New Winch – Take2.

[outback]

I had bought a new 12000lb Rydge Ryder Winch, it was going cheap, 50% off.
When I got home from the big smoke and traffic lights I started to install the winch. This went all pear shaped. The free spool would not work properly. Anyway I stripped it down and regreased it. This did not resolve the issues.
I suspect something to do with the gear clutch system used was catching/rubbing.
Anyway I went back to Supercheap Auto and asked about the issue.
Two options provide by the manager, money back or new winch, no questions asked as the purchase was on record.

Took the new winch option, but only if it free spooled properly. Tested it at the store and all happy.

Well new winch home and in the process of putting it in.

The new version has a slightly different control/solenoid box and hand unit. At last they have one that can actually be mounted on the bull bar. Also the hand unit is either wired or remote.

Solenoid box:
The control/solenoid box is plastic. The solenoid is bolted to a plastic back plate and this back plate is held on to the angled mount bracket by 4 self tapping screws into the plastic back. Not sure if it would last too much bouncing around.

Well I have made a steel backing plate and mounted the whole unit on to that and also the mounting plate. Its now much stronger than the original.

I'll put up a pic of the updated control/solenoid unit later.

I am still hesitant mounting it on the bull bar as I reality its not water proof.
My current winch has the solenoid mounted behind the second battery near the firewall. Main issue here is the length of cable between the solenoid and the winch.
The bull bar mount shortens the cable to the winch motor but also has the issue of being non waterproof.

Might just be simpler to use the old solenoid unit with the new winch since the cables re already in place.


The Winch:
As the story goes, buy a new winch, then open up the bits and look for the grease.

What grease??:(

I have the suspicion that grease in China must be highly expensive, due to lack of it in this winch.
There is enough in there to be annoying to clean out, but not enough to do anything useful.

Pics W-0 to W-06


Water sealing:
This is a so called fully sealed unit. Thus there are no drain holes in the motor of gearbox.

Sealing is fully dependent on a single M shaped rubber seal. This seal is mounted on the gearbox/motor unit body and the points of the seal rub against the winch drum.

Pic W-1a

Now Supercheap Auto sell a Ridge Ryder Winch Service Kit BUT some of the parts are only useful for the older models of their 9500lb & 12000lb winches.
The kit has the solenoid, bushes and seals and a hand controller. For the new models the hand controller is useless, wont fit the new pin outs.
The rest is interchangeable.

Old units have part no:
9500lb winch PLU 219721
12000lb winch PLU 284085

New units have part no:
9500lb winch PLU 380257
12000lb winch PLU 380258

Had a brief talk with the local Supercheap Auto manager and he managed to get me a bunch of the seals and bushes, with out having to buy the solenoid and had unit.
So it's possible to just get the need bushes and seals, so long as ask.

[outback]

Grease:
I think I know why there is never much grease in these things. The Chinese know the first thing done is open the units up and check the grease and redo it so they just put enough in for transport and shelf sitting.

Well an exciting day removing that red grease the Chinese put in.
Not sure what it is but it does not like being removed easily.

Gearbox cleaned dried and now I have repacked it with some Marine grease, Lubrimatic Marine Grease. They say it ideal for winches and wheel bearings so it should deal with the winch heat.

Also this is a good little grease gun for the little spaces.
It’s a oral syringe for animals. Holds about 60ml of grease and the nozzle is big enough to let the grease get out with out much pressure.
Pic W-08
63034


Seal/gasket:
One issue is the seal between the gearbox housing and the top plate.
This is a thin rubber seal. The cover plate that holds the mount points has been machined but the gear housing is not that smooth.

Housing W-04, Cover plate W-06 in the above post

This is the seal W-07
63035

At present I am tempted to cover the seal in the Red version of Permatex High-Temp RTV Silicone Gasket Maker. They say it has a temperature range of -54°C to 343°C.
I had considered leaving the seal out and just using the gasket goo, but I have reservations on that.

I am using the original one as its not deformed, so much for engineering quality control.

Back to work..

[outback]

Grease again:

First when regreasing, coat but don’t smother the parts in grease.
All that this will do is case the winch motor to fight the grease load as well as the winch load. You put too much load on the motor.

Well after doing the grease job, putting it all together the free spool is a stiff as, (add appropriate words). :furious:
The Lubrimatic Marine Grease is too viscous for this, even when lightly smeared on parts.

After a bit of a hunt I found that Warn recommends Aeroshell #17 grease but that has been discontinued and its replacement is Aeroshell 33MS grease, (oh great, but not something I will find out my way.):(

The Aeroshell grease is a molybdenum based grease and has a much lower room temp, (40 deg C), viscosity vs. the Lubrimatic grease.
The higher the viscosity the more work the winch motor does and also the heat build up in the gearbox and motor.

The only moly based greases I can fine, my end of the woods/scrub are Penrite 3% Moly Grease and Castrol 3% Spheerol LMM Grease. These unfortunately are high viscous greases.

Reading somewhere either here or at the other patrol forum someone said they used grease, (unspecified), with gearbox oil, (unspecified), to thin it down.

Big Question.
Viscosity is an issue.

So I was wondering if I use either the Penrite or Castrol moly grease is it useful to thin them out with appropriate brand gearbox grease?:feedback:




Ok so I am ranting along about a basic winch install.
Not important, true.:D
But at some point you will have to service you winch. Ok so you don’t bury your gear like MudRunnerMD:thumbup: does, minor point. :D:D:D

Anyway at some point you will have to pull your winch apart, clean it and go through this basic exercise.

Anyway after this I have my 9500lb winch to strip down, as it has not seen a service for at least 5 years. So what I do here helps in that rebuild.
Its only upgrade was a new steel cable, this month, because the old one started to have broken wires. Yes it was pushed too much.

[ando89]

how has the winch performed? I'm thinking of getting a I MAX 12000lb from ebay but will consider any winch

[the evil twin]

how has the winch performed? I'm thinking of getting a I MAX 12000lb from ebay but will consider any winch

I have one of those on my truck at the moment.
Probably 2 years since i bought it and goes OK not that I use it all that much.
Def recommend you pull the gearbox down and have a look... regrease if req'd