Installing a Lewmar 16ST winch correctly

[eebygum]

According to the Lewmar website:

http://www.lewmar.com/products/index.asp...number=49016001

The mounting instructions state "5 x M6 (1/4 in) c’sk head screws on 94mm(3 11/16in) PCD. Lewmar recommend that the rope enters onto the drum at an angle of 5º to 10º to the base axis of the winch. To achieve this angle it may be necessary to use a base wedge when installing the winch."

Any help with my dumb questions ?
(A) what is a PCD ?
(B) The base angle of 5 to 10 degrees - is that up/down ? it's going to be at an angle from the genoa sheet up to the mounted winch on the cockpit anyway ?
(C) How important is getting (B) right in respect to the efficiency of the winch (on a non racing, short-handed boat) as the detailed 'Fitting and adjusting your Winch" instructions in the pdf file listed on the same page don't even refer to achieving this angle and using a base wedge ?

Any help appreciated as given the expense I want to get them right.

 

[William_H]

Don't know what PCD is but it is important that the rope arrive at any winch from a point below the bottom of the drum so that it is forced to enter the pile of rope turns from the bottom. If it is not so you will get a new turn piling up on top of exixting turns gioving you an overide which can effectively turn into a knot.
I imagine the PCD is a kind of base possibly even a wedge. My experience of smaller winches is that if the winch will sit straight on the deck without the drum fouling then that is fine provided the rope arrives from below. I imagine an angle of greater than 10 degrees may cause some problems also.
Is this a chrissy present if so good luck with your new winches and happy new year. olewill

 

[Tisme]

Is "PCD" something to do with the diameter of the circle around which the mounting screws are fitted? P. C. Diameter?

I can't guess at the PC bit though....unless the C="Circle"

 

[john_morris_uk]

Don't know what PCD is either - I suspect that someone on here will!

However, the line must come from 'below' the winch - to enable the line that has been loaded onto the drum to move upwards as the winch is worked. You might get away with more than 10 degrees, but making a pair of wedges from an offcut of teak to get the correct angle is easy enough. You might need to find someone with a bandsaw to cut the angle off for you.

Make sure the drive pinion is next to where the load will come onto the drum as per the instructions. Half the winches I have seen, haven't been fitted correctly!

One might argue that its just as important to get things right on a shorthanded boat. When you are shorthanded you don't need the hassle of constantly fixing winch snarl-ups.

 

[PBooth]

PCD stands for 'Pitch Circle Diameter' and is the diameter of a circle which passes through the centreline of the mounting bolts on for example, a winch or wheel bolts an a car, propshaft flanges, etc.

Peter

 

[jerryat]

Effectively the 'footprint' of the fixing bolt holes then?

 

[PBooth]

Yes, that's it, you can measure it directly across if there is an even number of bolts in the circle, but not if a odd number.

Peter

 

[yoda]

In addition to what has already been said it is important that as the rope leaves the stripping arm it falls into an appropriate place (ie not over the side). I guess these will be going in the same place as your old winches and fitting should be a matter of bolting down in the same place unless you had problems with riding turns on the old winches. Make sure you have as big a backing piece as possible and penny washers if at all possible to spread the load. All common sense really.

Yoda

 

[Stemar]

My guess is that the angle is fairly critical.

As John Morris says, the rope must arrive from below so it will roll on to the winch properly, but it mustn't be from too acute an angle. My winches seem to be set a bit too flat, so the rope comes up from too low when taking up slack. As a result, I tend to get the rope winding round the non-rotating bottom of the winch. Less than helpful in any breeze!

BTW, a 1 deg angle is near enough a 1 in 60 slope, 1" in 5 ft or 1cm in 60 cms. For small angles you can call 2 deg 2 in 60 and so on. The error's never more than about 1/2 deg right up to 30 deg, after which, it goes off rapidly.

 

[dickh]

PCD already explained. Look at the Anderson winch website as it gives nice diagrams. For bolting down the winch try and pick up existing holes if possible, bolt down and the drill though the other holes. Use as big a backing pad as posssible with penny washers.
Getting the angle correct is fairly critical - mine is nearer 15º than 10º and the rope does ride on the lower part of the winch if you are not careful. Must fit a wedge over the winter...........