[TowerTalk] Harbor Freight Winch

[Jon Pearl - W4ABC]

Hi Mike.

Are you going to be lifting tower sections or pulling rolling stock? As 
you might imagine, winching rolling stock is different from lifting dead 
weight. I've included some of the differences between the two from info 
that I've collected from a couple of suppliers pages at the top of this 
page: http://www.w4abc.com/drive.html

I'm using one of HF's 120VAC 1300# engine hoist's to raise my UST 
TX-455. It works quickly with little strain but there are better (long 
term) home spun alternatives utilizing products built for sizable loads 
and the weather.

I see that the 2K, 3K and 5K winches are all on sale. 
http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?keyword=winch Take a 
look at the specifications - specifically duty cycle and line speed for 
a given load. Can you accomplish all that you need to in the allotted 
time for a given load with a lengthy cool-down period? Personally, I 
tend to push ratings. Also note the difference in components when you 
jump from 2K to 3K & 5K. The 3K is built a bit more robustly.

The 2K, 3K & 5K are all in the same family. One manual covers all three 
winches:
http://manuals.harborfreight.com/manuals/68000-68999/68146.pdf

As to duty cycle -
CAUTION: Do not use the winch in a constant duty application, it is 
designed for INTERMITTENT USE ONLY.

Avoid damage to the Winch by not winching for more than the prescribed 
duty cycle time. The Duty Cycle defines the amount of time, within a 15 
minute period, during which a Winch can operate at its maximum capacity 
without overheating. For example, this Winch with a 5% duty cycle at its 
maximum load must be allowed to rest for at least 14 minutes, 15 seconds 
after every 45 seconds of continuous operation. Failure to carefully 
observe duty cycle limitations can easily over‑stress a Winch 
contributing to premature Winch failure.


73,


Jon Pearl - W4ABC
www.w4abc.com




On 12/19/2011 3:42 PM, Michael Goins wrote:
> Has anyone used the Harbor Freight winches? They have a 2000 lb electric
> that is priced nicely at the moment on sale.
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> Mike, k5wmg
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