More about Winches

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Winches are mechanical devices used to wind cable and rope. They range in design from simple, hand-cranked spools for rope to massive hydraulic devices used for industrial-strength wire. Winches are used in marine applications (especially sailing and recovery), construction, automotive repair and towing, and shipping. Sailboats of all sizes use winches to facilitate the rapid winding and unwinding of rigging line, and construction cranes use winches to lift and suspend massive loads. Many automobiles use front or rear mounted winches to haul heavy weight or to provide additional towing options.

Essentially, a winch consists of a set of gears that provide the user with a mechanical advantage. In a hand-cranked winch, the crank is attached to a very small gear. This gear meshes with a larger gear inside the winch that directly or indirectly rotates the spool. Each turn of the crank equals one turn of the small gear, but only a fraction of a turn of the larger gear and spool. This means that you might turn a winch fifty times for each coil of the rope. The ratio of the gears allows them to use the effort exerted over a long period of time into the force necessary to coil rope under a heavy load.

In boating, stainless steel winches are often preferred, although other materials are used for different applications. For example, stronger steel alloys (sometimes zinc-plated) are used for industrial winch frames and drums, and synthetics are used in low weight operations. Aluminum is also used in winch housing. Winches are typically driven by manual, hydraulic, electric or pneumatic power, each of which has its own advantages. They are rated by line pull weight, although their capacity becomes lower as the wire wraps around the drum, as well as gear ratio.

Many winches incorporate bearings to facilitate component motion. A number of winches contain gears encased in an oil bath in order to provide continuous lubrication. Drum shapes can be concave or flat, depending on the winch design.