Pipe Davit Winch Recommendation?

[markpj23]

Looks like our existing Dayton winch has no brake and that makes it useless to me in lifting our new 400# dinghy. Looking for a recommendation for a good 12V winch that has a brake.
The Warn AXON 35 looks nice - wondering what others have used?

 

[jungpeter]

Hi Markpj23,

I suggest you chat up Warn and confirm just what their "mechanical brake" consists of. Also confirm what their "line pull" spec really means. Usually, winches are rated for what the winch can pull, but the manufacturers seldom specify the grade, or surface, or whatever that pull is against. This is significantly different from the actual line load at stall, which is always specified as a function of drum wraps for hoists. Personally, I would not use a winch for a dinghy hoist, particularly one your size. I would use a HOIST, which is specifically designed to stop a load once power is removed. Something like this: https://www.warn.com/12v-dc2000-industrial-hoist-winch-63899

Yup, MUCH more expensive. Sigh.

I've tried many, many "winches", both cheap and expensive, from Warn and others, as dinghy hoist motors. NONE had other than a modest drag on the winch line, if power was removed (i.e.-the hoisting operation was stopped to swing out the davit, for instance). Thus, constant blipping of the up-button was required to hold the dinghy in place mid-pull. Winches are designed to pull stuff, not raise and lower things.

Sometimes, you can get away with multiple block and tackle to reduce the line load, and thus get by with a winch. Or, you can oversize the winch, and hope the drum drag is sufficient. But often you run into drum capacity issues, and attendant tangling and general hasselation, and thus a substandard (or worse-unsafe) operation. I wish Rule still made there 2200 winch. It did, indeed, have a line lock, and at a reasonable price. Sigh again.

Regards,

Pete

 

[markpj23]

Hi Markpj23,

I suggest you chat up Warn and confirm just what their "mechanical brake" consists of. Also confirm what their "line pull" spec really means. Usually, winches are rated for what the winch can pull, but the manufacturers seldom specify the grade, or surface, or whatever that pull is against. This is significantly different from the actual line load at stall, which is always specified as a function of drum wraps for hoists. Personally, I would not use a winch for a dinghy hoist, particularly one your size. I would use a HOIST, which is specifically designed to stop a load once power is removed. Something like this: https://www.warn.com/12v-dc2000-industrial-hoist-winch-63899

Yup, MUCH more expensive. Sigh.



I've tried many, many "winches", both cheap and expensive, from Warn and others, as dinghy hoist motors. NONE had other than a modest drag on the winch line, if power was removed (i.e.-the hoisting operation was stopped to swing out the davit, for instance). Thus, constant blipping of the up-button was required to hold the dinghy in place mid-pull. Winches are designed to pull stuff, not raise and lower things.

Sometimes, you can get away with multiple block and tackle to reduce the line load, and thus get by with a winch. Or, you can oversize the winch, and hope the drum drag is sufficient. But often you run into drum capacity issues, and attendant tangling and general hasselation, and thus a substandard (or worse-unsafe) operation. I wish Rule still made there 2200 winch. It did, indeed, have a line lock, and at a reasonable price. Sigh again.

Regards,

Pete

Many thanks - hoist is exactly what I need for this. Surprisingly they are not that much more expensive. Much appreciated.

 

[READY]

I think Golo makes what you are looking for. Golowinch.com.

 

[luna]

Warn does (or did) make high quality hoists. I just rebuilt my1995 Warn H2000 hoist with new Bushings, Sun gear, Driveshaft, Gaskets and a Brake. Thankfully the 3 stage planetary gears/bushings were in fine shape after 26 years of service. The hardest part was removing all of the old grease and then vacuum impregnating the bushings with oil.

The folks at Warn were easy to deal with and despite the fact that the hoist model that I have is no longer is available, most of the parts from their current line up, also fit my unit. It seems to be a good design, has held up well lifting 1000 #, but today it's just called something different. That's marketing for you.

I concur, get a hoist not a winch, simply because of the brake. My old brake worked well. I replaced it because I was in there, and it's a safety item. Total cost for parts, about $500.00.

 

[mvweebles]

I gave up on electric winches. Went with an Andersen 18 self tailing winch and a DeWalt hole hog right angle drill for power. It's slower, but works fine.

Peter

 

[markpj23]

I gave up on electric winches. Went with an Andersen 18 self tailing winch and a DeWalt hole hog right angle drill for power. It's slower, but works fine.

Peter

Good solution but unless I could find a used one the current price is actually more than the Warn dc1000.

 

[mvweebles]

Good solution but unless I could find a used one the current price is actually more than the Warn dc1000.

If cost is the yardstick, definitely not the right solution. Not only the winch, but some sort of base adapter needs fabrication, and the setup needs a brake of some sort. I went with a Garhauer line clutch. All I can tell you is there will never be an instance where I go to raise the dinghy and be unable to do so. Never. A stark difference from the winches I've had over the years. Not a lot of "Plan B" built into those puppies.

Good luck.

Peter

 

[IRENE]

We have 2 Warn 12VDC hoists on our boom, I believe they are original 2011 gear. We use them frequently and they are trouble free, aside from some coating failure and corrosion (they have been outside/covered for 10+ years so not a criticism).

You can find them on sale in the 4x4 community, on occasion.

 

[markpj23]

Finally...

Well, it took 3 months to assemble all the parts needed to replace the winch. I must say that the Warn folks are severely backlogged and it doesn't appear to be getting much better - current orders show October delivery dates.

Anyway, I finally got my DC1000 hoist, the controller and remote control pendant needed to make the hoist work, plus the right sized synthetic line to actually lift anything. All in at around $900.

IMO the folks at Warn could make it easier to figure out which component parts are needed - for example they do not even list the 63926 controller on their website. Took 2 calls to tech support to get all the part numbers sorted out.

Spent most of the day yesterday doing the MacGiver routine to adapt everything to my pipe davit. The controller comes inside a cheap plastic open-backed housing that I assume is meant only as a spray shield. Not good in a marine environment of course. The relay itself is too big to fit inside a standard 4 inch electrical box, so I had to mount a 6 inch pvc box to the davit for the controller. It's ugly but waterproof, and the jack for the remote has a sturdy mount.
Simple project made difficult by a lack of materials.

These are indeed different times post-covid.

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

When my Warn gave up, I went to Harbor Frieght. Had to drill new mount holes, but no issues for 3 years.

 

[Wils]

jungpeter has this down pat!

When we purchased our boat we tried to replace a badly corroded Rule winch, which had a brake and was intended for "lifting", but none were available and we ended up installing a Dutton brake winch (hand crank).

We grew tired of winding everything up and down (we lift 3 feet, swing out over a railing, and then lower 14 feet to launch our 325 lb dingy). After some research we purchased and installed a DC1000 Warn Hoist with Amsteel-Blue and a double pully to reduce line load on the Hoist (our boom is positioned manually before raising or lower the dingy). With the hoist we also installed a new reversing solenoid and dual wireless remotes. With the remotes on lanyards both hands are free to manage lines when needed.

One of the driving factors to consider when choosing a winch/hoist is the manufacture's stated intended use. The auto/trailer winch manuals that we reviewed were pretty clear that the intended use excluded "lifting items vertically". While that doesn't mean they couldn't do it, it does probably mean that you are on your own if they don't.

 

[Simi 60]

We use manual 3 speed trailer winches on our davits
One on each arm
Lifting a 700lb tender

Simple, cheap, good exercise.

But only lifting 5 ft out of the water

 

[Nick F]

I have a Nick Jackson 500lb davit on a GB42 with a 330lb dinghy. There was a Rule T42 winch on the davit and it suddenly started making a screeching noise under load and quickly getting worse each time.

I discovered that Rule no longer makes winches.

I contacted Nick Jackson and they recommended the Warn DC800 or DC1000 (it appears that it is now a DC1200 that they make). They explained that the winch should be a "hoist" and not a boat trailer type winch, for safety reasons.

I put the DC800 on the davit (direct bolt-on). Works OK but its a bit noisier than I had hoped for. I will be calling Warn tech support if it does not quiet down.

Nick

 

[The Brockerts]

I also have a Nick Jackson 500lb davit on a my Californian with a 300lb dinghy. This equipment came with the boat. There is a StrongArm Dutton-Lainson Company SA12015AC 120 Volt/2700 lbs/4000 lbs Electric Winch with Built-In Remote on the boat. This winch has a dead lift rating of 2700 pounds single line. This StrongArm® 120 volt AC electric winch for horizontal pulling and vertical lifting applications per their website.

This winch is old and rusted and I don't want to use it. I was going to just replace it but this thread has me thinking that might not be OK.

The Brockerts

 

[markpj23]

I also have a Nick Jackson 500lb davit on a my Californian with a 300lb dinghy. This equipment came with the boat. There is a StrongArm Dutton-Lainson Company SA12015AC 120 Volt/2700 lbs/4000 lbs Electric Winch with Built-In Remote on the boat. This winch has a dead lift rating of 2700 pounds single line. This StrongArm® 120 volt AC electric winch for horizontal pulling and vertical lifting applications per their website.

This winch is old and rusted and I don't want to use it. I was going to just replace it but this thread has me thinking that might not be OK.

The Brockerts

The key, IMHO, is to use a winch or hoist that has a braking system that will hold the rated load. Winches designed for 4x4 vehicles do not and are a safety risk when lifting.

The specs I saw on the StrongArm say it is NOT to be used for vertical lifting. Not sure if Warn makes a 120v hoist that would meet your needs.