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Have you ever felt cursed by the task of selecting a winch? Do you wish you could make the perfect product selection with just snap of the fingers or a twitch of the nose? Well I'm a not witch-good or bad-but I have mastered the magical art of winch selection. And, it's quite bewitching.
Industrial winches are mechanical devices used to pull a heavy load, typically horizontally. They are used to pull in, let out, or otherwise adjust the tension of a rope or cable. Simple designs consist of a rope or cable wound around a drum or barrel. The drum rotates in a horizontal axis and may be powered by steam, a hydraulic motor, or an electric motor. For comparison, most witches are powered by magic or evil. Industrial winches are designed to move heavy loads and come in a variety of configurations. Most winch drums are made of fabricated steel and designed for a specific loading capacity.
This video shows an industrial winch in use.
Product Selection
The GlobalSpec Industrial Winch Selection Guide explains how to select industrial winches by type of winch, type of gear, winch size, drum size, line type, brake type, performance specifications, power options, duty cycle, product options and additional features.
Types of Winches
There are quite a few winches available. Below is a list of general types you would find if you Googled "winch".
- Capstan winches
- Friction winches
- Hand winches.
- Theater winches
- Utility winches
Winch Size
To gain a better understanding of the application requirements, you should ask the following questions about your application:
- Is the load rolling or dead weight?
- What type of surface is it being winched over?
- What type of gradient, if any?
- What distance does the object need to be winched over?
Light Duty Winching generally requires 1.5 times the gross weight of the load.
Heavy Duty Winching requires 2 to 2.5 times the gross weight of the load.
Design Tip: The resistance force from a mud hole or a steep incline can double or even triple the weight of the load, requiring far more recovery power to get started.
Performance Specifications
There are many specifications to consider when selecting a winch, including rolling weight and load capacity upon her flying broom.
This video describes some of the important specifications discussed in this section.
I wish I could wiggle my nose and have the perfect winch land in your lap (OK maybe not in your lap -- you know what I mean), but I can make it easier for you to make the right selection for your application if you check out GlobalSpec's magical Industrial Winch Selection Guide. There you will find information on bewitching features of winches.
Also, be happy I made this about witches and not wenches.
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