[Ratman407]

i'm wanting to get a winch for the mighty zook but not sure how to mount it

looking at my bulbar i'm guessing id need to get a new bar ?
or is there a way to mount it under or could I just cut a section out of the bar and make some sort of mount that goes behind the bar ?





cheers guys

[barbender]

generally alloy bullbars are not suited for winches, there are a few companies that make steel brackets that bolt on the inside of the bullbar and then to the chassis to reinforce the alloy bull bar. Going on the weight of a Suzuki you don't need a 12000lb winch, think Cruiser 2 tonne/suzuki 1 tonne or more, a 6000lb winch is more than sufficient especially with the use of snatch blocks. Check google see what's available, you may be able to cut out a section of the alloy bullbar to accommodate a winch, a 6000lb winch being of smaller dimensions than a 12000lb winch, Ask yourself what am I going to be doing to require a winch and then decide what you need, don't forget Tirfor's , Winches can be heavy, consider dyneema rope to save weight, regards

[Ratman407]

tirfor's?

[Technotron101]

Old fashioned hand winch

[Ratman407]

Yeah I have one but most the time I’m by my self so something I could use from in the cab is preferable

[Gwagensteve]

Given the general unreliability of electric winches and the charging system that supports them, along with the inflexibility of an electric winch, I’d carry a Tirfor if I was by myself (which nobody should be)

[Ratman407]

I’m still planning on carrying my hand held just looking for something easier

And when I say I’m out by my self I’m not 4x4 more so going around farms checking my traps

[MrRocky]

Put a locker in the rear and carry a quality hand winch. Ive found myself spun around stuck widthways in a rutted track, only solution was a handwinch.

[shep]

I always go out by myself, I am not sharing my gold spots with anyone.
Have used runva winches for a few years now and also putting them on our work cars. Not once has a winch not worked on any of the cars.

[Eddy]

Gwagensteve wrote:

Given the general unreliability of electric winches and the charging system that supports them, along with the inflexibility of an electric winch ...

Yeah ... bloody cantankerous things!

My 30 + year old warn let me down about 10 years back, after it got flooded while in temporary storage between vehicles. Basically sat in a puddle of water for a week, allowing water in past the ancient seals, and caused a solenoid to pop. After nearly a whole hour to strip, clean and reassemble, it's up and working, earning it's place on the ute again.

Can do so much with it, and missed it badly for that short time without it.

[ZUZUKI]

Some cheap winches can be a disaster - I don't include the Runva's in that statement, they have been great, especially for the price paid, makes it hard to justify spending x2.5 the $$ for a Warn. Having said that, I own 2 Warns & no Runva's!.
It is usually abuse & lack of maintenance that lead winch problems. They need a bit more love than 99% of owners give them.
Rgs, Michael

[Gwagensteve]

I avoided running an electric winch for many years but ~4 years ago I fitted a warn 6k winch to me junk. The winch was in perfect working order when it went in. It’s run with a Gigglepin supplied Albright solenoid and the wiring is in excellent condition and well laid out. In my application the winch is protected from the weather becuase it’s under my bonnet. Last time I used the winch for recovery was ~14 months ago, it was completely fine.

Went to use it to move some stuff around at home and now it won’t power out, only in. Which means I can’t release tension on the rope to engage the freespool.

If I was by myself and needed it for recovery I’d be stuffed. Luckily this happened in the driveway, and I never go off-road alone, but it’s typical of my experience with winches- and if it’s not the winch, it’s a melted battery terminal, a flat battery that won’t restart the car, a remote that won’t work, a missing hand controller etc etc.

[shep]

Warn winches really are junk. Might have been ok 30 years ago but they don't cut it anymore. Runva are light years ahead.

[Gwagensteve]

Until I locate the problem I don’t think it’s relevant what brand the gears/free spool/drum is, it’s just an example of a failure that may have high consequence of you were alone and needed it.

I’ve seen more problems with install than the winches themselves to be honest. If I was spending my money on a winch I’d buy a Carbon winch based on what I’ve seen of them, but like everything, winches need maintenance and many people shirk this or have the winches mounted in such a way it’s an epic job to get them out to work on them

[fordem]

I would look at the solenoids/switch gear - when a DC motor runs in one in direction the only reason it should not run in the other is if the switching system used to reverse the current flow through the coils has failed.

If/when I get around to fitting a winch, I'm going to be looking at solid state switching - I just happen to have some high current/high wattage IGBTs knocking around.

[Gwagensteve]

May well be the case Fordem- I haven’t had a chance to investigate fully. If it is the Albright solenoid that’s failed i’ll be quite dissapointed - it’s done almost no work.

It’s not switch related- I have two switches- one set in the cab and one on the grille, and both are behaving the same way.

I’ll get to the bottom of it, I was more using it as an example of the flakiness of electric winches.

[henno]

Gwagensteve wrote:

May well be the case Fordem- I haven’t had a chance to investigate fully. If it is the Albright solenoid that’s failed i’ll be quite dissapointed - it’s done almost no

The Albright solenoid on my LandBarge completely failed. It did somewhere between 'almost no work' and 'literally no work'.

It would have been older than the solenoid in Piggles, however.

[Kfal]

shep wrote:

Have used runva winches for a few years now and also putting them on our work cars. Not once has a winch not worked on any of the cars.

Life time warranty if I'm not mistaken? I've been thinking about one for a little while.

[Eddy]

shep wrote:

Warn winches really are junk. Might have been ok 30 years ago but they don't cut it anymore. Runva are light years ahead.

mine has been on 4 vehicles since I bought it secondhand back in the 1900s

[Kfal]

Eddy wrote:

mine has been on 4 vehicles since I bought it secondhand back in the 1900s

is that pre or post war?

[pete_79]

Kfal wrote:

Eddy wrote:

mine has been on 4 vehicles since I bought it secondhand back in the 1900s

is that pre or post war?

Guessing it’s an early 1900s model...

[fordem]

Gwagensteve wrote:

It’s not switch related

Just for clarification - when I said solenoids/switch gear - they are essentially the same thing - whatever switches the winch current.

Technically a solenoid converts electrical energy to mechanical energy - but in the case of a winch solenoid - the solenoid moves a contact which switches the high current required by the winch - it's essentially a very large relay, or in the electrical world - a contactor, or switch gear.

[Gwagensteve]

Yes I understand the difference. I’m saying I can rule out my cab/grille switches that control the solenoid.

I recently found a spare solenoid so I can swap it in and see what happens.

[ZUZUKI]

Last time I used the winch for recovery was ~14 months ago, it was completely fine.

This is the problem with most winches - they don't get used enough.
The CFA (rural Vic. fire brigade) activate their station siren every Sunday morning, whether they need to or not - to ensure that when they do need it to work - it does.
Most people ignore their winch for way too long, find them selves in a situation where it is required, it might not work they way it should, then the winch is blamed.
I advise people to, every THREE months, freespool 1/2 the cable / rope out, engage clutch & power it out another couple of meters, then wind back in again under light tension (pull yourself up a slight rise). Rectify any issues found
Do this again, a week before a trip that may require the winch to be used. Rectify any issues found.
Every YEAR, pull the winch off the car, strip it down, clean corrosion off any items, check free movement of brushes, wash grease off gearsets & replace, clean brake in the drum (low mounts). Check for cracks in tie rail mounts, end plates, nicks in rollers, fray in cable / rope & reassemble & back on the car. Clean electrical connections, check solenoids / contactor pack for operation.
As mentioned, winch removal can be a bitch on some cars due to bullbar design.

Does anyone actually do this program of maintenance? Probably only the most dedicated competition guys, but anyone who does is very unlikely to be 'let down' by their winch.

Peoples expectations of what a winch can be expected do are also usually unrealistic.
Had a classic just yesterday - out on a trip, broke a rear axle, the route out of the track included a long hill that couldne't be climbed in 2WD, the winched got too hot & failed after the 4th (back to back to back to back - only with a rest time while re-rigging) full length line pull - still not at the top of the hill - and that was the winch's fault.
If you are winching hard, the winch motor could be pulling 350amps, with 60amps coming back in from the alternator - does anyone see a problem here? Not 90% of people who can afford a winch, but have no idea how it does what it does.

Yes, I could rant all day about 'winch' related 'problems, yes I am involved in sales of winches - drives me nuts.

I'll stop now.
Rgs, Michael