lil-landy
New Member
- Posts
- 473
- Location
- Near Sheffield
Guys, I got warned quite alot to ignore champion winches when I was on about putting in an order for one.
I heard allsorts about build quality and unrealiability.
Well, I've not given it too big a work out yet as I haven't had it that long. But in the two months I've had it...
It's towed a 30 tonne skip wagon out of axle deep mud it was stuck in, ON A SINGLE LINE PULL
Its been dunked underwater and under mud, and used immediately after wards several times.
Oh, and just after I fitted it to the landy, I tried to see if it would tow a 7.5 tonne lorry (SORN) with its handbrake on. Just to see how good it was. It bent the rear crossmember (I couldn't find anything else to tow the lorry from)
All this without ever been waterproofed (though I am getting round to it soon)
However, here we get to the quick lesson for the lazy people out there (of which I am one)
When wiring a winch, don't ignore been told about an in-line fuse. And also pay alot of attention to where you're wiring.
I ignored both of these. Was rushing to finish fitting it, and didn't put a fuse in, and routed it along the top of the left dumb iron (I think its called that.)
Well, the other day, all of a sudden, the engine just stopped, completely stopped. Right in the middle of a roundabout going into a motorway services. With a big puff of mysterious blue smoke coming from under the engine. The battery was so flat, I couldn't even put the hazards on.
Fortunately, I was in a convoy and managed to get a tow into the services and try and fix the problem. What had happened was the positive cable had melted through to part of the exhaust system, and shorted itself out. It flattened the battery in literally seconds.
Quite a simple fix. Disconnect winch. Jump it off another landy, and leave them both running connected at the battery for several minutes, and drive home.
However, now I have to spend another £20 on winch extention cables. All this for not spending around £5 on an in-line fuse, or even the laziness to put some jubilee clips onto the line to keep it out the way. And that laziness could of cost me alot more than £20. It could of cost me an entire engine fire.
A word of warning, from someone who's made the mistake himself. But if you're anything like me. You won't listen to me either
PS: Sorry for the essay. And sorry for so many paragraphs, I'm not a good writer.
I heard allsorts about build quality and unrealiability.
Well, I've not given it too big a work out yet as I haven't had it that long. But in the two months I've had it...
It's towed a 30 tonne skip wagon out of axle deep mud it was stuck in, ON A SINGLE LINE PULL
Its been dunked underwater and under mud, and used immediately after wards several times.
Oh, and just after I fitted it to the landy, I tried to see if it would tow a 7.5 tonne lorry (SORN) with its handbrake on. Just to see how good it was. It bent the rear crossmember (I couldn't find anything else to tow the lorry from)
All this without ever been waterproofed (though I am getting round to it soon)
However, here we get to the quick lesson for the lazy people out there (of which I am one)
When wiring a winch, don't ignore been told about an in-line fuse. And also pay alot of attention to where you're wiring.
I ignored both of these. Was rushing to finish fitting it, and didn't put a fuse in, and routed it along the top of the left dumb iron (I think its called that.)
Well, the other day, all of a sudden, the engine just stopped, completely stopped. Right in the middle of a roundabout going into a motorway services. With a big puff of mysterious blue smoke coming from under the engine. The battery was so flat, I couldn't even put the hazards on.
Fortunately, I was in a convoy and managed to get a tow into the services and try and fix the problem. What had happened was the positive cable had melted through to part of the exhaust system, and shorted itself out. It flattened the battery in literally seconds.
Quite a simple fix. Disconnect winch. Jump it off another landy, and leave them both running connected at the battery for several minutes, and drive home.
However, now I have to spend another £20 on winch extention cables. All this for not spending around £5 on an in-line fuse, or even the laziness to put some jubilee clips onto the line to keep it out the way. And that laziness could of cost me alot more than £20. It could of cost me an entire engine fire.
A word of warning, from someone who's made the mistake himself. But if you're anything like me. You won't listen to me either
PS: Sorry for the essay. And sorry for so many paragraphs, I'm not a good writer.
