Has Anybody Rebuilt a Winch?

[91xlt]

i just bought a used Ramsey REP8000. the person i bought from says they never used it, was on vehicle when they purchased it. also states previos owner said it worked fine. OK long story short, i bought for very low price, i will mount to a recaiver type base and use either fr or rr for now. in future i will install in rear bumper, since an 8000lb winch is a little on small side for my truck. i have not tested yet, but i am thinking of rebuilding....any input?

 

[erin]

I think Ramsey offers rebuild kits for their winche, I would call them first. I have dismantled an older Warn12000, and its prety straight forward with the exception of getting the main gear back into alignment with the three planetary gears. It will go in there, it just takes patience, alot of patience sometimes. Do you know if it is a magnetic syle or brushed? That may affect whether a rebuid is necessary at all, though i'm not sure.

 

[91xlt]

yes, ramsey does. i was just wondering how complex the rebuild is. it appears its a dis assembly, replace a couple o rings and bushings and re assemble, this is what i am gathering from web searches. i would love to get direct input. i am not even sure its going to need rebuild, really just thought it would be a cool project, and give me some insight on the mechanicals.

 

[Willman]

i just bought a used Ramsey REP8000. the person i bought from says they never used it, was on vehicle when they purchased it. also states previos owner said it worked fine. OK long story short, i bought for very low price, i will mount to a recaiver type base and use either fr or rr for now. in future i will install in rear bumper, since an 8000lb winch is a little on small side for my truck. i have not tested yet, but i am thinking of rebuilding....any input?

If it ain't broken...don't fix it...My grandpa always told me that!!! If the winch works fine...Don't mess with it!!! These winchs (Warn & Ramsey) are build pretty so what tough! But if there is a problem..make sure you get the rebuild manual!!! If you don't know what your doing....Take the time and find a good local repair shop......You do not what to be stuck out in the woods with a winch that does not work!!!

Good luck!!!!

 

[goodtimes]

Most winches are pretty strait forward devices. I have been through a few of them....no rocket science involved.

I would look it over real good before opening it up, with the exception of the gear box. I would pull that (gearbox), inspect the gears for rust, contamination, etc., roll the motor over by hand to see if the bearings are smooth, check the amp draw on the control side of the solenoids, reassemble it (put the gearbox back on), check the amp draw on the motor, and a good visual of everything (external). that is as far as I would go, unless you find a problem.

 

[spencyg]

Sorry for resurrecting this, but I thought I might add something....

I just finished a rebuild on a Ramsey REP8000. The winch had been run under water and shorted the motor windings. While I had it apart, I also removed the gear cluster and re-greased everything. The disassembly of these winches is about as straightforward as it gets. The motors typically aren't very rebuild friendly, but I managed to make a pass on the commutator with the lathe and got the motor humming again. The gear cluster was a mess to clean up, as it was full of a mixture of grease and silt. The only issue I ran into was the auto brake assembly inside the drum. It requires a fairly specific orientation to work correctly. A quick visit to the Ramsey website provided a parts breakdown which allowed some insight into this proper orientation. I wouldn't hesitate to pull any electric or hydraulic winch apart now...they are very simple.

Spence

 

[ntsqd]

A note of concern, when you true a commutator you also need to re-cut the segmentation. If you don't it makes it easy for brush dust to bridge the segments and the motor will loose power if not out-right quit.
Rebuild shops have a special tool for doing this, but I use a hacksaw blade with all of the set ground flat. Take care when doing this.