Manual cable winch is a fairly common device among motorists. The winch owes to such a specific circle of buyers in that it can be used to simply pull out a car with its help. It is worth saying that this equipment is often called an oil industry, a pulling machine, a cable jack, etc. It all depends on the scope of use or on the appearance.
Description of the winch. Difference from the hoist
It is worth saying that in their design and operation principle, manual cable winch is very similar to hoists. However, there is one significant difference. The winch moves the load in the horizontal plane, while the hoists move it vertically. Although it is fair to say here that there are combined models that have both mechanisms.
The winch structure is quite simple. A winch is wound on the drum, during the use of which the load is pulled. The minimum weight for which the winch is designed is 150 kg, while the maximum weight can reach 10 tons. Naturally, the specific parameters will depend on the model of the winch and its manufacturer. When selling hand-held cable winches, the manufacturer always applies a manual that states how much a particular model can support. Practical experience using these devices has shown that, for example, Chinese models usually support less weight than the manufacturer indicates.
Feature and Design
As for the characteristics for such a device, there are, in principle, only two of them. The first is the minimum and maximum load, the second is the length of the cable or rope.
It is worth paying attention to the fact that manual cable winch can be made with an iron cable, and a rope can be used. If the maximum weight is exceeded and the cable breaks or if it happens for any other reason, then with a metal version there is a big chance of getting serious injuries. In the presence of a rope type, this usually does not happen.
As for information on the design of a manual winch, it looks something like this: a drum with a winch is equipped with a gear type transmission, there is a lever with ratchet or with a screw mechanism. These elements in a certain way reduce the load on the cable during operation. All parts responsible for the transmission, like the drum, are mounted on the winch frame. The frame also has certain grooves that are designed to secure the chain. There are models that have a bolted connection for fastening.
The main types of winches
As for the main classification of winches, they can be factory or homemade, which is not excluded. Factory models can also be both domestic and imported. Another classification is possible according to the type of fastening used in winches. It may be mounted on a wall, on the ground, or a combination type. However, the main difference is still in the structure of the device and in the winch mechanism.
Description of the main view
As for the mounting method, the manual cable winch can be without fixing. Naturally, in this case, there is no need to find a good support, which will have to withstand the load as the winch itself. Another advantage of this design is the ability to use equipment to move both horizontally and vertically. However, there is a drawback, which is that the length of the cable is usually small. The maximum length is 6 meters. However, it is worth saying here that a lever-type manual cable winch is one of the most lifting. The maximum weight is 10 tons.
Such equipment in itself is quite large and is most often used on construction sites. There is a small subspecies of such a winch, which is called assembly and traction. This type of manual lever cable winch ZUBR lacks a drum. This gives the advantage that all restrictions on the length of the cable itself are removed, and the size of the device itself is significantly reduced. Such devices can be found even up to 20-25 meters long. In this case, the rope is clamped with cams located on the body. This causes the winch to wear out more slowly.
Drum device
As for the manual cable drum winch, it can only function if there is a support. Such a device is designed to move goods only horizontally. There is a small trick that allows you to move loads horizontally, but at an angle of 45 degrees. To do this, you need to install the winch 15 cm above ground level. However, this value is minimal. The larger the angle, the higher the winch will have to be lifted, up to a maximum of 65 cm. The weight of the load that a drum-type winch can move is between 250 kg and 5 tons.
In addition to the support, the handle, drum and gearbox are actively working in this model. Instead of a lever in this case, the movement will be set using the handle. Using a gearbox, the impulse from the handle is transmitted to the drum, which sets the traction force. If this force is too large, an automatic stop will work, which will help to avoid the fall of loads.
Winch Drive Types
To date, several subspecies of the winch are known, which differ in the type of drive. If we talk about reliability, then the worst option is worm gear.
The design of a manual worm-type cable winch includes two gears. One of them is basic, the other is screw. The main part is mounted on a drum that rotates with a screw. The device has a hitchhiking, and it also allows you to move the load in any direction. In other words, there is a part that allows reverse movement. The power of this winch is very good, moreover, it is compact. However, all these advantages are offset by the fact that a sufficiently strong wear is observed in the worm pair. In order to reduce wear, you have to constantly lubricate the elements. If this is not done, then the worm pair will often jam.
Speed drive
If devices such as 4-ton cable lever hoists do not have the ability to select the speed of movement of the load, then they can be replaced with equipment with a different type of drive.
The execution of a single-speed gear type drive is possible. In this case, it is made in the form of a large gear located on the drum, and next to it there is another one, smaller and performing transmitting functions. In some cases, this type of transmission is called gear. With this design, the winch has a gear ratio, which will be calculated depending on the number of teeth on the gear. The leading part in this case will be fixed with the shaft as a monolithic structure. A handle is attached to the shaft.
Multi-speed design
A manual cable winch with a multi-speed gear type of drive differs from the previous type in that it has several pairs of gears. It is important to note here that each gear increases the force several times. In other words, this type of drive is the most powerful of all the others. However, there is a slight drawback, which is that the speed of movement inherent in the 1st pair of gears is lost. It will only be possible to increase the speed of cargo movement if it weighs more than 1 ton and above.
However, it is important to know about such a function as the ability to stall some pairs of gears. Given this possibility, we can say that a chain hand winch with multi-speed drive is the best among all other types.
From all this it should be concluded that the scope of its application greatly depends on the type of winch and on the type of its drive.
Using
Most often, hand winches are used by motorists. Such an application is now considered domestic. Leverage models are used as often as possible, since they do not require support and are more compact. When compared with electric models, they stand out also by the fact that they are quite easy to use. In addition, the resource of the car engine is saved, since it does not require a power connection. In addition to this area of application, cable winches are actively used in private construction, during garage work.
Manual cable lever models of the winch are made of such material as a strong metal alloy. The use of a variety of alloys leads to the fact that winches can be used both at low and high temperatures, as well as indoors or outdoors.