Towertalk
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: [TowerTalk] Regarding Worm Gear Drive Winches

To: "Richard (Rick) Karlquist" <richard@karlquist.com>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Regarding Worm Gear Drive Winches
From: Dennis Vernacchia <n6ki73@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 20 Jul 2009 21:13:58 -0700
List-post: <towertalk@contesting.com">mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
Thanks for info

After agonizing over many Spur and Worm gear winch details and even
considering a JET 2000N for $750
( moment of insanity ! ) I decided on the *Fulton  KW3000* and a powerful
half inch drill motor
that turned low revs ( like the 300 RPM of a *Milwaukee Hole Hawg* Drill
Motor )
which I am now eyeballing as I could use a nice drill like that around the
home jobs !

Also since on sale at Grainger right now for $143 - that wasn't too hard to
swallow for something should work fine
and save my arm muscles during occaisional tilt downs !

73, Dennis N6KI

On Mon, Jul 20, 2009 at 8:47 PM, Richard (Rick) Karlquist <
richard@karlquist.com> wrote:

>
>
> Dennis Vernacchia wrote:
>
>> Just picked up a NEW Fulton KW3000 Worm Gear Style Winch today which I
>> plan
>> to use with a 1/2 inch variable or low speed Drill  motor to tilt a
>> LM-470D tower that has around 1300 lBs dead weight on the cable when
>> tilting.
>>
>> Anyone have any bad experience with this particular winch ?
>>
>> Will it hold under load or tend to creep. I don't intend to not lock down
>> the
>> handle but good be good to know any anomalies with this setup
>>
>>
>> BTW they are on sale right now at Grainger for $143.( while supply lasts
>> whatever that means )
>>
>> 73, Dennis N6KI
>>
>
> I replaced a 2550 with a KW3000 on the tilt over winch on my
> HDX5106.  The closest it gets to creeping is this:  When I first
> start lowering the tower, there is a very light load on the winch
> (obviously).  If I give the handle a hard shove to spin it in the
> direction of lowering the tower, it will go around a rotation or
> three.  Because the tower is "helping" it, it might go around an
> extra time.  But there is no way to make it "run away".  When the
> tower is nearly horizontal, it takes about 30 foot pounds of torque
> to turn the winch in the direction of lowering the tower.  The
> amount of friction is such that it is unimaginable that the tower
> would creep down, even without a handle.  BTW, this is with the
> winch greased thoroughly to reduce friction.  The downside of
> a worm gear winch is that it takes twice the effort to raise the
> tower, due to all the friction.  It has to at least double the
> effort with friction, or it could run backward.  The friction
> makes the winch get hot if I use an electric drill.  It still beats the
> squeeling brake on the 2550.  All in all, the KW3000 is the lesser of two
> evils for me.
>
> What I wish someone would make is a conventional gear winch
> with a brake that worked on air resistance.  A gear train
> would make a paddle on an axle rotate at high speed such that
> the winch would free run downward at a controlled rate without
> anything overheating.  Schwinn make an exercise bike that worked
> on this principle.  It eliminated the troublesome resistance
> pads.  We now return you to your regular winch.
>
> BTW, if you are a Farm Bureau member, you can get a discount at Grainger.
>
>
> Rick N6RK
>
_______________________________________________



_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
TowerTalk@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>