Do any of you know some good tips for preventive maintenance on a winch? Waterproofing? Just how much water "abuse" will one take, submergance, or just significant water spray? How about those big ugly Warn switches? Is buying a cover worth the money? I just installed the Warn ATV2000 and would like it to last.

We never have enough winch questions around here...

 

scavanua,

I just finsished installing a Warn 2000 winch. I too was concerned about water proofing. According to the Warn manual, it is a lifetime lubrication on the gears and internals. Warn has to know the winches will see their share of water and be sumberged (even though it says not to). The Warn approved mounting kit for my Grizzly would put the winch under water at a depth of about 12 inches. I custom mounted it higher, but it has already been under water.

Based on input from other Forum members, I put a bead of silicone sealant along the seams where the housing parts come together. I also covered all of the electrical terminals, including the solenoid terminals. For the switch, after making the connections, I turned it over and filled it completely with Goop Marine Sealant, then after it cured, covered the outside where the wires go into the switch housing. I also covered the terminal on the pull type swith I mounted to switch the power line to the solenoid. I used the winch on Saturday to pull the Grizzly out of a creek. The winch was partially submerged at the time it was being used and operated flawlessly. I plant to regularly unspool the cable and wipe down with WD-40 to prevent rust.

 

To help keep mine up and running, I took my superwinch out of the box, completly disasemabled it, drilled and tapped a grease zerk in the housing that leads into the gear assembely, reassemabled it, pumped it full of Mobile 1 synth. grease. This offers a complete seal at both the gear to electric moter surfaces and the gear to atmospher area. 3 years and still going strong. Keep in mind, the claims put out by manufactures of being "totaly sealed" are also the ones that recomened your wheeler see's water no higher than the center of your rims. we all know how deep things can get, both in the woods and in the data sheets. Like the "sealed" bearings many of us have in our rigs, they are not sealed, I have pulled apart many that are full of water, dirt and gooe. when it comes to whipping down your cable, I would seggest somthing heaver than WD-40 or skip the routine as most cable on these small winches have a galvanized on them and if you start to see corrosion in the first couple of years, buy some new stuff it's cheeper than dirt, $20.00 bucks will get you 75 feet of 3/16 galv.

 

I just posted a similiar topic under Yamaha.

I also was concerned about weather proofing my new A2000 winch. I just installed mine last night. And the book says it shouldn't get submerged. Of course you know it is going to ocasionally. I think this weekend I'll pull it off and do what Yammer_hummer did and seal everthing I can find.