Experienced drivers who regularly use winches understand that the cable on the winch is the equipment that requires constant maintenance or replacement. It does not matter whether the cable is made of steel cable wire or synthetic material.
Continued use of the winch exerts pressure on the cable, causing it to wear and tear. You do not have to wait until the cable breaks before finding a suitable replacement for it. A weak and worn out cable is likely to increase the risks of accidents occurring.
Learn how to connect a cable to the winch drum with ease. It requires little mechanical and can be achieved in the following simple steps.
How to attach a cable to a winch drum
You will need:
- Wire rope (or synthetic winch cable)
- Heavy-duty gloves
- Eye Goggles
When you are dealing with a synthetic rope, additional materials will be required. These include:
- Pliers
- Socket wrench set
- Allen wrenches or hex keys
Before installing any cable, confirm that it can sustain the weight of double the load capacity of the winch.
What to do
The following steps will come in handy whenever you have to replace the cable to a winch drum.
Put on Some Protective Gear
Put on the heavy-duty gloves and goggles to prevent any accidents. You do not want your hands to get crushed by the winch cable as you replace the cable. Always protect yourself.
Opening Up the Winch and Unspooling the Old Cable
To remove the already installed cable and replace it with a new one, first remove the winch hook and the fairlead, as well as disengage the motor. Once done, you can proceed to unspool the cable from the drum by pulling its ends. Doing this by hand is most preferred as it allows you to work on the bound parts.
Once you are done unspooling the cable, detach it from the drum. You can do this in several ways if you are dealing with a steel cable. You can either make use of simple tools such as a screwdriver or by using an Allen wrench.
If a metal bead locks the cable, then you have to push it from the opposite side. Doing this helps unfasten the locking metal bead.
In case you are dealing with synthetic ropes, then the approach will be different. Usually, similar methods used to lock the winch drum by steel cables apply to synthetic ropes. When these methods are not used, they are knotted around the drum. Take a pic of the knot, and before you untie it, just in case you forget how it was previously done.
Attaching the Winch Cable
It involves mounting a new cable. You must understand how the previously removed cable was removed because you have to mount the new cable the exact way. The Winch rope installation can happen in several ways, as described below.
In case an Allen screw set was used to secure the old set, you only need to fit a small amount of the cable into the slot and tighten with a screw. A similar principle works for cables attached by regular screws.
Whenever a metal lock bead secures the cable, put a small length of the cable into the hole and also through the second side. Create a U out of the shorter end then insert it back into the hole while the locking bead stays in the middle. It would help if you then tightened the cable to secure it in place.
When dealing with a Synthetic winch cable, secure the rope using the same methods used while fastening the steel cable. However, it is essential to note if the cable was knotted and do it the same way. The photo you took previously will guide you when making the knot.
Engaging the Motor
Once the attachment above is secure, engage the motor to help hasten the process of spooling a winch cable. Once done, wind the wire or rope onto the winch. You do this as follows:
- Drawing the wire over the winch’s top toward the back and around the spool.
- Hold the wire loosely in your hand and control or guide it to the spool. Make sure you maintain the no-layering policy.
- Spool your cable from one end to the other
- Once you reach the end, return to the other end. Keep doing this until you get to the cable’s end.
- Wrap the wire from the side insert slot to the spool’s opposite side, making sure there is no overlapping.
- Once on the other side of the spool, lay the loop over the last one and start wrapping the wire. Do not forget that the wires should not overlap. Do this until the wire reaches the side with the insert slot again.
- Keep wrapping the wire in layers from side to side of the spool. While there should be no overlapping, there is an exception with the last loop where it changes layers.
- Your hands should stay as far away as from the winch, but be careful not to lose control of the cable. Placing your hand close to the winch may result in it getting crushed if caught in the wire
Fix all Other Attachments
Attach all other necessary winch components that may have been removed during the installation process. It is important to go through all the outlined safety precautions before you start attaching. Take your time when dealing with the Wire rope winch installation. Rushing could result in disastrous results during the installation process, or when using the winch.
Check this too: Types of Winches
Attaching a cable to a winch drum is easy. Anyone can learn how to do this following the steps mentioned above.
Learning how to attach a cable to a winch drum is necessary for all drivers who regularly use a winch drum. You never know when you may need to change the cable. Equip yourself and get ready for any eventuality.