How to Select Industrial Winches
Electric Winch. Image Credit: IR | Capstan Winch. Image Credit: David Round | Hand Winch. Image Credit: David Round
Industrial winches are mechanical devices used to pull a heavy load, typically horizontally. They are used to pull in, let out, or otherwise adjust the tension of a rope or cable. Simple designs consist of a rope or cable wound around a drum or barrel. The drum rotates in a horizontal axis and may be powered by steam, a...
Learn More about Industrial Winches
Q & A on Industrial Winches
We asked our users for their input on Industrial Winches. Here are the results of 132 users familiar with Industrial Winches.
Who Took Our Poll? | Design Trends | Applications and Use | Features | Buying Advice |Design TrendsTop
What new technologies are influencing industrial winch design?
18 answers
Uniform rope laying technique, light weight drum material, incorporation of safety systems, higher lifting heights (more than 500m), shock absorption when hoisting mass goes on a free fall and subsequent braking from safety device employed for this purpose, rope life, triggering methods to allow rope to jump to adjacent groove while rope is wound more than one layer in the fleet angle control technique.
~Gangeyamoorthy C, Design Manager, Ajman, UAE
Inverter drives, because we can use a regenerative energy and a perfect control of the load, controlled acceleration, it's important to avoid chock loads. And you can use a electromagnetic brake, increasing the life of the mechanical brake.
~Pedro S, Engineering Consultant, Araraquara, Brazil
Synchronization in autotrawl system and dynamic control. Winch control and monitoring systems. In hydraulic driven winches, speed variation by open/close motor cells in hydraulic motors.
See More Answers
~Guillermo Abelenda, Technical Support, Buenos Aires, Argentina
From your perspective, which companies are creating the most innovative industrial winches?
14 answers
Companies that are manufacturing Suspended Access Equipments operated by men in suspension.
~Gangeyamoorthy C, Design Manager, Ajman, UAE
Most of those used were custom built using pipe threaders (rigid).
~J.S. G, Engineer, Quebec city, Canada
Kley France, ODIM, DYNACON, INTEROCEAN, NGK
See More Answers
~Vijayan Fernando, Technical Support, Panaji, INDIA
Applications and UseTop
What are some of the applications you have used industrial winches for?
35 answers
I really design and build winches for thousands of applications, for lifting in over head cranes. Cranes: for a lot of applications, some for maintenance purposes,in general application in power plants, in production sites like steel makers and in process industry. Winches: for mining applications, for elevators for people and cargo, winches for mobile applications, applications in railroad like a car puller and so on.
~Pedro S, Engineering Consultant, Araraquara, Brazil
I work in the area of construction and ships repair. My company also worked in other areas where industrial uses same time the winches and windlass. For these reasons I am interested in knowing the equipment suppliers and manufacturers.
~Engineering, Design, Viana do Castelo, Portugal
Unloading steel packs, lifting industrial welding equipment and steel beams. Have built a model FAVCO slewing /luffing tower crane, am currently studying dogmans course, to learn weight to load capacity of fswr, chain etc.
See More Answers
~Engineering, Other, Hawthorn, Australia
Please share with us any “non-standard” applications that industrial winches have been used for.
14 answers
An auxiliary hoist incorporated in the suspended access equipment meant for building maintenance for lifting facade panels while the men in the equipment can synchronize their suspended cage to replace the same.
~Gangeyamoorthy C, Design Manager, Ajman, UAE
NGK ( Japan) has designed winches that works hundreds of meter underwater, they reeve in and out of scientific sensor packages at pre-programmed intervals and can remain under sea for months together.
~Vijayan Fernando, Technical Support, Panaji, INDIA
Once a time a made a project for a destructive test for power transmission tower, was 22 winches controlled by a computer to simulate all kind of loads.
See More Answers
~Pedro S, Engineering Consultant, Araraquara, Brazil
Do you know of any disastrous mistakes that occurred due to the incorrect usage of industrial winches?
11 answers
In Oceanographic Vessels it is common to have 10000m of cable ( Wire rope,coaxial cable etc). Now we always prefer to go for a Traction winch rather than a direct pull winch, because when 1000's of meter of cable is being hauled it, the weight of the cable+instrument package cuts into the cable/rope and causes damage, which later can cause the cable to snap...
~Vijayan Fernando, Technical Support, Panaji, INDIA
The fixation of gear box to the winch failed, men in the suspended cage went on free fall till the time of the centrifugal safety device caught the cage under severe impact. In another occasion the gear box was run for a long time without oil fill and the drive was jammed.
~Gangeyamoorthy C, Design Manager, Ajman, UAE
Sometimes the manufacturer doesn't take into consideration the idle loads of the system (wire rope -hook block - etc).
See More Answers
~Franco A, General Management, Varese, Italy
FeaturesTop
What would your design or feature "wish list" be for this product?
17 answers
Compact winch, Rope laying uniformity without transferring winding forces to the suspended mass especially during 2nd and subsequent layers, a reliable centrifugal secondary brake, 3rd safety brake in the event of the first two failing, easy manual hoisting up in case of power failure, reliable over load system employed in the winch, a compact drive system.
~Gangeyamoorthy C, Design Manager, Ajman, UAE
Compact winches
line capacity and load capacity
Pricing
~Project Manager, Belgian Gardens, Australia
12v or 24v with a pulling power in excess of 20,00 lbs.
See More Answers
~Nick U., Builder/Contractor, Waterford Works, NJ
Buying AdviceTop
Do you have any advice for people relative to buying or using industrial winches?
12 answers
To be cautious of the drive system, working of safety devices, rope laying technique, rope sizing, drum well designed for hoop stress.
~Gangeyamoorthy C, Design Manager, Ajman, UAE
Take care in specifying the load spectrum and the time operation.
~Pedro S, Engineering Consultant, Araraquara, Brazil
Durability according cost and low cost of maintenance.
~Guillermo Abelenda, Technical Support, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Winches must be selected by product, safety, low cost
~Abdul rahman Alisha, Technical Support, Dubai, Uae
Please check the age and experience of the company.
~Vivek Tandon T, Marketing/Sales, Aurangabad, India
Personnel using winches must be competent.
~Bob M, Engineer, Wednesbury, UK
Go bigger than you think you will need.
~Nick U., Builder/Contractor, Waterford Works, NJ
Get more capacity than you need.
~Joseph R, Engineering Consultant, Freetown, MA
Do not overload the winch
~Julio Vargas, Purchaser, Guatemala, Guatemala
Quality comes at a price
~Vijayan Fernando, Technical Support, Panaji, INDIA
Do not compromise safety
~George P, Design Engineer, Brisbane, Australia
Works, very well
~Zoran Z. Vasilevski, Engineer, Skopje, Macedonija
Is there any advice you want to share with users to help them avoid common errors in selection or usage of industrial winches?
11 answers
It is very important to give right info concerning:
- area
- temperature
- type of job: lifting
- pulling
- in pulling operations, kind of railways
- inclination
- real speed needed
~Franco A, General Management, Varese, Italy
Always buy reputed brand as there are many local manufacturer who have copied but not used the proper material.
~Sanjay J Masand, Facilities Manager, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Get a person with lots of knowledge in the field to help you choose a winch for application.
~Darrel Craig, Engineering manager, Timaru, New Zealand
In the long run one will realize that the price paid for a Quality product was worth it.
~Vijayan Fernando, Technical Support, Panaji, INDIA
Drum material, groove machining, drive support system, bad safety devices
~Gangeyamoorthy C, Design Manager, Ajman, UAE
Speed under load condition, according layer position.
~Guillermo Abelenda, Technical Support, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Winches used for Lifting MUST have Automatic brake
~Bob M, Engineer, Wednesbury, UK
Winches must be maintaned properly, certified,
~Abdul rahman Alisha, Technical Support, Dubai, Uae
Before use read the advice of experts
~Zoran Z. Vasilevski, Engineer, Skopje, Macedonija
Beware, there is never enough cable
~J.S. G, Engineer, Quebec city, Canada
Be aware of dynamics loads.
~George P, Design Engineer, Brisbane, Australia
