Frozen winch

[anotherguy]

So after the icepocalypse hit The DFW area this last Friday, I went out in my JKU to clear my neighborhoods roads of downed trees with my winch and when I was spooling the cable out, it started wrapping back on itself after 10-12' because beyond that it was frozen together in places by the freezing rain. Not just a little frozen, but two inch wide sections of cable were encased in ice.

This is something I had never really given that much thought to since, not spending much time in cold climates, the only ice I ever see is in a cold beverage. Any thoughts on field expedient methods to de-ice the cable? Carry a hair dryer in my recovery kit? Drink a lot of water and use my "organic water heater" to generate warm water to melt the ice and then quickly unspool it and dry it with a towel?

 

[fishEH]

When we go snow wheeling we have had to resort to peeing on the line to free it up. Once freed we don't spool the line all the way in, we wrap it loosely around the bumper/brush guard.

 

[doug720]

You can also oil the winch cable. This does two things, it keeps the cable from rusting and displaces water that can freeze.

I just brush atf on the cable WHILE spooled on the drum and place a catch pan under the winch overnight. The atf is light enough to not attract dirt and keeps the cable looking new. I do this maybe 2x a year and has worked well.

Doug

 

[1911]

I spent hours winching out neighbors and travelers cars and trucks on and near our rural road, and my Warn M8000 with synthetic line never failed me. No problems at all with ice on or in the line.

 

[anotherguy]

You can also oil the winch cable. This does two things, it keeps the cable from rusting and displaces water that can freeze.

I just brush atf on the cable WHILE spooled on the drum and place a catch pan under the winch overnight. The atf is light enough to not attract dirt and keeps the cable looking new. I do this maybe 2x a year and has worked well.

Good idea but I'm not sure if that would damage synthetic line or not. Anyone have any insight?

I spent hours winching out neighbors and travelers cars and trucks on and near our rural road, and my Warn M8000 with synthetic line never failed me. No problems at all with ice on or in the line.

It's not a matter of the winch or line failing, as much as how to thaw it when it has sat in freezing rain for 8 hours and the cable won't unspool because it is encased in ice. Obviously the solution when close to home is hot water and then dry the cable while respooling. My question is more geared towards the hypothetical: you are stuck somewhere out in the world and your cable is frozen into a block.

 

[waterboy222]

can you get the hook out at all? hook it to a buddys rig and have him slowly idle away. It'll bust the ice off there..

 

[java]

Good idea but I'm not sure if that would damage synthetic line or not. Anyone have any insight?



It's not a matter of the winch or line failing, as much as how to thaw it when it has sat in freezing rain for 8 hours and the cable won't unspool because it is encased in ice. Obviously the solution when close to home is hot water and then dry the cable while respooling. My question is more geared towards the hypothetical: you are stuck somewhere out in the world and your cable is frozen into a block.

The suggestion was made... You can make your own warm water! Pee on it!

 

[stioc]

When we go snow wheeling we have had to resort to peeing on the line to free it up.

OK that mental image and coffee weren't a good combo for my keyboard :elkgrin:

Now I'm wondering if you employ the 2:1 mechanical advantage - you know, if one person can't get the job done?

 

[I Leak Oil]

OK so the local news headline is.....
"Good samaritan loses wanker while using his tool to free frozen winch cable."

I hear you can get electricuted if someone powers it up while peeing on it......

Remind me to never haul cable for you guys!

 

[ert01]

Dump some winter rated windshield washer fluid on it.

 

[doug720]

I thought you had steel cable when I said put oil on it. If you have synthetic line, no oil for sure. Not sure what you would use, maybe ask manufacturer?

Doug

 

[fishEH]

OK that mental image and coffee weren't a good combo for my keyboard :elkgrin:

Now I'm wondering if you employ the 2:1 mechanical advantage - you know, if one person can't get the job done?

As long as you don't cross the streams.

 

[evilfij]

Winch covers are really nice and keep not only ice off the winch, but protect it from road debris, mud, and impede corrosion.

 

[1911]

It's not a matter of the winch or line failing, as much as how to thaw it when it has sat in freezing rain for 8 hours and the cable won't unspool because it is encased in ice. Obviously the solution when close to home is hot water and then dry the cable while respooling. My question is more geared towards the hypothetical: you are stuck somewhere out in the world and your cable is frozen into a block.

Sorry if I wasn't more specific. I am just west of the D/FW metroplex and was in the same ice storm as the OP. The truck I used was parked outside during the storm. Yes, it had ice caked on the winch line and the fairlead; but when I hooked up the controller and powered out the (synthetic) line, the ice just cracked and fell off. I cleared some of it by hand out of the top of the drum, but the line came out and everything functioned just fine. The ice was only on the outside layer of line on the drum. Synthetic line compresses enough when you wind it on under tension that there was no room for water/ice anywhere except the outside of the first layer on the drum.

 

[stephen13]

De-Icing Winch Cable

If you could re-direct some hot exhaust gas, perhaps with a convoluted tube onto the winch line this may work. Also if you spool the cable in and out it should generate heat from the drum which may transfer through to the winch cable. It is a good idea to test your equipment prior to leaving on a trip and you may have noticed this problem in your driveway and could have attended to it. However, this may not always be the case as you may have tested the winch and found it working but had to drive through freezing rain on the way to the recovery and a similar event may have occurred. The answer is to use whatever method you can to do the job. May not always be a conventional method but hey if it works and it gets you out of the situation then its a good idea. You can always learn from other peoples experiences and it would be nice to know what you eventually did to get the winch line free.