Florida Man Challenges Me to Build a Massive Winch

This might be one of the coolest things I've built. Hank from Hamiltonville Farm needed a beefy recovery winch for a skid steer. We can do that!
/ hamiltonvillefarm

[@HamiltonvilleFarm]

I sure had a blast! Thank you for spending time with me and doing such an amazing job in the winch build!

[@WatchWesWork]

Now you can reel in those big gators!

[@jtelliso]

Howboutcha! One of my other fav channels to follow. Hope Wiley is doing well!

[@Darfur64]

Good luck breaking that thing Hank, Wes doesn't design lightweight crap for sure!

[@clarencewiles963]

This was indeed a great idea 💡

[@messin-with-junk]

I wish I would have known hank was heading up to see wes. I'd sponsored his trip. I have a perpetual content machine for wes to restore.

[@ChainsawFPV]

"I'll help you". The 3 words that make the price double immediately.

[@shawnrenaud2252]

It's the constant reflex laughter that would drive me to drink.

[@stevezwemer1262]

😂😂😂😂

[@davidblaauw1806]

You are a brilliant man Wes, and a true gentleman, please don’t ever stop making videos.

[@camillosteuss]

Right? I love the mechanic`s sticker that lists the prices of work, adding another category of added rates for watching, plus additional rates for helping, as helping implies both watching and driving you nuts... Something like 30$ per hour, watching +15$, helping +25$, totaling in 80$ per hour of helping time... And it`s true... Mechanic-ing isn`t just spitting on the nut and wrenching it back, swapping shit and returning the nuts before they dry up.... It`s stuck crap, snagged pieces, already damaged parts that you have to deal with first to get to what you need to do, rusty brittle fasteners, seized studs, bent rods, spun bearings and red herrings... All of which quickly stacks up into a major fuss, a swear fest the likes of which would make a sailor blush, yelling, screaming, howling, all in an attempt to suppress the desire to bash the shit out of the customer`s part in a fit of rage... We may return the part in perfect condition, all restored, all repaired, all shiny and clean, but it took mental strength that would subdue an avalanche if put to that use - to not harm the damned thing in the process and just keep steady and gentle until you are done... Only to realize that you forgot to return a part that you have to take the whole thing apart to put back in... Tho, by then, you almost mastered the job and what took 4 hours or more to do the first time around, now with fresh bolts, studs, hoses, pipes and what not - take no more than 45 minutes... Ah, the joy of wrenching or any mech. field jobs... And no, programming doesn`t compare, you don`t get your fingers smashed by an engine when a mount fails... You get sweaty and pissed off, but the closest you come to risk of bodily harm is when you plow your fist into the keyboard... It may be as frustrating, but it is harm free environment, and mistakes only cost time and money, not potential body parts... Unless you are programming for the cartel, but what use of such services would they have?

[@henrinaths1]

28:32 Those welders were good for the first five years and then they turn into shit. I’ve gone through so many of these trying to find the problem I finally got myself an old lindi wire feed. There’s a felt follower for the wire to go through to clean and soak in oil.. that might save your liner. Little bits of dirt, maybe pile up towards the end of the liner dust and grit from grinding

[@dougaranda6187]

I’m a retired mechanical designer, and I hope people can appreciate what you did here. Your skills blow me away with almost every video.

[@MichaelSteeves]

I'm a design engineer. First you do the thinking, then you do the sketching, then you do the drafting. When that is finished, it is time for the easy part: building!

[@WatchWesWork]

I spent a lot of time in the design/build world. Sometimes I miss it. Sometimes I don't!

[@dougaranda6187]

@@WatchWesWork Same here. All in all though, I’d do it again.

[@elianbarajas2869]

He has a degree in engineering, not really that out of his world. Lol

[@dougaranda6187]

@@elianbarajas2869 He did everything from start to finish. That’s way beyond what an engineer does. LOL. J/O

[@zachsmith98]

"Out of sight, out of warranty" hahaha great job Wes!

[@centauri61032]

Glad to see you could use those bucket teeth. Better than sending them to the scrap heap, which is where they were heading otherwise.

[@billgeorge7804]

Heavy D Sparks made a similar one Wes, it proved to be incredibly versatile. Well done on the build. Nice to see a collaboration between you and Hank.

[@MrJohnBabcock]

Should have dropped a 10mm socket in that tube before welding it up.. 😂😂😂 Good fun guys!!!

[@mitchellhunter8673]

And then you add an angle grinder that says for emergency use only.

[@bostedtap8399]

Brilliant, with a phone number of family

[@WatchWesWork]

Is that where I dropped it?

[@mikehunt3222]

He probably would have dropped a 10mm socket down there but he’d already lost it. 😂

[@kerbsidebob1]

Hanks not a daft man he wanted something. Unique and got the biggest talent on KZbin to build it. Now that’s a clever move. Well done Wes you never disappoint.

[@guyfuller1369]

I hope folks realize how well edited your videos are. Brilliant!

[@WatchWesWork]

I try. It doesn't really translate to views.

[@guyfuller1369]

@@WatchWesWork Betcha it translates into more end-to-end views.

[@calholli]

@@WatchWesWork Yeah, but the people who get it are here permanently.

[@joshwillis5893]

​@@WatchWesWork Hey man I just found your channel and this build was awesome, gained a subscriber. This is not meant to be critical at all, just offering you a few ideas to help drive up viewership. I think the biggest factor is runtime, it's hard to commit to a 40min video, I've heard some big channels say the sweet spot is 15-20min. Your content is great and this was a complex build so I know it's hard to cut it down. One thing you could do is speed up the footage of stuff that is common work and not unique to the build (i.e. unloading, plasma cutting, bandsawing stock to length, tacking, welding, etc). If there's an interesting fit up, a mistake that needs fixing, or you just said something funny def leave it in. One other thing that I think might help is advertise your old videos as you go, if something you previously did a video on happens to come on screen then add the little pop-up link to that old video so if it catches someone's eye they go back and watch that one. Hope it didn't come across the wrong way and you can use something to help you so we can keep watching Wes work!

[@ron827]

A big thank you for stealing time away from the build to position the camera for our benefit. For myself when working on a project, I don't even take time to stay adequately hydrated and certainly would not want to take time to move a camera. Momentum can carry a job to completion.

[@coltonkruse2313]

Man I'm glad I'm not the only one who has that problem. Has been extremely bad since my wife and I bought an old farm. There are endless projects and I always seem to work without eating or drinking. In warmer weather I always end up seeing spots from dehydration. That's when I know I actually have to take a break. Probably going to have to work to change that as I get older.

[@markfryer9880]

​@@coltonkruse2313In the Australian Army drinking water regularly in warm to hot weather is called "Water Discipline" or at least it was back in the 80s and 90s! 😅 But seriously, going without adequate fluids and to a lesser extent food is detrimental to your productivity and your health in the short, medium and long term. Have you ever seen one of those urine colour charts? They tell you if you are passing enough fluids through your urine amongst other things. Look them up. You may think that you are "pushing on to get the job done" but how many times do you find yourself making dumb mistakes and or tripping over things and get angry? Step back, take 5, wash your hands and face and then have a sandwich and a drink! Even if you only take 10 minutes, you can be looking at the job in front of you and preplanning your next moves. Something to think about? Mark from Melbourne Australia 🇦🇺

[@johnreecer6839]

It may be bulletproof but if you have ever watched Hank videos it may not be Hank proof, awesome job Wes.

[@addisonshealy7411]

The animation at the beginning are honestly very impressive

[@DougT25427]

This one has to be the coolest builds I've ever seen Wes do. I am amazed at his skill and how easy he makes it look. I got my $5 worth… 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@WatchWesWork]

Thanks! I'm really happy how it came out!

[@calholli]

He's just building the working designs that are already out there. Having that plasma table makes a huge difference when it comes to quality and time saving. That's on my bucket list of tools

[@dans_Learning_Curve]

It's satisfying to see a CAD model you started from scratch become reality!

[@davidrose8046]

Wes, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. You are one of the smartest, most talented people I’ve ever seen. When Hank stopped at C & C Equipment and pulled a 40 ton dozer with this winch, I was impressed beyond belief! I truly appreciate your skills.

[@gtfkt]

That animation work at the beginning was excellent.

[@lawrencewillard6370]

Like 'Out of sight, out of warranty '. Nothing I make even gets that far. Thanks for this, a great laugh, a great job.

[@harveypaxton1232]

"Out of sight, Out of warranty". Love it!

[@perstaffanlundgren]

Nice build ! A suggestion doe... Put a protective steel tunnel over the vinch line where it goes from the pulley to winch, if cabel breaks in this area or the cable may go trough the windshild of the machine . A cable tunnel over the cable will contain the" vipping ". Even if it's a sturdy cable accidents can happen .

[@liamjerkins7259]

Heard the comment about other KZbinrs having hour+ videos. I enjoy the long videos, but I don’t really mind. Do what ever you can/want to do. Really enjoyed watching you do this project!

[@chrislambert2889]

Very Happy Mother's Day to Miss Wes 💐 . And too all Mothers on channel watching this amazing group every ish week 💯🎯💪

[@ronmimnaugh7674]

You can't fool me. I know you are just building the equipment for the next mad max movie. Thanks for sharing this

[@TXH1138]

Orders are probably already rolling in. Looks like he made a stop at C&C equipment.

[@Rwalt61]

Another machine you never knew you needed until you needed it and now you're glad you have it.

[@htpcuser6980]

The best "There's your problem, lady" yet! Thanks Wes

[@andrewmain3572]

I think all that heavy pulling has shifted the earth's orbit, which could explain the warm sunny weather we've been having in central Scotland and the appearance of the aurora borealis.

[@carlnewman24]

Squirt some silicon spray through the new liner, do it regularly. Clean off your wire drive wheels too. Love the channel.

[@johnsecord9697]

I like the new direction for your channel. Inventing stuff is fun to do and to watch. Thanks Wes and thanks Hank.

[@SueSmith-ew7iv]

You continue to raise your bar Wes, the graphics, design and implementation just pure brilliance. And always a pleasure to watch the master at work. Thank you x

[@wingdwolf56]

Your knowledge and skill continue to amaze me, even after all these years! Happy Mother's day Mrs Wes!!

[@dougaranda6187]

Most skilled person on YT.

[@daviduglem3213]

Good morning Wes, while in the service of the United States army in 1970, I drove an m88 track recovery vehicle that would winch 90 tons up the side of a mountain with the Spade in front dug in. Even the boom winch was good for 25 tons. The cable on the main wrench was as big around as your wrist. The tow bar for towing tanks weighed 250 lb. It was a gasoline 12 cylinder 24 spark plug four magnetos

[@daviduglem3213]

Lots of mud in Vietnam. Recovery of m48 tanks was always a challenge.

[@bennett34]

any cool stories you mind sharing?

[@daviduglem3213]

To many .​@@bennett34

[@axcs0119]

I love the shot of you at the start when Hank says he will help

[@awstott]

Hank is doing all the crossovers between the youtube channels it seems. I recognize that red white and blue winch setup on that dozer at the end. Nice build Wes - especially in what looks to be a very cramped shop. Looking forward to part 3 of the office build.

[@cap1206]

Incredible craftsmanship Wes! Amazing work and design. Nice to hear more laughter in the shop! 🤣

[@michaelyoung7261]

With the five years I’ve had at my current job, and the limited amount of welding I’ve done, I still feel like a novice when I watch videos like this where the welds look like a work of art, but I’m also pleased that I recognized almost everything he was doing and talking about. Nicely done sir, that is a beautiful job well done

[@bobrenner7213]

I started watching Wes when he did the dragline crane recovery - maybe 4 years ago or so. What a lot of experiences he has had since then. Keep up the GREAT WORK! I marvel at what you do to keep your customers in business.

[@darrenhawken9766]

🎶Every winch way but loose 🎶, great work, thanks for sharing 👍💨💨

[@kevinsantema6807]

I had the same problem with my 252 miler, fought it for a long time trying lots of things like new liner, new gun, you name it, ended up being the wire, couldn’t see anything wrong with it, couldn’t feel anything, but could not get it to feed smoth, switched back to Lincoln super arc like I had ran before and no more problems, just my 2 cent worth, thanks for the videos

[@WatchWesWork]

I'm using ESAB wire, which has always been pretty good for me, but maybe they changed the recipe.

[@kevinsantema6807]

If I remember right, thats the brand I had trouble with, I had ran it in the pass to and had no trouble, it was hard to tell in the video but it sure can piss a person off

[@DaveSender66]

Well we know where your true passion lies and it's creating and building things. Beautiful work Wes!!! Time for you to switch to flux core wire when you weld !! Looking forward to the next project.

[@alanenglish9681]

Brilliant fabrication vlog Wes! Really enjoyed watching it emerge out of bits of cut metal!

[@donhappel9566]

I'm loving that you showed the plasma table having some (small) issues at first. So many people make it look like you just plug it in and it works right out of the box

[@WatchWesWork]

Well it does if you engage your brain.

[@paulsilva3346]

​@WatchWesWork , AND You're NOT thinking of a DOZEN Other projects at the same time as well also... 41:23

[@stephenmeeks684]

This was an awesome project from pixels to plate to product. Wes is the bes’t. Great job.

[@normanbuchanan9710]

This was really cool seeing two KZbin legends working together.

[@haydenc2742]

Daggum...if it's not over-engineered it's not a WWW fabrication! Very awesome! Tons of welds and plenty of design Keep em coming!!!!

[@Martin.Wilson]

What a great project. I could tell that Wes was up for the challenge of designing and building a better mousetrap. Awesome job guys!

[@drewv1785]

I think this was the best projects ever! Very impressive! Even Max enjoyed being the job site supervisor! 🙂

[@victorbarajas1395]

wes you are the best! now i do understand why, you are not wasting you time fixing GMs junky cars. keep teaching us, we do love your work but we love as well everything we learn from you!

[@johnsmith-xr6qy]

Wow! I have a new favorite fab video!!! I could (will) sit & watch this every day. Fabing is like building. It starts with an idea, goes through a plan and several changes and finally the fun starts. My son used to say, "Dad, you just say wham, bam, give me a hand and it's done." We just grin 'cause it is fun when a plan comes together. At 77, I watch & enjoy. Not too bad!

[@dwjr5129]

Wes, you’re a helluva fabricator. Nice job.

[@nancykitzinger3078]

Awesome video! Looks like you got a big thumbs up from C&C Equip too!

[@jackmiyamoto5270]

That is a great video. Creating tools and one-off machines is truly what engineers do best and you just demonstrated your skill set. Great video!!!!

[@brianworley7705]

Good evening Wes, I am a bit behind my typical viewing of your videos, but MIL here very early this morning and lots to do today. I enjoyed the video. Thank you for sharing!

[@mikehynes6632]

This is my absolute favorite type of work you do on your channel! Beautiful work!

[@teejmiller]

My favorite videos are the ones that start with a CAD model and feature the Crossfire (I fixed my forgetting to ground my work problem with a magnetic ground clamp). Excellent work as always, but I'd start looking for a new shop apprentice.. that guy always has a phone or a camera in his hand! Thank you for taking the time to make these videos for us!

[@paulsilva3346]

LOL, SMH....

[@emilegramberg2342]

Not just a paperboy engineer great work Wes.

[@kevinfergusson8239]

Love your work. From building an upstairs room in wood to a winch in steel. Great skills.😊

[@stevanrose7439]

I worked with an old guy that used a four inch grinder with a wire wheel to clean the slag off of his welds. It worked pretty slick. He rebuilt the rock bins at the concrete plant.

[@e_filippo]

Awesome build. Can't wait to see it get some use!

[@WatchWesWork]

I think they had a lot of rain in Florida, so it should see some action.

[@Supermarine0Spitfire]

Nicely done Wes. It was a blast to watch, and that contraption looks badass!

[@keithjamieson3725]

I watch in amazement when I see what this man can achieve. Wes often said I'm not a clever man or words to that effect. You prove yourself wrong in so many ways. My favourite KZbin channel by far.

[@casparberends2719]

Very nice piece of work! Regarding the sheave assembly, that is a common design. Works very well underload, unfortunately not following so well under very light load. Really enjoyed the video.👍🏻

[@WatchWesWork]

I guess we will see. I've never used this design myself.

[@tracywagoner4907]

That’s awesome. You and Hank and a little C&C in the same video. Great to see how you put it together

[@pghampton]

I have a welder that feeds wire just fine & my welds don't look half as good! Seriously impressive 'small' project Wes - truly a man of many skills

[@dwaynekennedy3554]

Glad you got it done-RIGHT by a talented Engineer , Wes and Hank great job!

[@PinMonkey1960]

Watching Hanks video I got the feeling you weren’t too excited about this project. Cant wait to see it in action. As laways Wes does not disappoint.

[@WatchWesWork]

I'm just swamped.

[@dfross87]

@@WatchWesWork It's your own fault for being both competent AND honest, Wes.

[@Flying0Dismount]

I could absolutely see that conversation being real... "I'll help you..."

[@singplumb]

All my life, I’ve worked repairing things or new installations. Residential construction, steel mills, and railroad as a Water Service Mechanic. I can count on one hand the people I’ve worked with are mechanically inclined and very intelligent. Had I worked with Wes, he’d definitely make my list.

[@Military-Museum-LP]

Wes builds things to last. Thanks for the great video.

[@jackreed3445]

Great job. That thing looks like it would move a mountain and it also has the look of something that will last a long time. Your workplace reminds me of a weld shop that had the owners collection of personal projects and stuff his wife would not let him keep at home all tucked around in his shop. I'll be looking for you net week, jack

[@jackmcconnaughey4630]

Hank went from watching Wiley work to watching Wes work lol

[@SkillMasters-vy2lo]

Hank went from watching Wiley work to watching Wes work 😝

[@CMCSenior]

Wes, your skill sets and ability to put into place what you design is truly amazing! Keep on keeping on.

[@eric_seguin]

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY Mrs. W. Other than that, I'm speechless.

[@jcbro86]

Hanks a character for sure but I don’t know if he deserves a full on “Florida man” lol

[@Sevalecan]

"Vice Grip, all his videos are over an hour now"... Lmao, true.

[@WatchWesWork]

I dunno. I stopped watching them long ago.

[@Sevalecan]

@@WatchWesWork I've looked at his stuff recently but honestly don't have the patience for it myself... But can confirm at least one of the most recent ones was about 2 hours.

[@henryg683]

The only thing I can think of is a place to store equipment on the attachment so everything is stored with the machine and you don’t need to chase after things to get the job done!!??? Amazing job as always Wes!!!!

[@paulsilva3346]

Thanks, I thought of that also...

[@robertwynn7686]

Wes, thank you for all you do, I have binged about 95% of your videos and have learned a lot along the way, so thanks for all your efforts and please wish your wife a Happy Mother's Day from all of us...

[@gutsngorrrr]

I love seeing your machining skills and this was a great project to watch from the initial idea to the fully working end product

[@williammills5111]

Just Beautiful! Thanks for taking us along!

[@davec9244]

Remember the good old days swiping slag off the shop floor. Good to see you still got it on a stick welder. thank you ALL stay safe

[@rexstetson9820]

Nice sturdy attachment, well engineered and fabricated!

[@gregholloway2656]

Happy Mother’s Day to Mrs Wes! Didn’t envy you on cutting the 4” HSS with an angle grinder. 👍

[@user-tr3xx6vl2h]

Nice touch including the medallions. We should always sign our work.

[@ronaldbrown5745]

It’s obvious Wes is in his happy state when creating.

[@I-watch-at-2x]

Woohoo! Morning everyone, it's a definitely a great day with another Wes video and my 6th cup of coffee!!

[@MW-rk7nl]

Dude you make me feel good about always having 10000 things going on all at once. Everything always gets done but never at the speed I want and there is always something someone needs. Your videos have become my weekend morning shows thanks for opening your world to us and letting us look over the shoulder of the master!

[@mrmotofy]

Makes me feel better for having 2001 projects in process

[@ruaraidhmcdonald-walker9524]

Epic design and build and a great watch. Nice XS650 hiding back there at @9:25

[@kevincurry859]

Nice engineering, very impressive. Good job.

[@MarkRich-uw7wr]

Little tip, you can buy a kit I think is called something like Linelube. Pad fits over the wire before rollers. Add product to dampen the pad. Cleans the wire, lubricates the liner and weld is often better as a result. I used it for years. Great design and skills making it happen. Mark uk 🇬🇧

[@johngibson3837]

You can also steel a clothes peg and use that with some lint free rag, also uk

[@gib666]

@@johngibson3837 steal

[@fixins]

Love the project! You need to get yourself a separate building to contain the horde so you can work in your workshop.

[@WatchWesWork]

Those are all active projects...

[@abqcleve]

Excellent animations! Thank you for this fun episode.

[@johneden7975]

I hope Wes goes for the Bernard MiG gun. Industry best, last forever. And you’ll love the tip/consumables setup. It is slick!

[@ksokie63]

Hey Wes 👋, great video. It's cool to see you helping out a fellow with a small project. Thanks for sharing . Have a great day with the family 👋

[@crisprtalk6963]

Holy shit these animations are fantastic!

[@infocpctrainer]

wow, all I can say is wow! You certainly excelled on this job. I'm certain this might open the floodgates on such a good idea. I can see JCB wanting the patent on that drawing. Would love to see more video on it in action, I'm sure the owner will be pleased with it.

[@tomyot77]

Loved the dragon teeth and bar. The wench bucket looks military grade. It is overwhelming to watch Wes create a CAD on to a functional piece of heavy equipment that will last for years in a week from his shop using a lot of on hand materials.

[@davidnaudi2601]

That was an awesome build. Cheers

[@timtaulu9914]

Great design process Great build Great Max was moving and appeared happy😉 Should I say great video

[@clintprice2123]

Wes, your skills are amazing! You did an excellent job and made it very enjoyable to watch. Nice to see your wife and son come out and see what you’re up to, mine doesn’t have an interest in what I create as she’s too used to it.

[@garysparks2681]

That's some fine looking stick welding.