lofrans vertical windlass help

[jon and michie]

Hi - I have a Lofrans Marlin vertical windlass which I am in the middle of stripping down for maintenance.
By the look of things it has never been done in its lifetime.

Now the problem I am having is removal of the top piece/cap above the gypsy wheel - which this piece indicates to loosen ( I am assuming it is referring to the cone clutch).

Does anyone have any Ideas on how to remove the cap ?

many thanks for any opinions / advice given

Jon

 

[RichardS]

Usually you just need to keep unscrewing/loosening the cone clutch until it comes apart.

Richard

 

[jon and michie]

Hi RichardS - it is solid and the direction arrow for loosening is clockwise

jon

 

[RichardS]

Are you sure that the arrow is for loosening the clutch? Usually loosening would be anticlockwise.

Richard

 

[sailaboutvic]

Are you sure that the arrow is for loosening the clutch? Usually loosening would be anticlockwise.

Richard

Agree with Richards , if it not been used it can take some pressure to undo .
I can't ever remember having a windlass that undoes clock wise .

 

[jwilson]

If like mine the Lofrans windlass has a mix of S/S shaft, some sort of gunmetal gypsy, and an aluminium alloy base, drum and cone, things can corrode together badly. Took a week with occasional sprays of Plus-gas, followed by hours of alternating heating with hot air gun, tapping, cooling rapidly and more Plus-gas, before I could get mine apart the first time I tried after a few years use. The alloy parts corrode badly, and the corrosion swells and jams things.

When they say in the instructions ".....clean monthly and strip every six months" they mean it. Now I do it religiously.

And I agree, anticlockwise to undo cap/clutch is almost universal: certainly is on mine.

 

[jon and michie]

Right - as an update on progress -I soaked the cap end in red diesel for 2 days to penetrate the threads. I called A R Peachment the (Lofrans dealer in the u.k) and spoke to the technical department about which direction the cap comes off which he said definitely anti clockwise.

yesterday afternoon I took it to a machine shop to be put in a lathe - with the lathe in ins lowest gear so that its chuck wouldn't move - The machinist tried to undo the cap anti clockwise with a mallet with no luck - so I asked him just out of curiosty to try going clock wise and hey presto the cap came loose.

after examining the cone clutch it would appear that a previous owner had tried to service it in the past as there was a smear of grease on the threads and also the surface of the clutch - which I then recon he/she has then had to really tighten down the cap to prevent the gypsy from free spinning.

I have degreased the surface of the clutch and installed the gypsy dry - and the cap has marine grease for the windlass to function correctly.

I will be refitting to my boat this weekend so Happy days.

Thanks for all the advice.

Jon

 

[sailaboutvic]

Right - as an update on progress -I soaked the cap end in red diesel for 2 days to penetrate the threads. I called A R Peachment the (Lofrans dealer in the u.k) and spoke to the technical department about which direction the cap comes off which he said definitely anti clockwise.

yesterday afternoon I took it to a machine shop to be put in a lathe - with the lathe in ins lowest gear so that its chuck wouldn't move - The machinist tried to undo the cap anti clockwise with a mallet with no luck - so I asked him just out of curiosty to try going clock wise and hey presto the cap came loose.

after examining the cone clutch it would appear that a previous owner had tried to service it in the past as there was a smear of grease on the threads and also the surface of the clutch - which I then recon he/she has then had to really tighten down the cap to prevent the gypsy from free spinning.

I have degreased the surface of the clutch and installed the gypsy dry - and the cap has marine grease for the windlass to function correctly.

I will be refitting to my boat this weekend so Happy days.

Thanks for all the advice.

Jon

We live and lean , that the first clock wise I seen .
Glad you got it sorted .

 

[jon and michie]

Hi - as an end of weekend update - The windlass and motor was re-fitted back on to the boat and works like a dream now.
and as a side note on why my particular windlass unscrewed clockwise it dawned on me once installed.
basically the chain wraps around the gypsy in an anti clock wise direction then down towards the anchor on the left hand side - if the cap un screwed anticlockwise there could be a chance that you could lose it overboard if the gypsy started to rub on the cap - hence why the cap unscrews clock wise.

So now I have the chance of starting to learn all about anchoring and being able to have lunch with the swmbo at anchor in pleasant surroundings

Thanks for all the help given

Jon