Winches (this is for you, Alec)

[Hummie2]

Ok guys let me clarify what happened a little.

The reason for my first reply was to answer the question of why not to use a winch larger than 9500# in the reciever(see the quote on the first pic).

No doubt I exceeded the rating of the hitch on the H2 and yes the hummer was sliding. I have had this winch for several years and never had any problem using it in other classIII receivers(you could double line it and stall the winch), but the H2 hitch is different. I don't believe my hitch had a defect, nothing looked abnormal in material or welds when I examined it after removal. Had I seen a defect you can bet I would have been in for warranty. The H2 hitch relys on its shape not material thickness(11 ga.) for its strength. Once this hitch starts to deflect alittle its strength is gone.

Could I/should I (hindsight being 20/20) rigged things differently? Yes. Had I doubled my line back to a chain sling hooked between both tow hooks this would have put 8000# load on the actual receiver and 4000# on each tow hook and the hitch would not have bent.

I would still recommend using a snatch block when ever possible. There is only half the strain on the motor, wire rope, and electrical system( most winches operating at full load capacity draw in excess of 400amps) to move the same load. Also by doubling the line back through a snatch block you pull more cable off the drum getting down to lower layer near the hub gaining a mechanical advantage and are less likely to pinch the line between other wraps on the drum.

A new hitch and permanent rear mount for the winch are in the works for my H2. I have coil suspension and the winch will fit where the air compressor does on air suspension. About 95% of my winch work is to pull some thing that won't move under its own power up onto a trailer and a rear winch is a very usefull tool. I will post pics when the mount and hitch are done.

Don

[This message was edited by Hummie2 on 04-28-03 at 02:20 PM.]