Wes J
Senior Member
I have a tandem axle rollback truck with a Braden AC12-12 winch. The winch is kind of an abomination (like the rest of the truck).
From what I can tell from the specs, it's 12,000 lbs max line pull. The winch is powered by a hydraulic motor that runs through a small gear box and then chain drives the input shaft of the winch. It works, but it's not a pretty setup.
The issue is that I don't think it has nearly the pull it should. I was trying to winch a 20,000 lbs machine up on the deck and the winch just could not do it, even at higher engine RPMs.
Assuming 15 degree incline, that's around 5,000 lbs to pull it up. Add some friction and whatnot, it should still be well within the specs of the winch.
So, my question is, what actually determines the max line pull? Is it the gear ratio of the worm gear in the winch? How can I test the max line pull for my winch? If it's not giving me the correct line pull, what's the likely culprit? Hydraulic motor pooched? Wrong size hydraulic motor?
I'm going to get a snatch block for now, but something needs to be done. I'd like to get rid of the little gear box and go direct drive with a hydraulic motor. But, I'm not sure how to size the motor.
From what I can tell from the specs, it's 12,000 lbs max line pull. The winch is powered by a hydraulic motor that runs through a small gear box and then chain drives the input shaft of the winch. It works, but it's not a pretty setup.
The issue is that I don't think it has nearly the pull it should. I was trying to winch a 20,000 lbs machine up on the deck and the winch just could not do it, even at higher engine RPMs.
Assuming 15 degree incline, that's around 5,000 lbs to pull it up. Add some friction and whatnot, it should still be well within the specs of the winch.
So, my question is, what actually determines the max line pull? Is it the gear ratio of the worm gear in the winch? How can I test the max line pull for my winch? If it's not giving me the correct line pull, what's the likely culprit? Hydraulic motor pooched? Wrong size hydraulic motor?
I'm going to get a snatch block for now, but something needs to be done. I'd like to get rid of the little gear box and go direct drive with a hydraulic motor. But, I'm not sure how to size the motor.