[TowerTalk] Harbor Freight WInch

[David Gilbert]

Yeah ... that's the one.  I built a mast raising fixture with it a 
couple of years ago, and as Chris says the worm gear (which appeared to 
be hardened steel) just plain ground off the teeth on the ring gear 
(which very obviously was not hardened steel).  My mast and upper 
antenna together only weigh about 200 lbs, and yet in order to raise 
them I had to brush heavy duty lithium grease on the ring gear literally 
every revolution.  I only got one use out of the winch before the ring 
teeth were almost gone.  By the end of the exercise I was scared to 
death that the remaining portion of the teeth would strip and the ring 
gear would just freewheel.

Granted, the Harbor Freight winch was only about $22 when I bought it 
and the Thern 465 worm drive winch I bought to replace it cost me about 
$150, but that $22 POS could have cost me a heck of a lot more in terms 
of injury and damaged gear.  Never again ....

73,
Dave   AB7E



On 7/12/2010 6:39 PM, EZ Rhino wrote:
> Yes you are correct Gil.
>
> There is one practically identical (but it's black) at HF and I was warning everyone that it's junk.  (The HF one).  Here it is, the bad one:
> http://www.harborfreight.com/2000-lb-capacity-geared-winch-5798.html
>
> Chris
>