Posted by David Sherman on Sunday, November 19, 2000 at 23:34:38:
In Reply to: Re: Braden / Rhino posted by Matt Wilson on Wednesday, November 15, 2000 at 23:45:39:
I have seen several old (50+) die-cast parts which have deteriorated simply from old age. They appear to gradually swell up and then crumble. I wouldn't believe it unless I'd seen it myself. I'm not sure if they were a zinc-based or aluminum-based alloy (pot metal). I've had old cast iron parts break much more easily than I expected, but I can't say they weren't brittle to begin with. I don't think any of the parts in a winch would go bad with time other than bearings rusting if the winch isn't used enough to circulate the oil.