Oiling winches

If you want a grease that is general purpose and usually resists water - use Trailer Grease as supplied to keep your trailer wheel bearings good despite the dunking they get launching / recovering boats ...

Its cheaper - does a good job and one tin should last you a lifetime ...
 
Halo said:
I follow the lewmar advice on their video of how to service winches - wash off verything with paraffin in a disposable foils baking tray, light oil on pawls/springs , a paint brush to put a film of grease on everything else.

Washing in petrol is crazy dangerous IMHO - I just pour old outboard fuel into SWMBO's car when she is distracted elsewhere.
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+1
 
Refueler said:
If you want a grease that is general purpose and usually resists water - use Trailer Grease as supplied to keep your trailer wheel bearings good despite the dunking they get launching / recovering boats ...

Its cheaper - does a good job and one tin should last you a lifetime ...
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The tin is some 25 + years old and is only 1/2 full so should last me out without any cost at all.
 
I think it's way more important that you do it at all than that you use product X or Y. I'd bet the vast majority of winches stopping working haven't been serviced in years, decades even...
 
We had a club talk a good few years ago from a Lewmar development engineer. Asked about the high price of Lewmar Winch grease he explained that it needs to be capable of withstanding very high pressures. They sourced it, IIRC, from Germany and it was very difficult to find hence the price.
Me, having used the last of my Lewmar grease some years ago, I use 'normal' waterproof grease (Morris K99?). Brushed on annually + 3 in 1 on pawls.
 
I don't really see the necessity of using waterproof grease. My boat has low freeboard but the winches never become submerged. Occasional rain is the only time they get wet. When not sailing they are under a tonneau, a cockpit enclosure or a winter cover.
 
I was given a tube of Lewmar grease as a freebie by a Lewmar rep, so that's what I use. I don't fancy sloshing petrol around in my cockpit, so use paraffin, followed by meths. The amount of grease that Lewmar recommend is tiny, hence the brush-on technique mentioned above. The nice Lewmar man also gave me a dedicated brush, worth almost a sou.
 
I use white spirit in a bucket to clean, then oil the pawls and brush grease on the rest of the parts. I happen to have some of the Lewmar grease and oil but, when it runs out, I'll use 3 in 1 and some silicone grease because I have plenty of that too!
 
alahol2 said:
We had a club talk a good few years ago from a Lewmar development engineer. Asked about the high price of Lewmar Winch grease he explained that it needs to be capable of withstanding very high pressures. They sourced it, IIRC, from Germany and it was very difficult to find hence the price.
Me, having used the last of my Lewmar grease some years ago, I use 'normal' waterproof grease (Morris K99?). Brushed on annually + 3 in 1 on pawls.
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Did nobody ask why they didn't design their winches so they only needed normal, readily available grease?
 
lw395 said:
Did nobody ask why they didn't design their winches so they only needed normal, readily available grease?
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I think I would turn it around the other way and ask .... Why special grease -whats so special about the winch design ?

To me its a mechanical pawl and latch system - with larger models having gears ... whats so special ??
 
Refueler said:
I think I would turn it around the other way and ask .... Why special grease -whats so special about the winch design ?

To me its a mechanical pawl and latch system - with larger models having gears ... whats so special ??
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I'm no engineer so I would have to guess that the pressure at the face of the roller bearings and the drum is probably in the order of many tonnes per sq mm (units?). No real idea what the figures would be. Presumably, when fully loaded up, the whole force would be taken through only 2 or 3 rollers.
 
I usually service my winches at the start of the season mid season and at the end of the season, when I used to race regularly then I often serviced them more often
I hesitate to use petrol for degreasing as petrol is an abrasive and could in the long term affect the plastic used for the roller cages, so I either use white spirit or a commercial degreaser such as Jizer or Gunk.
Have always used 3 in 1 for the pawls and either a Lewmar grease or a high melting point bearing grease very thinly applied with a brush.
 
I hesitate to use petrol for degreasing as petrol is an abrasive and could in the long term affect the plastic used for the roller cages
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?? Abrasive ? Are you sure you don't mean solvent ?

I agree that some plastics are attacked by petrol - but its usually not the gasoline itself - but additives in it. But its unlikely you will find Pop botlle plastic in a winch !!
 
Refueler said:
?? Abrasive ? Are you sure you don't mean solvent ?

I agree that some plastics are attacked by petrol - but its usually not the gasoline itself - but additives in it. But its unlikely you will find Pop botlle plastic in a winch !!
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You're correct, 'brain fade' should have typed solvent not abrasive, must be the effect of being in lock-down too long.
Still would prefer not to use petrol for cleaning.
 
PaulRainbow said:
Good heavens man, what's wrong with you ?

Back in the days when petrol was 7/6 a gallon and i worked in garages, we used to use bucket fulls of it to wash down just about anything. Cellulose paint thinners was good for cleaning some stuff too, worked a treat on you hands when you got paint on them :)
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Its up to you if you want to take unecessary risks but not everyone on this forum will know the significant difference between petrol on the one hand and parafin and diesel on the other. Petrol produces a heavy vapour which is flammable and sinks, a spark can ignite the vapour and the flame travels rapidly up the vapour trail and ignites the liquid petrol and then god help you if you have your hands in it or splashes on your clothing. When I lived in Jamaica a petrol tanker broke down and local people started stealing petrol in all sorts of cans and bowls. Something caused a spark and flame followed people for surprising distances resulting in many very painful deaths and survivors scarred badly. If you use diesel or paraffin then it takes a serious effort to get it burning.

i am not sure that experience of bad practice in the days when dinosaurs ruled the earth is a reason to suggest it today
 
Halo said:
Its up to you if you want to take unecessary risks but not everyone on this forum will know the significant difference between petrol on the one hand and parafin and diesel on the other. Petrol produces a heavy vapour which is flammable and sinks, a spark can ignite the vapour and the flame travels rapidly up the vapour trail and ignites the liquid petrol and then god help you if you have your hands in it or splashes on your clothing. When I lived in Jamaica a petrol tanker broke down and local people started stealing petrol in all sorts of cans and bowls. Something caused a spark and flame followed people for surprising distances resulting in many very painful deaths and survivors scarred badly. If you use diesel or paraffin then it takes a serious effort to get it burning.

i am not sure that experience of bad practice in the days when dinosaurs ruled the earth is a reason to suggest it today
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Good job i didn't mention acetone that's onboard then :)
 
V1701 said:
I think it's way more important that you do it at all than that you use product X or Y. I'd bet the vast majority of winches stopping working haven't been serviced in years, decades even...
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It always amazes me that some people do not service their winches. I wouldn’t think of starting a season without servicing them. I quite like doing it too: an easy job for a quiet and enjoyable day on the boat.
 
Getting like an Anchor thread!

As we all know, there is more than one way to kill a cat than choking it with cream.

As an apprentice in the motor trade in the 60's, going to the forecourt and booking a pint of petrol on a job card for cleaning was an everyday thing.

And I have never had a fire caused by using petrol as a cleaning solvent, in over 54 years. Lucky? I dont think so. More like being careful, and a non smoker!

If the detractors could see how little grease I apply to the pawls and springs - it is applied with the tip of an electrical screwdriver - they would realise how unlikely it is that the pawls could seize.

After some of the fine and precise engineering I have been privileged to work on in the past, a winch is a simple thing. The pawls fit in their housing like - in the words of the bloke who taught me the basics - ' a dick in a shirt sleeve!'

I have a Barton on my Kiwi boat. Just had it in bits. It had been neglected for years and the pawl springs were rusted away. Only a repair kit was available from Australia, two springs - all I needed - plus two pawls, 48 Australian Dollars plus P&P.

I made two pawl springs from a couple of safety pins, winch now working fine, cost a rummage in First Mates sewing box. If I had a bit of fine spring wire, I could have wound them. I have that skill.

In some eyes, that might be wrong too....................................
 
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