What is Winch: Definition and 38 Discussions

A winch is a mechanical device that is used to pull in (wind up) or let out (wind out) or otherwise adjust the tension of a rope or wire rope (also called "cable" or "wire cable").
In its simplest form, it consists of a spool (or drum) attached to a hand crank. Winches are the basis of such machines as tow trucks, steam shovels and elevators. More complex designs have gear assemblies and can be powered by electric, hydraulic, pneumatic or internal combustion drives. It might include a solenoid brake and/or a mechanical brake or ratchet and pawl which prevents it unwinding unless the pawl is retracted. The rope may be stored on the winch. When trimming a line on a sailboat, the crew member turns the winch handle with one hand, while tailing (pulling on the loose tail end) with the other to maintain tension on the turns. Some winches have a "stripper" or cleat to maintain tension. These are known as "self-tailing" winches.

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  1. B

    I need to know what A frame design is needed for this trailer

    Ok y'all, thanks for the assist. I am in the middle of building a dump trailer, mechanical lift with winch or a mounted lift points. For stability side to side I have elected to make the standing pole an A frame design. I need to know the best width at the base to use for load (comparing to a...
  2. O

    I Can I load my boat without a winch?

    I have a boat that weighs about 100 lbs. and is 10’ long. I’d like to load it on my pickup rack in the manner shown in this (and many others) video, but without having to purchase and mount a winch. I’m fairly certain I can get the boat upright. The portion I don’t know how to calculate is...
  3. T

    Moments Question (ENGAA 2019) -- Cable and Winch Lifting a Drawbridge

    The correct answer is 'B'. I would like some clarification, in regard to the forces that exist in this moments problem. General Queries: 1) Is there friction acting on the hinge in a downward direction (parallel to the wall)? Does the ramp being "smoothly hinged" to the wall mean there is no...
  4. rodoka

    I Fixing Ship Ramp: Winch vs Windlass

    Hi i got a problem and i want to share it with you guys. i am new in the forum. Today i was in a shipyard trying to fix a ship's ramp. The sketch shows that the wire rope is connected to the middle of the ramp. But i think that it is better to connect it to the edge of the ramp because the...
  5. J

    Hydraulic winch torque questions

    I am designing a winch to put behind my tractor, and I am going to power it using a hydraulic motor. My tractor puts out about 1000 PSI of hydraulic pressure, and the hydraulic motor I want to use is 9.8 cubic inches per revolution. I calculated that at those specs, the hydraulic motor will...
  6. H

    Calculating Your Boat Winch's Pulling Capacity: A Guide for Non-Mathematicians

    I am trying to determine what weight my boat ramp drum winch can pull. it has an electric 1HP motor that drives the drum via a chain and sprocket through a gearbox. what info is required to work out its capability. sorry as I am no mathematician but I do know there is a lot of variables...
  7. C

    Suspending a winch d-ring from ceiling

    I recently attached a trailer tying ring (3 1/2" x 3 1/2" d-ring with loop pressed into the hardware mounting plate) from a roof truss in a storage unit. The ring is rated for 1000+ pounds. My purpose was a boat motor lifting system. It worked great with an attached block and tackle and was...
  8. R

    Answer: Battery Driven Winch - 13.5 m Lift Height

    Homework Statement A standard D cell can supply 10mA at 1.5 volts for about 300 hours. An alkaline D cell can do about the same. Assume - 2 - that the chemistry of the batteries will produce the same amount of energy and will maintain the same EMF regardless of the current drawn from the...
  9. I

    Electric Winch Project: Answers to Basic Electrical Questions

    Hi, looking for some answers to some pretty basic electrical questions please? I want to build a mountain winch where 2 fixed, taut steel cables will be fixed to a point up to 400 metres away. The 2 cables will need to carry the electricity to power a winch at any point, i.e. 0-400m. Firstly...
  10. D

    Design of a Lightweight Waterproof (IP 67/68) Winch

    Hello, I am currently designing a lightweight waterproof winch system using off the shelf electrical or hand winches. My problem is that most electric winches that are waterproof are too heavy (design weight limit ~10lbs) and have a much higher force rating than needed (design max force ~500...
  11. I

    Helicopter Winch - Rope Arranger About Rotating Cylinder

    hi, i am an aeronautical engineer student in need of some ideas for my groups mechanical design project. our project is to design a helicopter winch/hoist that meets the following requirements: 1. is atleast 150ft long 2. max 350kg load at a rate of 3ft/sec 3. (deeper into design) has a safety...
  12. S

    Capstan winch practical for long 2,000' towing up 1,000'?

    Exploring practical options for towing a small/light flat bed trailer up mountain side that while flat at bottom gets progressively steeper until almost vertical right before it rounds out cresting at the top. Maximum design load not to be exceeded, not including trailer weight which has not...
  13. D

    Find the equilibrium position of the winch

    Homework Statement A whip made from a material shaped shaft axis radius R and moment of inertia I and a crank with the axis perpendicular to the axis of rotation of length l and mass m, while the rest parallel to the handle - mass ##m_{2}##. It hangs on a hoist that has mass m. Suppose rope...
  14. V

    Servo vs ? for lift/winch/hoist

    Hello. As many others here, I am starting a project that involves some engineering and will at some point, if I go ahead with it, require an engineer to design and certify. But for now I'd like to understand the principals involved and dust off some of my 1st year physics and see how much of it...
  15. S

    What pulling force does my PTO winch actually have

    I am an electrician pulling underground power cables through concrete ducts. We have had issues using a rope tugger and 7/8 double braided rope as seen here It keeps getting stuck before certain bends in the duct towards the end when the rope is at its tightest and is pulling the most weight...
  16. M

    Force on winch to lift trailer ramp

    Homework Statement I was really unsure as to where to post this problem as it's got nothing to do with homework, yet it's a homework like problem. Please let me know if I've posted it in the wrong sub-forum. It was a simple discussion at work where we debated how strong a winch we need...
  17. B

    What is a thrust load and how does it affect bearings in a winch?

    I'm in the process of designing the drum and bearings of a winch. After reading up about types of bearings etc. I am confused about what exactly a thrust load is, and if there would be any thrust load acting on either bearing in the case of a winch with a maximum load of 2000 lbs. Any help is...
  18. E

    Level Winch Mechanism? Or not?

    Hi, I have been working on a project requiring me to lift a 370kg load through a height clearance of 30m. to do this, my team and I have designed for a frame and also utilising a winch system. the issue arises with the fleeting angle, which is the angle from the winch to the first sheave...
  19. W

    Can Electric Motors Power a Portable Wakeboard Winch?

    I'm looking for a little help with the electrical side to building a wakeboard winch. I have built gas winches before. A wakeboard winch pulls a rider at the same speed as a boat would only you have the freedom of putting this small machine anywhere there is a little bit of water to wakeboard...
  20. M

    Torque calculations for logging winch

    Hi Guys : I have been reading about torque and gears and not being an engineer or physicist would like to know if my thinking is correct in the following example Ok so Say I have a hydraulic motor and it generates 3000 ft lbs of torque and it is going to be turned at 650 RPM (tractor...
  21. F

    Calculating Maximum Acceleration and Speed for a 200kg Load with a 5kW Winch

    Homework Statement A winch is used to raise a 200 kg load. The maximum power of the winch is 5 kW. Calculate the greatest possible acceleration of the load when its speed is 2 ms^1, and the greatest speed at which the load can be raised. Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution...
  22. B

    Efficiently Lift 10KG with a Small Winch Motor - Expert Tips and Tricks

    Hi all, I am trying to lift 10KG around 6-12 inches every couple of weeks of which will end up 5 metres from the original lifting point...I am asuming I will be using wire on the winch I am basically looking to get my hands on a small winch. The only ones I can find online are winches...
  23. P

    Control Winch Speed: Power Supply & PWM Solutions

    Hello Everyone. As part of my senior design project my group need to be able to control two winches. They need to have a line speed around 0.2 feet per second but that speed needs to change a bit over time. The load we are moving with these two winches is no more than 30 pounds. I have selected...
  24. S

    Designing an engine and drive system for a well winch

    [b]1. Farmers take about 5 mins to lift a 4 gallon bucket of water from a well. They desire to achieve at least a ten minute time increase in the speed at which they can retrieve water from the well. Design a 2 stroke gas engine and transmission system for the winch. The winch itself is assumed...
  25. M

    Find the Perfect Winch: 50W, 180Kg, DC 12V/24V, Gear Ratio | Get Expert Help!

    Hi, I am looking to find a winch on the web to have some specifications but nothing. Is there any person who can help me to find a winch at the specification i need? Thanks Specifications: ~50W power, to lift ~180Kg, DC 12V or 24V, and to have a gear ratio. Basicaly i have to find a...
  26. K

    Homework SolutionCalculating Winch Power Requirement

    Homework Statement I need to write an equation to find the necessary power requirements of a winch used to raise and lower a lift of an undetermined mass and a counterweight that is half the mass of the lift. The maximum speed of the lift is 3m/s, and the lift travels a total of 30m.Homework...
  27. D

    Finding work for lifting a chain with winch on top of a building

    Homework Statement A winch is positioned on top of a building, a distance 70 m above ground level. A chain of length 95 m and a mass per unit length of 1.2 kg/m hangs from the winch along the side of the building. Find the work done (in Joules) in reeling up 60 m of the chain.Homework...
  28. P

    Sizing a winch for loading onto a ramp

    Homework Statement this isn't a homework problem, but i guess it's a basic enough question that i figured i'd post it here. okay, so I'm trying to figure out how big of a winch to buy for a very large tow truck i am building. winches are rated based on how much they can pull. eg. a...
  29. R

    Determine Speed of Block A with Fixed Winch Wheel

    in Fig., the winch cable windings T is the constant rate of 1.5m / s. if the block on which is mounted the wheel is fixed, determine the speed of block A. http://s3.amazonaws.com/answer-board-image/2010321836426340315180237062507416.jpg
  30. T

    Solving Winch Puller Statics Homework: Find Tension at D

    Homework Statement It is known that a force with a moment of 960N*m about D is required to straighten the fence post CD. If d=2.8 (already replaced), determiethe tension that must be developed in the able of winch puller A o create the reuired moment point D. Homework Equations W=Fd...
  31. R

    Calculating Tension on Cable & Winch for Remote Heliportable Wireline Work

    I need to calculate the tension on a cable. cable comes off a winch, travels up at a 45 deg angle over a pulley which is 2m above the height of the winch. The cable goes down at a 45 deg angle and connects to a 7m pipe 2m from a hinge point directly below the pulley. the pipe weighs 7kg/m. This...
  32. G

    Finding how high a winch can lift a mass before the battery discharges

    Finding how high a "winch" can lift a mass before the battery discharges Homework Statement The EMF of the D cell battery is 1.5 V and the life is about 10 A/hr. 50% of the energy int he winch does actual work and the lifting mass is 50 kg. The winch has a load resistance variable of Rl...
  33. R

    Inclined plane with massless, frictionless winch

    A 100 kg box is pulled up an inclined plane by a massless, frictionless winch to which it is attached by a massless rope. The plane makes an angle of 45° with respect to the horizontal. The coefficient of friction between the box and the plane is μ = 0.25 (with μs = μk). The winch has a radius...
  34. B

    Pulling block up incline with winch.

    Homework Statement A 1200 kg block of granite is pulled up an incline that has an angle of inclination q = 23 ° with a constant speed of 1.23 m/s by a steam winch (see Figure). The coefficient of kinetic friction between the block and the incline is 0.14. How much power must be supplied by the...
  35. R

    Build High Speed Winch: 350lbs, 10ft/sec, Control Speed

    I am trying to figure out how to build a high speed winch. I need to be able to lift about 350lbs at a rate of 10 feet per second. I also need to be able to control the speed. I have power on site. I have been looking at a 3 hp 12 v dc motor and try to gear it to get the speed I need. Am I...
  36. C

    Calculating Winch Power for an Inclined Ore Car: 30 Degree Incline | 950kg Mass

    Homework Statement A loaded ore car has a mass of 950kg and rolls on rails with negligible friction. It starts from rest and is pulled up a mine shaft by a cable connected to a winch. The shaft is inclined at 30.0 degrees above the horizontal. The car accelerates uniformly to a speed of 2.2...
  37. M

    Winch Physics: Finding Rates of Change in Vertical and Horizontal Directions

    Homework Statement A winch at the top of a 15 meter tall building pulls a pipe of length 15 meters. The winch pulls the rope in at the rate of -0.3 m/s. Find the rate of vertical change and the rate of horizontal change at the upper end of the pipe when y = 6 meters. Homework Equations...
  38. dontdisturbmycircles

    Solving the Winch Problem at 12m High

    Homework Statement A winch at the top of 12 meter high building pulls a pipe of the same length to a vertical position. The winch pulls in rope at a rate of -0.2 meters per second. Find the rate of the vertical change and the rate of the horizontal change at the end of the pipe when y=6...
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