Warn Industrial Series 12 re-build - M12000 (1 Viewer)

[smittycrusher]

So I stumbled across a VERY used and visibly worn out Warn Series 12 winch on Craigslist. From my understanding, this winch is in their Industrial line and I guess somewhat similar to the M12000 although very different as well. Based on my research, it only has a 2.5 HP motor but is quite a bit more expensive new (this winch is about $1800 new and that $ does not include winch line). I assume that it is designed more for tow trucks and other commercial applications. If any of you Warn experts want to chime in, feel free.

Back to the Craigslist ad. Think winch looked rough, real rough (I can't find my "before" picture as I must have deleted it). The solenoid pack had no cover and you could tell it had been worked on by an amateur. It also did not come with a remote and only had about 50 feet of damaged and rusted cable with it. Basically, the only thing that would come out of this transaction was the actual winch. I drove out to check it out with my jumper cables ready for a motor test. The motor surprisingly tested out great (as best you can tell with jumper cables in someone's driveway). Forward and reverse both worked as well as there was no issue with free spooling. I felt good about the winch and it's guys and forked over my $75, yes SEVENTY FIVE DOLLARS and went on my way with what I hoped was a great platform for a project.

Here are some pictures of the end result (see below for the entire re-build process):

 

[smittycrusher]

The first thing that I did was start tearing the winch down. I was very eager to see what was on the inside. Would I find bad grease, no grease, muddy grease, only mud? I was thrilled to find that the inside of the winch was flawless and the grease was that right amount and there was no indication of any water damage, rust, etc. I pulled all of the gears any started cleaning everything. My goal was to get everything down to the bare metal and then re-grease with the CAT (Catipillar) grease. Once cleaned to the core, I was very happy with what I saw.

Next, I inspected and cleaned the motor as best I could. It did have some dust inside, but the contacts all seemed to be in good shape as well. I used compressed air Anderson paper towels to get as much of this dust out as possible. It was pretty easy and I was ready to move on from that part in no time.

After that I moved on to the. It's time consuming part of the process. Since both drum support assemblies (gear side and motor side) were damaged, I could only use one of the three tie rods. I had to make a decision, either buy two new support assemblies (very expensive and defeating the purpose of resurrecting this winch since those would put me near a new M12000 once I added those to the existing parts list) or stick with one tie rod and the 90* angle bracket that the PO had attached to the other mounting holes. I figured that the one tie rod, the angle bracket and the feet mounted forward into my ARB bumper would be sufficient. If I determine later that there is too much twist or the winch needs more horizontal support, I can always add another support bracket to the other mounting holes that are facing up on the winch as it is mounted. After two good pulls on this winch, I think the current setup is more that sufficient and very stable. Once this decision was made, I asked a good friend, Mike, from the Land Rover group that I am a member (SOLAROS) to help me with some of his tools. Mike has a dream shop and he was able to cut off some of the broken edges on the drums and remove a sheared off bolt from one of the mounting holes.

Here are some before pics of what I found when I pulled the winch apart:

 

[smittycrusher]

Next, I commenced sanding every external piece down. There was a lot of chipped powder coating on the exterior and I wanted to get as much of that off before re-spraying. I used my Dremel for this as the various smaller bits made getting into the corners a lot easier. This took a lot of time as good prep work usually does!

Once everything was sanded, I cleaned everything with acetone and masked the stickers and winch plate. I decided to use then black Rustoleum sprayon truck bed liner (I get it at Home Depot) as my paint. I love this stuff and use it on a lot of projects. The nice thing about it is that it is not as thick as actual bed liners (like Al's, Line X, etc.) and will not "insulate" the winch. The winch is still able to dissipate heat very well with this coating. It is also a fine textured coating that I personally like the look and feel.

Here are some pics of the cleaned components (I guess that I didn't take any pics of the components after they were sprayed):

 

[smittycrusher]

Next was the re-assembly part. I greased the gears up making sure to use enough but not too much. I didn't find the gear assembly to be as hard as I was expecting after reading about others experiences as I prepared for this step...maybe I just got lucky. I decided to try and seal the winch as much as possible and therefore ditched the paper gaskets in favor of "The Right Stuff" gasket maker. Once the winch was back together, I felt confident that it was ready to go for another 20 years. I bench tested again and everything worked great!

I went back and forth on where to mount the solenoid. I ended mounting right by the winch on the bumper but may move it to the engine bay once I get my dual battery setup in the future. I decided that I would want to wait for the dual battery setup to be finished so that I would know exactly what options I would have in the engine bay with regards to space. I think this Albright solenoid is up to the challenge of being out in the elements anyways.

I also picked up a hawsers fairlead for steel cable and mounted up the winch to my ARB one afternoon by my self with the help of a floor jack and ratchet straps. I get it mounted and use the motor while spooling the cable...everything is finally done.

Well, I went out a few days later to re-spool the winch line since it wasn't perfect and it was bugging me. Plug in the remote and nothing happens but some clicking from the solenoid. I am perplexed and try banging on the motor while powering the winch and still get nothing...time to remove the heavy arse winch and take it apart again . I wasn't too happy about this! Anyways, remember that "The Right Stuff" gasket maker? Well that stuff works great to seal two things together. It was VERY difficult to remove the motor from the drum assembly. I actually had to get out my map gas torch and pry bar! When I got the motor out I found that the brush assembly wire had completely separated from the "A" bolt. Simple, I was going to just solder it back on and re-install. Then I realized that everything else inside that winch was perfect, I wanted a new brush kit that I knew would last a very long time so I found an OEM brush assembly on Amazon and ordered it up. It cam in two days, I installed it, put the winch back together (using Right Stuff again) and now I have a perfectly functioning winch.

I used the winch twice and ended up deciding that I needed to upgrade the one to synthetic rope. I wheel with my 6 year old and the steel cable just makes me nervous. There was only one person to call...Steve @ Southeast Overland. I am now setup with some Amstel Blue rope, aluminum SE Overland fairlead and a Factor 55 Pro Link Loaded thimble. I went ahead and went with the more expensive thimble simply because I think it will be worth it in the long run. No need to splice the thimble into the rope when I replace in the future.

I am very happy with how everything turned out. If nothing else, I hope this encourages others to take a chance at a project like this in the future.

Thanks a ton to Steve at Southeast Overland for his expert guidance (he is full on winching and recovery knowledge) and also Dave with Trasharoo for his generosity.

Parts with their Cost
Used Winch -$75
125ft. Steel cable from Dave at Trasharoo from his M12,000 - FREE
100ft Amsteel Blue with alluminum fairlead from Southeast Overland, $300
Factor 55 Pro Link Loaded thimble, Southeast Overland $130
Superwinch remote control with plug - eBay, $45
Albright winch solenoid - $110
Warn Brush kit, Amazon -$70
CAT grease - Advanced 3Moly Grease, NLGI #2, part # 5P-0960 -$4
0 gauge tinned cooper wire from a Marine shop - $20
Rustoleum spray n Bedliner - Home Depot - $7
Warn bolt and gasket - $20
Permetex The Right Stuff gasket maker - Amazon, $15
Dremel with A Lot of sand paper wheels - already had on hand.

Total cost for everything: $796

I think that is a deal for the end product!

 

[doug720]

Nice job on making a great winch for an outstanding cost!

Doug

 

[badlander]

Nice job on the rebuild.
I'd like to replace the old solenoids on my M12000 with an albright too. Did you find one rated for the 450 or so amps the winch draws at peak draw?
P/N ?
Where'd you get it?
Thanks,
cp

 

[Warn Industries]

Nice job on the rebuild.
I'd like to replace the old solenoids on my M12000 with an albright too. Did you find one rated for the 450 or so amps the winch draws at peak draw?
P/N ?
Where'd you get it?
Thanks,
cp

You can convert your M12000 with WARN parts, too. You'll simply need:

PN 83668 (contactor control pack)
PN 83665 (Remote control)

- Andy

 

[smittycrusher]

Nice job on the rebuild.
I'd like to replace the old solenoids on my M12000 with an albright too. Did you find one rated for the 450 or so amps the winch draws at peak draw?
P/N ?
Where'd you get it?
Thanks,
cp

I used the one from this link: http://www.expeditionexchange.com/cart/product.php?productid=19613

I ordered mine from Summit Racing and paid $110 with shipping.

Superwinch Part # 90-14452

Smitty

 

[smittycrusher]

You can convert your M12000 with WARN parts, too. You'll simply need:

PN 83668 (contactor control pack)
PN 83665 (Remote control)

- Andy

I would have bought that control pack but when I was shopping, I couldn't find it for less than $250, Now it can be had for much less and I would jump on this if I was still looking:
http://www.amazon.com/WARN-83668-M12-Contactor-Pack/dp/B004YTOHQQ/ref=pd_sxp_f_pt


Smitty

 

[smittycrusher]

Andy,

Could you also shed some light on the differences between the Series 12 and the M12000? It seems that the price tag is about $500 higher for the Series 12 and that does not come with rope wheras the M12000 comes with 125ft steel cable. Also, the Series 12 only has a 2.5 HP motor while the less expensive M12000 has a 4.6 HP motor. Any explanation as to why the smaller motor on the Series 12?

Many thanks!

Smitty

 

[bjowett]

Smitty, nice thread. I started building one of these a few years back, never updated the thread. Actually, still have yet to put it in service. https://forum.ih8mud.com/winching-recovery/335528-project-big-yanker.html

Your winch looks just like mine inside. I'll speculate that the 12k pound rating is met with the smaller motor and 315:1 ratio. I'll have to refresh my memory to be certain(?), but if you put the 4.6 hp on there, you will essentially have a 16.5ti... so what does the 6hp motor get us... or twin motors.

 

[smittycrusher]

Smitty, nice thread. I started building one of these a few years back, never updated the thread. Actually, still have yet to put it in service. https://forum.ih8mud.com/winching-recovery/335528-project-big-yanker.html

Your winch looks just like mine inside. I'll speculate that the 12k pound rating is met with the smaller motor and 315:1 ratio. I'll have to refresh my memory to be certain(?), but if you put the 4.6 hp on there, you will essentially have a 16.5ti... so what does the 6hp motor get us... or twin motors.

BJ, thanks for your response. I did come across your build tread quite a bit when I was researching mine. I did come to the conclusion that the gearing must have justified the lower HP motor...which I assumed would allow the Series 12 to run longer without producing as much heat and increase the time in use before overheating. With my intended recreational use for this winch as opposed to more strenuous extended use in commercial applications, I though about upgrading the motor when I thought I had a motor issue...which turned out to just be the need for the brush kit.

So, if my motor ever stops working, do you know which higher HP motors would be compatible with this winch?

Smitty

 

[bjowett]

Yes, they bolt right on.

 

[Warn Industries]

Andy,

Could you also shed some light on the differences between the Series 12 and the M12000? It seems that the price tag is about $500 higher for the Series 12 and that does not come with rope wheras the M12000 comes with 125ft steel cable. Also, the Series 12 only has a 2.5 HP motor while the less expensive M12000 has a 4.6 HP motor. Any explanation as to why the smaller motor on the Series 12?

Many thanks!

Smitty

The Series 12 is designed for industrial applications, such as the towing industry and it's a totally different unit.

• It uses a J706 compliant disc brake vs. a cone brake.
• It has a thermal protection device to protect the motor from overheating.
• The drum diameter is different
• The motor is different
• The gears are different and there's an optional 315:1 ratio
• The gear end housing is different and has a clutch lock
• It has a 33' industrial remote (vs. 12')
• Additionally it meets a few CE directives (safety compliance stuff for Europe)

Really, the commonalities are few other than the pulling capacity.

The reason it doesn't come with rope is that most tow companies will spec their own line.

- Andy

 

[alfchv]

The Series 12 is designed for industrial applications, such as the towing industry and it's a totally different unit.

• It uses a J706 compliant disc brake vs. a cone brake.
• It has a thermal protection device to protect the motor from overheating.
• The drum diameter is different
• The motor is different
• The gears are different and there's an optional 315:1 ratio
• The gear end housing is different and has a clutch lock
• It has a 33' industrial remote (vs. 12')
• Additionally it meets a few CE directives (safety compliance stuff for Europe)

Really, the commonalities are few other than the pulling capacity.

The reason it doesn't come with rope is that most tow companies will spec their own line.

- Andy

i do have a 24v 12000 industrial WARN...

glad to hear it is na awsome winch..
but i think the motor is the same as the "regular" version...
could you add some info, Andy?...
thanks, from Portugal

 

[smittycrusher]

The Series 12 is designed for industrial applications, such as the towing industry and it's a totally different unit.

• It uses a J706 compliant disc brake vs. a cone brake.
• It has a thermal protection device to protect the motor from overheating.
• The drum diameter is different
• The motor is different
• The gears are different and there's an optional 315:1 ratio
• The gear end housing is different and has a clutch lock
• It has a 33' industrial remote (vs. 12')
• Additionally it meets a few CE directives (safety compliance stuff for Europe)

Really, the commonalities are few other than the pulling capacity.

The reason it doesn't come with rope is that most tow companies will spec their own line.

- Andy

Well, there you have it! Great insight Andy. I have been researching for a while about the differences and never came to anything close to the detail that you just provided. Another great example of the extra support that you get with the Warn brand.

Thanks a ton!

Smitty

 

[woytovich]

I see that the new Warn Contactor Packs take a 3 wire remote. Did your 5 wire 12k remote work as-is with the new contactor or...?