How it works
An electric winch of the kind bolted to the front of a truck, seen from above on its mounting plate. The second drawing cuts it open from the front and sets a hand-cranked winch beside it.
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What pulls the rope
The motor turns the drum through the gear box, and the wire rope winds onto the drum. The rope runs out through the fairlead to the hook, which is handled by its hook strap. Two tie bars join the ends of the winch, and the whole unit is bolted to a mounting plate.
Power and control
Battery cables bring current to the solenoid assembly, which switches the motor to wind in or out when the remote control is pressed. Releasing the clutch handle frees the drum, so the rope can be pulled out by hand. The brake holds the load when the motor stops.
- A hand winch has no motor: a crank handle turns the drum, and a pawl on the gear stops it unwinding.
- Two kinds of fairlead are sold: the roller fairlead drawn here and the hawse fairlead.
Questions and answers
What are the parts of a winch called?
On an electric winch: the motor, the drum, the wire rope, the fairlead, the hook and hook strap, the gear box, the clutch handle, the brake and the tie bars, plus the solenoid assembly, the remote control and the battery cables.
What is the fairlead on a winch?
The guide the rope passes through just in front of the drum. The one drawn here is a roller fairlead; makers also sell a hawse fairlead.
What does the clutch on a winch do?
It connects the drum to the gears. With the clutch handle released the drum turns freely, which is called free spooling, so the rope can be pulled out by hand.
What are the parts of a hand winch?
A crank handle, a drum that the strap or cable winds onto, gears between the two, and a pawl. The pawl catches the gear so the drum cannot unwind until it is lifted.