Winching In and Out of a Shed

[maple_leaf_eh]

Originally Posted by Lionelgee

Hello All,

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Limitations
My lack of knowledge about powered winches. I have plenty of experience with manually operated Tirfor winches - not powered ones

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Kind regards
Lionel

From a language perspective, Tirfor is a shortened English spelling of the French pronounciation Tire Fort or Pulls Hard.

[Lionelgee]

Originally Posted by maple_leaf_eh

From a language perspective, Tirfor is a shortened English spelling of the French pronounciation Tire Fort or Pulls Hard.

Hello Terry,

Thank you for that insight, Terry! I was not aware of the link to French language. I come from an Arboriculture background (Tree surgery) and the registered product Tirfor® were the benchmark of the highest quality winches - back in the day.


Here are a couple of examples of the Tractel TU-8, TU-16 & TU-32 Tirfor® Mechanical Hoists/Winches

As per their description ....

Tractel TU Series Tirfor Mechanical Hoists/Winches Tirfor® machines are portable manual hoists used with maxiflex wire rope.They can be used to lift, pull and position loads over great distances depending on the wire rope length.
https://www.specialisedforce.com.au/...hoists-winches

While I do have enough length of the wire ropes for these winches to complete my goal; I would prefer to just push a button on a remote controller and have an electric winch do the work for me. Instead of swaying on a big lever moving it backward and forward - Then stopping to jump into the vehicle to make steering adjustments .... been there done that! An electric winch would follow the think smarter not work harder philosophy.

I just remembered a scene in the movie The Gods Must be Crazy where the driver gets distracted while winching a little short wheel base Series 1 Land Rover. The next thing the Land Rover is off the ground and moving up in the air to the tree branch the winch was hooked up to! ... Just found it on YouTube accessed 28th of May 2023 from,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RXV-p_Ec6Q

Kind regards
Lionel

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

I just had a quick look online and I found a 12000 pounds or 5443.10844 kg capacity winch for a four wheel drive that is on sale and has a $200 Australian dollar discount!

However, I do not know if this winch has adequate capacity to move the dead weight of a 30 CWT Chevrolet/Holdens General Service truck? So, I do not want to swoop on the deal and get left with something not capable of doing the intended job.

Would the 12000 pounds 5443.10844 kg winch be capable of the job or is it too under-capacity. If it is not up for the job - what capacity should I be looking for?

One good thing is that the length of cable shown in the advertisement for the winch was identified as 26 metres of synthetic rope. One question answered!

Kind regards
Lionel

[Phil Waterman]

Hi

Years ago I drilled a hole in the floor of my first shop, then drove a pipe through the concrete to flush with the surface, filled the space between the outside of the pipe and concrete with lead. I've used that for years to pull cars into the shop. I've used rope block and tackle, comalong, and just a block and cable to another vehicle.

When building my bigger shop cast another pull point in the floor that I've used the winch on my C60L winch to pull my C60S into the shop. All the efforts mentioned required lots of stops and starts to correct steering.

Your idea of a remote controlled electric winch just makes so much sense. One of those why didn't I think of it.

Cheers Phil

[rob love]

There are some considerations to the electric winch. First is the rating. Usually the rating indicates the maximum load when setup for a 2:1 pull: that is to say you are using a snatchblock and cutting your line speed in half.



Next will be the duty cycle. Some are better than others. I was always partial to the warn winches of yesteryear. The good old 8274 series winches gave stellar service, and can occasionally be picked up off kijiji for $400-600. Most guys removed them off some older vehicle they scrapped, and with today's light frames and aerodynamic plastic front bumpers, the huge winches of yesteryear do not find a place on today's vehicles.



With the flood of Chinese made winches on today's market, both Ramsey and Warn have had to follow suit with the cheap, non-repairable electric winches. I will admit to having one mounted on my trailer, and it will pull the load on as long as I have plenty of battery. Your battery supply will be a consideration for your setup. In my days of looking for trouble when offroading, I actually melted a battery post when winching a huge log.



Perhaps a good alternative would be to install a PTO type winch off a military truck on your post, and power the PTO winch with an old electric motor thru a chain and gears. Then you are not maintaining a battery (or batteries) for the job. Around here, the winches off the old deuce and a half are easy to find and are rated at an honest 10,000 pounds. The hydraulic winches off the MLVWs are also about, but then you are putting together a hydraulic power pack to power it.



Another thing to watch is if you are using the full spool of wire. If the winch is out of sight, the wire can bunch up and jam. With the wireless features of a lot of todays winches, you can be at the pulled end of the cable operating the winch from your remote or from your smart phone.



All this said, the rolling resistance of a vehicle is only 5% to20% of it's weight, depending on the ground surface. If the tires are full on the vehicle being pulled, the ground is relatively hard, and you are not going uphill, then a 10,000 pound vehicle only requires a winch pull of a few hundred pounds. But as soon as you add a flat tire, a dragging brake, an incline, the load all goes up from there.



On my new (to me) 2018 RAM diesel truck, I added one of the heavy duty front winch (anti-deer) bumpers and installed a 10,000 pound Dodge/Ramsey winch. I have only used the winch a couple times, and it was a back-saver. I recovered an old P-20 water trailer from the scrapyard which required moving some very heavy and awkward steel out of the way, then pulling the trailer out of it's mud resting place. The winch gave stellar service and I did not even shed a drop of sweat. It made the total installation worth every penny.

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

After some discussions with a colleague who was formerly a boiler maker in the mines, I have progressed further along the path for the proposed project.

I had initially thought of having the steel anchor point at a height where it would be easily seen and not tripped over. However, my colleague raised concerns about how something out of the ground can act like a lever and multiplies the stress that could be placed at the point the steel leaves the ground.

So bearing this in mind I reverted to my trade as a landscaper which included installing in-ground irrigation systems. I remembered things like the in-ground valve box similar to the one shown in the photograph. Since a bobcat is going to be digging the hole it can go a bit deeper and have the anchor point coupling below the valve box's lid. The lid can be flush mounted to the ground level , resulting in no trip hazards, where the mower and other vehicles can be driven over it. All tucked away - all safe and sound.

Since the 4WD parts retailer has their 12000 pound winch on sale - reduced by $200, I bought one. I looked at some reviews posted by different forums - independent of the company. I also checked on Facebook Marketplace for their range of second-hand winches. Some were dearer second-hand than the 4WD place's new winch. However, the second-hand ones would not come with a warranty. Other second-hand winches needed repairs and new replacement parts. Or they did not have the same capacity.

I will be making a unit where the winch fits on a trailer receiver that can be slotted into the towbar at the back of a vehicle. Also, with the aid of a 1300 mm x 50 mm x 50 mm square hollow section with a 5 mm wall thickness I will be converting my old Jeep Commander tow bar so it can bolt into the front of the currently front-bumper-bar-less Defender; while having brackets mounted for my range of other vehicles - including the current bumper-bar-less Chevrolet. I took the bumper off to have more room to move at the front of the shed.

Just have to go to the local scrap yard for the steel anchor point and arrange for the bobcat bloke to bring his toys with him. Also, a mini-mix concrete truck. Plus, a trip to the hardware store for two valve boxes. Then everything should come together!

Lionel wants to winch the Defender into the shed. Hook up winch unit. Sit in Snowy's cab ... press a button and steer. At the end of the day after working on Snowy or whatever project vehicle. Swap the winch unit to the back and press a button and steer the vehicle until it is parked for the night. Then the daily driver can resume residence in the shed.

Thank you every one for your contributions. I will keep you updated!

Kind regards
Lionel

[Robin Craig]

The question is the frequency of the winching operation. The other is utility of the winch. The Tirfor style are magnificent and so reliable. I am a huge fan and have four different flavours of them. Much under appreciated and much under respected. Great control in and out, no batteries required, just so useful and honestly with a snatch block and the rolling resistance of a vehicle on wheels they work really well. Also the whole length of the line passes through the body so there is no birds nesting of cable n a drum. Plus they have a frewheel setting to reset easily. Stay mechancal, you will not be sorry. One day I hope the makers of Tirfor cut me a commission cheque......