Posted by Lyle van Wert on January 20, 1999 at 05:58:08:
In Reply to: How do you operate PW PTO winch? posted by David Hogan on January 16, 1999 at 17:56:53:
Along with the previously mentioned good advise, before you crank one of these man grinders up for some serious work check out a couple more items. Very often the cable is well used by the time we get these trucks. Take out all of your cable and check it for broken strands and bad kinks. These weaken the cable dramaticly. If the damage is closer to one end you can simply cut the end off and toss it. I use a torch and it leaves the end as a nice little gob that doesn't inoculate you and grab at your cloths every time you get near it. If it's closer to the center you should consider replacing the whole cable. Try to find a riggers supply store they will get you the proper cable. There are many different kinds for different purposes. If you can't find a place like that go to the best or oldest wrecker service in town and be humble and they would probobly help you with the right info. Always wind the cable onto the bottom of the drum. Don't do a heavy pull unless you have at least 6 or 8 winds of cable on the drum preferably the whole drum covered. These winches came with a short length of chain between the hook and the cable. Quite often this is missing. It isn't absolutely needed but the purpose is to protect the working end of the cable from kinks or damage. Make sure that this chain, the hook and every other piece of chain, rope or panty hose is as strong as the cable. When one of these devices break you are operating one big slingshot with what ever hardware is left at the end as the projectile. You and your beloved truck are the target. Use a cable thimble on the end of the cable where it goes through the chain or hook. This is the little tear dropped shaped peice of metal that protects the loop from kinking. You just took all the kinks out so you sure wouldn't want to make a new one. When you put the cable clips (clamps, plural, use two not one) onto the loop keep the loop small to hold the thimble. A vise and or one or two vise grips help here. This is important: position the clamps so that the little "U-bolt" grips down onto the short tail end of the cable not the main working part. Right, it would make another kink and weak spot that you have so far avoided. Better yet take the whole truck or cable to the rigger/cable shop and have him put a professional swegged clamp on for a really neat clean look. The last thing to cover here is the shear pin. Just like your daddy's out board motor your winch has one. It is located where the little universal joint goes onto the input shaft of the winch. This is a slip joint that when you overload the winch it shears the soft pin and not your coveted worm gear assy. in the winch. If I remember correctly the MU2 takes a 1/4 inch soft or cold rolled peice of metal. I believe a stove bolt will be the same result. DO NOT USE ANY BOLT THAT HAS ANY MARKS ON THE HEAD. These marks indicate hardness that we don't want. Quite often the former abuser put a grade 5 or 9 or nail in the hole. Check it. DO NOT BE TEMPTED TO TOW WITH THE WINCH CABLE STATIONARY AND MOVING THE TRUCK INSTEAD use a chain for that. You would be taking a chance on tearing out some tender inards of the winch. Don't forget to check the oil level in the winch. If you are one of the few lucky ones that has a lever on the dog clutch/brake or one of the other 90% that don't here's the story on that. The sliding collar on the main shaft needs to be kept clean and lubed so you can slid it back and forth easily to engage or disengage. My theory is that this was seldom done as evidenced by all the other abuse these trucks stood. When winching time came, to move the collar and it didn't move a hammer, johnson bar or 2x4 was used. The lever broke or more luckily broke off the small bolts holding it to the winch and even luckier still tossed under the seat. If you don't have the lever position lock plate on the PTO lever in the cab, get or make one. One slip when you didn't notice and you turn your bumper inside out taking the bottom radiator tank with it next time the truck is moved. Sorry for the length, Good Luck Lyle Van Wert