winch troubles - plowing

[salamander]

Winch pulls no problem- its when Im letting out cable that the winch seems jammed. While plowing, it means I can raise the plow, but cannot lower it reliably-

An thoughts or suggestions on what to look for?

[salamander]

FYI winch make and model = Superwinch X2

[racerone3]

is your cable binding, or does the winch just not spin to let out cable? if it is cable bind, your cable might just be too loose on the spool. if that's the case, anchor the cable to a tree/ trailer hitch on your truck, set the winch to "freewheel" and back up to pull the cable out until there are just a few wraps on the drum. then use the winch to pull the machine back to the tree/ truck. this will spool the cable tightly back on the drum. sometimes if the cable gets real loose, the last wrap of cable can get pulled down between some of the inner wraps and get stuck

[alaskacody]

there is somthing els you can do take the cable off the spool and put a long side of an old ratchit strap on it take a piece of duct tape to the spool to hold it on and make a few raps on the spool put a clevis on the other end for easy removel with a cable clamp to tie off the other end and it will last for years to come i did it to mine and have had it on there for five years now

[salamander]

Good call Akcody- 50' of winch cable seems like overkill for operating the plow for the next 4 months.

My winch was dying for some TLC, the cable was binding, too far gone kinks and all to bother respooling, plus on closer inspection, the spring loaded brake that is supposed to keep the cable pressed against the drum was also a twisted mess- probably why the winch started having problems in the first place- so I took the winch off and banged things back into shape. Thats out of the way now.

Still having that same problem though- I don't enjoy wiring and electrical issues, but I have a feeling thats whats going on here.

Question: When relays or solenoids fail, do they sometimes work intermittently on the way out- or do they just go from working fine to kaput dead?

Five feet of snow in 3 days- and would you believe it? Its snowing again!

[Amphiman1]

winch wench..

i think i would just go buy a cheap,,winch for now as a replacement...Mess with the other one later
I'm south of you , i have an inch

[salamander]

Agreed- picking a new wench up has benefits- no visible imperfections, smooth running, low maintenance, no hassle exchange policy for the first two weeks- but I'm going to need that hot homecooked dinner tonight. Kidding aside, my driveway is currently impassable!

Back to my winch, tested it this morning by bypassing the solenoids and the relay- it seems to be working fine both directions like that- so- at least ive narrowed it down a little.

Going back at it to check for loose connections everywhere before asking y'all how to test the relay or solenoids.

[brushcutter]

this may be an inexpensive solution to your troubles, and from what I have been told, a good winch.


- Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices


About 1/3 the price of my 3000# Warn: If I want my wife to know that, I'll tell her!!

[Roger S]

Harbor Freight has a lot of fliers out now.. I have one that shows a 91781 winch for $100 in store. (your # is ITEM 91781-4VGA) Thay also have a 4000# come-along for I think $10. The snatch block on it is good for a front winch.

The sale on the winch I showed expires on Monday the 14th.

[salamander]

No loose connections-

Thanks for all the ideas about where to buy a new winch- but my winch is fine- the problem is either the solenoid or the relay- it seems to work better at startup when things are cool- when the engine warms up the problem gets worse.

[cuffer22]

winch

Hello, have 2001 bigfoot,

I just removed my factory winch, solenoid and the relay..

If you won't it, worth????? you tell me................

all works get but winch would not lift plow to good!!

[swamp witch]

Pull the solenoid apart and clean the plunger and sheave.Solenoids swell when hot.This is considered when designed but not with dirt.Also power the solenoid lots of times to check for a heat related open circuit,this is common with all solenoids.Re solder the winding to terminal joints.These give a lot of trouble because of the plunger smacking in and out causing cracked solder joints.Just heat up the joint and add more solder.Hope this helps.

[m350]

Wow 5 feet of snow in 3 Days !!!!,,,You Need a Payloader my Northern Friend,,Holy-Moly,,,Your BigFoot will Have it's Tounge hanging out,,,plowing this winter,,,,,,lol,,,,Good Luck with your winch issue's !

[brushcutter]

No loose connections-

Thanks for all the ideas about where to buy a new winch- but my winch is fine- the problem is either the solenoid or the relay- it seems to work better at startup when things are cool- when the engine warms up the problem gets worse.

If your solenoid is on or near the engine, where it is exposed to heat, move it. This will probably not cure the problem you are having, but will extend the life of your solenoids.

[Joker]

I have the same problem with my winch (Warn but don't know the model at the moment). If I switch it in and out more than once or twice it will stop allowing me to switch it out (but still let's me switch it in).

My problem is the solenoid I am sure because if I bang on it with the handle of a screwdriver, it starts working again - every time.

I haven't tried to find a replacement yet but will try to clean it as was sugested in this thread.

Good luck.

J