Do you service your anchor winch?

Y

ybwsharcom

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I have a Lofrans electric anchor winch, but have never really thought about routine servicing for it. Does anyone else carry out annual servicing on their winches (I said winches, not wenches). Are there bearings etc that need regreasing, or gear wheels that need oiling. What about bow rollers and chain shackles etc. If so, are the key jobs DIY or best left to specialists.
 
AFAIK, it's just a question of keeping the oil reservoir topped up and working it every so often, innit ? That's all I've done - but I'm always willing to hear of a better way.
 
Yes
I service mine every 6 months.


There is a little brass ratchet nipple that needs light oil.

Its not a big job, not a long job but could save damage if anything fails in a busy anchorage.

If it fails the hand handle will not hold for a rest, causing the whole 60 m of chain and anchor to be hauled up in one.

I learnt what a seized anchor winch was like in a busy anchorage last season /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

If the windlass is serviced properly ,in the event of motor fail, you just turn the handle which is on a ratchet and the chain will come up, the ratchet lets you have a rest.

The winch handle can also be used to disengage the ratchet which allows the chain to deploy free fall, again this is if the motor fails and you need the anchor down quick.

The winlass should be greased every 6 months or it will not work as above and becomes a solid motor only bit of kit.

It is most important when you service the windlass the ratchet tabs are placed the correct way round or the anchor will be in free fall all the time unless some one bodges the winch handle and over tightens the unit
 
I think you will find the brass bits of the ratchet need light oil.

Grease will act as glue on these delicate parts.
 
each time when you bring in the anker, some salt water will flow around the winchtop, and around the axe. when you are in the south, (warm), this water will dry quick, so a lot of salt will accumulate in all gaps around the winch axle. In my previous boat I had a winch axle completely blocked due to salt inside. sinds then, I rinse the anker winch very intensively each time when I have used the anker, and open the top parts for cleaning, and oiling at least 2 times per season. You can see easyly yourself wich parts are contaminated by salt, and oil the brass part. the closed gearing inside doesn't need any servicing, and hardly any inspection, as it is normally closed, and very little working hours
 
My Lewmar windless failed twice, both times a few weeks after sinking the bow in heavy seas, and both times it was motor failure due to sea water ingress. The gearboxes are very simple, at least on the Lewmar they are, and they have bronze bearings, no balls or rollers, so they would need a lot of neglect and abuse before they seized up. So, oil the bits you can easily access, maybe WD40 the electrics and grease the terminals, if they're not sealed, and try not to fully immerse the windlass.
 
David, I "alway's" deploy my anker in free fall. I thought that this is a familiar practice that all boaters use.
For wreck diving we need an accurate position so ankering has to go fast. I do it like this:
when you are on your anker position, use the electric winch to bring the anker out if its locker, so that the anker is just below the bow. then have a crew member unscrewing the winch, and pulling out and lift up the chain for a meter or so, then make sure the anker is still out of its locker, hanging just out of the bow, and then drop that piece of chain. normally the weight of the anker + 1 meter chain will pull out the chain completely until the anker is on the bottom. If the water is deep enough, the weight of the chain makes continuing the fall of it, until the end of the chain. The tricky part is, the boat driver has to "guess" when the anker reaches the bottom, and then drive slowly fwd or bckw to make sure the chain is straigdned out
(sorry for my bad englisch language but I hope you understand what i mean...)
 
There is a star shaped socket in the end of the qypsy to match the winch handle, just loosen that a bit to realease the clutch and the chain will free fall. With the anchor retrieved and locked in position, you can do the same if you want to use the gypsy as a rope winch for a secondary anchor, bow mooring line etc.
 
Actually i don't free fall the chain to anchor up, i was just explaining how you do it 'cos you asked.

As regards using the windlass as a rope winch, I used the wrong terminology which is probably what confused you. By releasing the clutch on the windlass, the gypsy will become free (the bit that grabs the chain), but the drum will not (the cylinder bit on top of most windlasses). So when you operate the windlass it will not drive the gypsy, but will drive the drum, which you can wrap a rope round and hey presto, you have a rope winch.
 
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By releasing the clutch on the windlass, the gypsy will become free, but the drum will not

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Ah now I get it, I have always assumed that when you unscrew the 'star' the drum becomes free but your description makes it clear. thanks
 
Just to agree with Nick.
I dont usually use free fall either, by the time I am ready to drop the hook, swmbo has usually brought me an ice cold beer /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif, the idea of leaving it to get warm in the sun while I walk all the way to the anchor and let the anchor go ........why would you

But the anchor is a vital safty bit of kit and if the electrics fail you need to know how to deploy free fall and also know that the whole lump isn't a solid mass of rust.

Recovery is the same, if the motor fails or overheats you need to wind up by hand, its not hard but in the heat you need a rest after 30m, while resting you dont want the whole lot to drop again because the ratchet is gummed up with Axel grease and not light oil.
 
I have swmbo going on the bow to drop the anker in free fall, while I stay at the helm position and drink my cold beer !
 
I'm really glad I made my original posting, as I not only have suggestions for servicing the winch, but also know how the rope-winch aspect works (it has previously been a completely unused 'feature' of my winch for several years!). Thanks guys. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
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Would a wash down & good squirt of WD40 after each use/cruise keep things ship shape?

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yes /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gifand no

wash down great idea. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Wd 40 to motor housing will keep rust at bay /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

wd 40 to grease could wash grease away.
wd to brass nipple may be inadequate.

wd to deck could cause swmbo to have mis hap /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
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