvin]

I don't know if Warn have improved their weatherproofing at all, but my Warn from 6 years ago was a POS. I never took it underwater, but after 2 years it seized completely. I took it apart and the motor was a solid lump of corrosion. The thing had a big hole on the bottom to let the salt spray in. Two winters of driving was enough to kill it. My next winch will be a hydraulic.

 

[Mickldo]

I don't know if Warn have improved their weatherproofing at all, but my Warn from 6 years ago was a POS. I never took it underwater, but after 2 years it seized completely. I took it apart and the motor was a solid lump of corrosion. The thing had a big hole on the bottom to let the salt spray in. Two winters of driving was enough to kill it. My next winch will be a hydraulic.

Did you clean/service/use your winch in that two years. Winches need PM too. Not Warn's fault if it wasn't looked after. Your hydraulic will probably sieze up in a similar amount of time if not looked after.