Upgrading the cheapest winch on Amazon

Cable: amzn.to/2F92oND
Winch: amzn.to/2qU3yXY
Fairlead: amzn.to/2K7fHBV
Snatch block I should have bought: amzn.to/2HRuHmr
Crimper: amzn.to/2HogRHi
Follow me on Instagram at guyinwy
Exclusive content available at www.patreon.com/guyinwy
Support the channel with your Amazon purchase: amzn.to/2CMkUz3

[@zukowski2023]

Couple of things about winches, there is a "required distance that fair lead needs to be from the drum of the winch" to allow it to aid in wrapping the cable evenly on the drum each and every time. All tow trucks, even more so the older cable boom trucks had a set distance from the drum to the fairlead then out to the work or the boom sheave then to the work. The reason the cable is painted red is to indicate you are reaching the "bitter end" (yes, that's what it's called) the end of the cable where the "constricted load" is applied to the winch drum. Once you see that, you will lose all pulling force because the constrictive load is removed and the cable will come free regardless of the wimpy anchor tab. So now do some research and find out how far out your fairlead needs to be from your winch drum to enable it to properly relay the cable when under load.. A google search should do the trick.. Fibre core cable is intended to "keep you alive" , the more tension on that cable the more pull it will have. Now as for "keeping you alive", should that cable break under load it will drop to the ground where as steel core cable will "spring back" when it fails, taking heads, arms, legs and idiot bystanders with it when it goes. In keeping with the phrase." every action has an equal and opposite reaction " yeah that applies to winching anything at any time. Top Tip, spray your winch cable with graphite spray cable lube to keep the core happy and offer a bit of water resistance to the center cable fibers and extend cable life... Cheers

[@darcyfunk]

John Zukowski great tips thanks!

[@zukowski2023]

@@darcyfunk Your welcome, just a few things I learned over years of running wreckers, and rebuilding wreckers. Work smarter not harder!

[@mecellgee6249]

John Zukowski bad ass information my hats off to you my friend. Happy 4th guys!

[@roverman985]

That's some really good info Sir. Thanks for posting that info.

[@thearcher1740]

Very good info!

[@TheCriticalChris]

Excellent video; this is exactly the project I needed to do! Great attention to detail on upgrading each component of the cable system, and explaining why. Thanks!

[@frankirwin2377]

All good points of info on the wench. Good job Blake. Keep up the great work of pointing out areas of interest to us hands on folks.

[@001desertrat3]

Frank Irwin -- WHAT "wench" ? - - - - Definition: wench - prostitutes or loose women .

[@dougshrader7721]

Excellent job, you do a great job of explaining what you are doing and why.

[@dehavenfamilyfarm]

I have been wanting to put a winch on my trailer. Learned a lot today- thanks for the video!!!

[@nashguy207]

Hey blake great video I like the flexible cables much better myself They are so much easier to work with. Glad to see winch working well again. Let ner know if you ever make the trip up my way. Have a great week. God Bless!!!

[@larryrivers2752]

When finished winching you're supposed to re-winch to eliminate x-cable. X- cable over time will give you flat (week) spots. Good video, most people don't know about wire rope.

[@dethmaul]

I never thought about the gouged up and thorny metal parts rubbing on a new synthetic cable. Thanks!

[@JohnMartinez-sm1sk]

Another great video big guy. I’m always learning something from you.

[@calumanderson5617]

Hey Blake great to see your making videos again bud. 👍

[@oby-1607]

Excellent video. Kept me watching till the end. The loggers I used to know told me if the cable was stiff, it was garbage and to keep the cable lubed with penetrating oil if you wanted it to live.

[@wbball15]

Nice update, Blake. Thanks for sharing. More later.

[@largemarge1603]

Excellent content. You made every word count. I am a Perfessional Edtior (you that read right), so I have little patience for blather. You earned the LargeMarge Seal Of Approval!

[@roverman985]

Must not be a good one? Per your comment "(you that read right). Should be (you read that right)

[@001desertrat3]

@@roverman985 -- You missed the most obvious mistakes "Perfessional Edtior" , try Professional Editor , because obviously she isn't .

[@davidwarren719]

I think those mistakes were a joke y’all

[@tomaszjaroszynski5773]

Modifying the winch is interesting. But the area behind you! If you live in the city in Europe, plains like this are really amazing.

[@PrairieSunsetRanch]

Thanks for sharing lots of good info. Im looking at getting a winch on my rig for the farm.

[@aldoagnellini756]

i love the way you explain how things work

[@scottfoster2487]

The cable they supplie is a hollow box weave which bunches,I junk the supplied cable and buy hay wire like we used in logging,less issues whi the bunching and kinking.

[@mikelancaster8664]

Hey Blake loved the video but I was wondering what kind of blade were you using on the grinder

[@twayland6186]

Very informative video. I learned more in this video than any other winch video I've seen.

[@d0peshow]

Could you put lighter springs in the tensioner? Seems like it could be a really useful product, just needs some fine tuning.

[@macbride33]

Great vid! Just subbed! Curious if you have a vid about the wiring and connecting to the truck battery and the switch on the dash?

[@clusa3721]

Many thanks for the video and thanks for the input of those with the expertise in this matter. I leave with a big smile for the comments!

[@GdaySport]

That was all great info and advice, thank you. BTW, the landscape where you live make Holland look mountainous! Never seen anywhere that flat before :-)

[@danburch9989]

Synthetic rope requires regular removal from the winch for cleaning just about every time you use it. Dirt and sand gets into the fibers and has to be removed. Also, even if you don't use the winch, dirt and sand gets kicked up and captured in the rope while on the spool. But both had their advantages and disadvantages. If a perfect material existed, we wouldn't have steel or synthetic rope to choose from.

[@cableup1]

Good basic info. Now that I'm back home in New Hampshire sometimes I miss having the wide open to put up what I want and do what I want but man, watching this vid reminds me how much I missed trees when I was out there. Anyway, not mentioned and definitely not applicable to the cable end that you lugged, cutting wire rope WHERE THE ENDS WILL BE ON THE DEAD SIDE is easier with an ox/acet torch. Just melt, don't hit the trigger and the strands and dross will meld together. It ruins the cable end for strength and tensility but if it's going to end up on the dead side of a crosby clamp then it beats tape and grinding and it stays glued together.

[@darcyfunk]

Thanks from Alberta!

[@MrGattor33]

Great video, rather informative. I wonder how this would work on a winch for an ATV?

[@MNDashcam]

If you value your safety don't go with synthetic rope. It needs to be washed constantly it breaks constantly it breaks down in the Sun and the dirt and needs constant maintenance no matter what. There is a reason steel is industry standard and I personally know a towing company who tried synthetic on their trucks and they have nothing but problems when they snap constantly. Sure you can leave it back together but you don't have to do that with steel rope cuz you don't have those issues.

[@davefontes8532]

Word to the wise. Safe working load, means safe working load!. From the time you install the cable, to the time you take it out of service, its safe working load, is what it is rated for. The safety factor to breaking strength is to allow for wear and tear of use. If you use a 3,700 lbs safe working load wire, on a 12,000 lbs winch, the wire will deteriorate and fail. The range between 3,700 lbs Safe working load, and the breaking strength, is the safety factor. You are defeating the safety factor. Bad idea!. The reason the original wire core cable was stiffer, was because it had more wire strands, ie. the wire rope core. More strands means more strength. The other factor in wire rope construction, is the type of material used to make each strand of wire. There are many grades of steel used like "IPS" which means Improved Plow Steel. If there is an "E" in front, it means Extra. There are cable that are made with XXXIPS ratings. Always use a cable that has a safe working load rating at, or higher, than the pulling capacity of a winch.

[@operator8014]

Things that SHOULD be obvious.

[@mintyfreshmetagross5437]

That's sketched me out a little as well. Running 3700lb cable through a snatchblock with a 12000lb winch asking for trouble.

[@Hammerjockeyrepair]

but the use of a snatchblock would take strain off of the cable because you're able to pull more weight with less force lol

[@WhiteFox011]

Well thought out and written, no attack, just the facts. Overall the video is not bad, except for using a far too light replacement cable, but I do like his new hook. Sadly, I doubt that it is rated much stronger than the cable is rated.

[@MrLegacy36]

Is ok then to shorten the stock cable a little bit

[@mikeg4163]

Man...that’s an awesome piece of property....

[@coltanrickett7470]

I’m from Casper. I have no idea how I just stumbled on this and not sooner

[@QQTrick1QQ]

Great video, I bet you could watch your dog run away for a week!

[@fabulousfabricationsimmacu4962]

Ha ha ha that funny ..... My dog's been running away from home for a week now .... ?? Oh you mean your dog ran away from home last week ........ !! No my dog's been running look there you see that black dot far in the distance.... Yeah .... That's him....!

[@chucksgotatruckmoving6786]

Lmao

[@claytonnicholson4639]

The military posted me out to Manitoba, Canada, which has the same topography. I know it doesn't make any sense exactly, but I heard someone say once out there about the flatness, that if you looked hard enough, you could see the back of your own head. It made me giggle.

[@dclined4806]

Ten days if he has a long tail.

[@kaupikosyou]

Great informative video and outstanding honest opinions.

[@wtftolate3782]

Get one of those guide fair lings that go side to side as you spool your cable

[@andrewbrenneman9592]

I have a 9000# winch. Rewound my cable (8-26-20) on the drum and found that it has the cable attached to the drum by set screw, not like your 12k. I bought the same brand of cable you did, but shorter. Awesome video.

[@candelariosanchez273]

Blake you did an amazing job explaining best way to use and upgrade a winch I really liked it very informative for sure tell me would a winch like this be to much for a half Tun Toyota tundra that’s where I want to install it on and what size winch would you Recomended for a 400 hp Polaris 4 wheeler thanks in advance

[@dalehammond1704]

WOW! What a wealth of information! Thanks, you saved me a lot of money.

[@Coltrabagar]

Knowing that if you're gonna go synthetic, you have to go synthetic from the beginning of all your equipment, is worth the whole video.

[@bluegreentoad4286]

I was just gonna get a cable winch and replace the cable with rope, never thought of the burrs that cable produces. Thx

[@jacobbaker1921]

I ran one of these winches for about 2 years. What finally killed it was pulling an F150 up a hill out of mud. I ran it for hours before it died trying to recover him. I used it to pull many cars out of snow banks in Germany. For cheap junk it's pretty good. Most of the name brand ones are Chinese as well.

[@werner.x]

The gears need to be taken apart and thoroughly lubed with Mos2-Grease. They are sturdy, but lack grease and sometimes clearances and fittings are wrong and should be worked over bevore they're worn out. Then it's a lot of value for the money. But 12000lbs with this underrated cable, that's just life-threatening. More max. pull than breaking load, better only use it with wireless remote control and stay away.

[@gunlover1955]

I had to cut 15 feet off my cable and that fixed this issue it has never bunched up since.

[@USMC-Sniper-0137]

OMG! I wondered what you did as a side job since retiring, Dale J.!! :D :P

[@geraldkoch394]

Awesome, thanks, is that the new ten speed transmission you plan on rebuilding? Not sure if the have that on a ranger,

[@89nissancrawler]

What kind of cut off wheel is on your grinder? It looks like it would work great for hydraulic hoses.

[@rigmover158]

Keep your line nicely spooled. Spook out before you pull hard. Best way to spool is to spool out and pull yourself back with a light load on the winch. Use your brakes lightly until you feel the winch start to work. Line will nicely spool onto the drum as long as you are square to what you’re pulling on

[@st-dm5mr]

With that terrain and tree density, do you carry the Volvo around for a winch anchor?

[@teamidris]

I narrowed my roller fairlead and stuck it out on arms so that there was room for the rope to self reeve properly. The mount is a ball hitch.

[@thomasbroking7943]

I understand that the end doesn't handle the load, but they make a more sturdy end i used on drain cleaning cables..mine didn't hold load either, but if the cable pulled out of the machine for example dropped down a roof, it will pull out and stress me out ...

[@chrisduhaime5689]

Single line pulling is hard unless you are down to 2nd and first layer . If it's a heavy pull use pulley block hook two part line. Fine strand cable is better choice but there mighty proud of it $ but you will be much happier when you have to work it.when out in the woods good to have the the right stuff.

[@wildcatcowboy6591]

All those problems with cable is exactly why I changed from cable to synthetic rope before I ever used my winch. It's a Harbor freight winch but no problems in 3 years.

[@kdmellor]

I found this helpful. Nice when someone takes the time to share something worthwhile. Thanks.

[@roycemccarthy5771]

You might want to wait to thank him. After you use the winch the decision will be easier.

[@donlum9128]

I agree with less winch line. Broke a winch in extreme situation due to cable stacking up.

[@masonwoodward9758]

Great video Blake

[@Sam-tg4ii]

I'm trying to use one of these winches to make a scissor lift I can use to work on my house's exterior. What capacity do you think I will need to lift about 300 LB to a height of about 10-20 feet?

[@rp75heavy]

In joy the video. ..good info....tux!

[@jayf6525]

Very informative. Thank you.

[@SantaClaw]

Steel Cable/Wire with a WLL rating has a safety factor of 5 to 1 when used for lifting. This is used for pulling, where the recommended safety factor is 2. So, this 3780 lbs WLL fiber core cable has a braking limit of 5x 3780 = 18900 lbs divided by 2 for a maximum allowable pulling force of 9450 LBS. In other words, you are over the recommended minimum safe working load limit for a straight line pull on that winch by 2550 lbs

[@CasperRc81]

Could you run the winch in the out position to release tension?

[@teddekker3383]

Thank you :-) A very down to earth video :-)

[@larryrivers2752]

They make a winch guide that wraps without "bird nesting" but needs to be under some tension.

[@McNair1952]

I see that the loader is back on the New Holland tractor, a good sign I presume?

[@OurDee]

Preach brother!

[@olivertaylor8788]

You are exactly correct..

[@nathan00campbell]

do like im going to do on my flatbed and ditch that L fuel tank. it eats up all of the back window, and takes up to much bed space. look for a freightliner M2-106 100 gallon fuel tank. they measure 85"x 18"x18". they are aluminium too. have the option for a fuel gauge, they are not round, they are rectangle so its very easy to mod them for a bulkhead if you want a transerpump. eats up a lot less bed, stays out of the back window, and sits low enough that a 5th wheel or gooseneck trailer will clear when turning. i have no need for a transfer pump, but will be modding mine to have a fuel cap on both ends so i can fuel up on either side when pulling into a station.

[@consaka1]

Lol you have your winch setup exactly like I do. Its on a receiver tray with 350 amp anderson connectors and everything. Only the solenoid box I havent modified yet. Going to have to politely disagree on the synthetic rope though. After using 3 or 4 different synthetic ropes I know 3 things. 1. One synthetic rope is not necessarily the same as another. 2. Synthetic rope is not perfect, though my newest one may be. 3. I will never go back to any form of steel cable. The safety and ease of handling is just second to none. I have used both and never liked steel. I have a synthetic rope that is very very abrasion resistant and it is totally worth it. The rope itself is completely wrapped by an abrasion resistant material. It is tight, not loose like second hand covers you can put over the rope. Plus I modified a couple fairlead rollers in case I have to go over a rock or dirt. Abrasion issues are pretty easy to beat but they do take a little thinking. As for all that equipment marred by steel cable. Well all those pulleys etc can be sanded and polished a bit to take the burs off that the steel cable put there. It is not a huge deal though a good lathe can make it really fast. Agree with using a shorter cable. Just really appreciate the fact that the synthetic is quite a bit stronger than that steel cable and it is a lot safer. Id rather have that over the price and the wear issue of replacing it more often. It is just so much easier to manage.

[@jaysaw8151]

on another note ...what was that cutting wheel?????? ...cuts fast and probably last longer that a whole pack of the fiber abrasive disk

[@adamr8628]

No to Synthetic rope. For all the reasons mentioned. AND.... You're not supposed to get it dirty. And if you do you're supposed to wash it and then dry it before rolling it up. Or if you get it wet you're supposed to unroll the whole thing and dry it properly. And it degrades from sunlight. It has good properties. But I noticed that it has alot more disadvantages than advantages.

[@brucemcmillan8750]

I love the Mountain View

[@khcopter]

Thank you sir very informative

[@gizzyguzzi]

where do you tell us about the control box?

[@fowletm1992]

Where did you get the battery terminal crimper from That would work much better in tight places than the bolt cutter type that I use

[@GuyinWY]

amzn.to/2HogRHi

[@fowletm1992]

Guy in WY No shipping to Australia Dam Gives me a name anyway Cheers

[@asdasd-ni8eg]

Personally not sure if I'd trust that design we have a klauke and that's a nice unit however price might not be justified for most.

[@TimZ007]

Its needs a sway bar like a car which connects both sides to keep them even while allowing for tension. [_,,___,,_]

[@spent217]

Cliff notes: 17:00 minutes to explain replacing cable on winch

[@thearcher1740]

Awesome video and I definitely learnt quite a few things. My only comment would be that the video was extremely shaky and hard to watch as it was moved around a lot

[@jaysaw8151]

well good winch info ...im a poor boy that hauls light stuff like lawn mowers or what ever people pay me so long as my tires dont scrub the bottom of the trailers small boat winches will pull alot more than people may think ... but having a good line is key iv popped rusty lines that just dont fair in fl weather.... cable cost out the butt ...iv found good used ones that seem to be better than most common new lines....i cant seem to find a small swivel hook on a budget ...lawnmowers and small equipment always easy to pull by the front axles but have to stay clear of the steering arms and spindles .

[@rickrogers9511]

What make of winch do you have ?

[@TheKnightDrag0n]

So how do you get to the middle of nowhere?

[@thedirtycorner8816]

I broke it so many of those yellow ones that cheap Factory one will take a beating

[@mlane1986]

I have a cheap harbor frieght badland 12000 winch on my f350 that I use to tow people out of the ditch on highway 59 here in Wyoming.

[@GuyinWY]

I spend way too much time up and down 59.

[@mlane1986]

@@GuyinWY most of the vehicle recoveries I do are between douglas and bill.

[@Sicktrickintuner]

Buddy of mine bought that winch, after 8 months it stopped working when water got inside the motor and it stopped working and only worked when he hit it with a wrench constantly

[@fowletm1992]

Sicktrickintuner the biggest killer to winches is lack of use Saves to run the winch in and out a few times a year Found out the hard way myself It's actually rain and condensation that does the most damage not necessarily driving though deep water

[@grantlandking4361]

Nice video and helpful information. Good job bro! New sub in appreciation. God bless & take care my friend. PEACE!

[@rjl110919581]

thank you

[@mikeb8542]

Why does my steel cable create a birds nest when I switch to free spool.

[@MahonePaul]

How did you manage to watch this video with sounds on?

[@MsMindydog]

My pool table isn't as flat as that place !!!!

[@catchawakeup6411]

Lesson: DON'T DRINK AND WINCH!!!

[@andrewbrenneman3782]

I have a Badlands 9,000 winch and thought about changing out the cable. Does the place you bought your new cable have a little higher capacity cable?

[@GuyinWY]

BA makes all different sizes of cable, but you could actually go with a smaller cable on a 9,000 lb winch.

[@edgreen2526]

Snow on the ground in April you gotta love Wyoming I just can't talk the ol lady into moving there

[@veganpotterthevegan]

We get snow on the peaks in late June and early July from time to time

[@Maritza1204]

I LOVE the background 😍😍😍😍

[@merlenewalker8997]

Me to we're from, Australia

[@donaldchristen6862]

Man talk about open country. Love to stay out in a place like that.

[@merlenewalker8997]

Heah I reckon,, we're going to from Australia to mate 🇦🇺👍

[@billcurry8982]

I wouldn't be too worried about synthetic or cable I'd worry about the next tornado that's gonna come through there . Wow Where's this at Kansas, Oklahoma.

[@user-vh5yf7ps9l]

synthetic is garbage when you are stuck come winter time and it's a frozen solid block of ice

[@user-neo71665]

For most of the use it, abuse it, and forget it crowd a good stainless steel cable is better. As stated if you are winching over rocks and crap all the time then a good SS cable is better. I run cable on my truck. I have rope on my 4 wheelers because its lighter. I use and inspect it regularly. I can splice it with a pocket knife and a bic pen. My issue is most class 3 hitches (most common) you see these winches on is only rated to pull a 6k trailer. 10k with a trailer weight distribution system, none of the plug and play winch plates I've seen have that . Even a class 4 is only 10k (14k with distribution system). Only a class 5 is rated for 12k. Remember even if you only have a 8k winch a snatch block effectively doubles that possibly leaving you putting a 16k load on that class 3 hitch.

[@f1y7rap]

your working load rating needs to be equal to the max load/ pulling load of the winch. Your cable will begin to fail/stretch before the breaking strength rating. Once it's been stretched (beyond the working load) it loses its max break strength. In other words, load that sucker 6-8 times at 8-9k lbs and it will fail well below its as-delivered breaking strength. Why? Metal fatigue. Same reason you never want to hook a cable to itself (choker config). When fastening a rope (steel or fiber) to itself you reduce its load capacity.

[@mjobrien69]

Hiya, it's called "spooling", the word I think you're after in the first bit of the clip - hope that makes sense :)

[@nm4freedom]

I believe that you mis-quoted the braking strength (3,500 lbs) of this cable. Pardon me if I am wrong, but it reads that this cable's breaking strength is 20,400 lbs. I've got this from comments on Amazon: There is a national SAEJ standard that specifies a ratio specific to Towing and Recovery procedures for wire rope. SAEJ959. This code states that the ratio of 3.55:1 is to be used for all wire rope used on a towing and recovery unit. WLL on this product is 5,700lbs and a MBS of 20,400lbs. By Amazon Customer on March 12, 2019

[@cutweldngrind]

Any recommendations on a 9,000 to 12,000 lb winch. I want to use for a gin pole setup to help lift up to 500 lbs. I will also have winch mounted on hitch adapter to mount on the front or rear of my dually.

[@GuyinWY]

I’ve been very happy with my Vortex winch, and would buy one again if I needed it. This one is still going strong!

[@johnfitbyfaithnet]

Aw man both the winch and cable are unavailable

[@joelmollenkopf3767]

Excellent

[@weldnerd6922]

Hey Blake - what was that gold cut off wheel on that Milwaukee grinder ?? On a funny note -- you sound like Randy Quaid !! LOL

[@GuyinWY]

The cut off wheel was from Home Depot, I forget the exact brand of it.

[@weldnerd6922]

@@GuyinWY - Thanks Buddy !👍🏼

[@jaxturner7288]

Jerry Dandridge gold from home Depo would of been RIGID brand, I was impressed with mine for many cuts. When it needed replacing (abused n bent while not in use) home Depo had the diablo brand 2-pack 4.5 in. diamond blades for $15, same I paid for the single old rigid. Seems no different so far, just got the Lennox version but haven’t even tried it yet.