Mudisco.

Can anyone help with this, I am looking for what i call a Spooler, now to me this would be a smallish but well built bit of kit that would sit close to the front of a winch. On rewind it would make the cable travel correctly back onto the drum. If something like this exists it would have to be strong enough to work under a "winching in" load. I not going to get all technical and reel off why i'm looking as i've had to do that so many times elsewhere, where it goes and why can all be revealed if i ever get one and fit it, but needless to say it's going onto a vehicle. So thats it and believe me any leads would be gratefully received.

just in case..... I don't get to stay on the site for long but can be reached at [email protected] via email, which has a much quicker way of getting to me during the daytime.

so whats it for? we're a nosey bunch!! also i think the item you're looking for may be called a 'fairlead'

Hi slob, na not saying yet mate, if what i want exists and i make it work then all will be revealed, but not setting myself up for another round of laughing faces, it's all in the doing or zip......

Oh sorry about the Fairlead, no won't do it, got one of them on the front, but they rely on the cable correctly reeling in itself apart from keeping it aligned with the winch drum, this has to literally guide the cable back and forth along the drum !

i seen something like that once or twice, a long time ago. it was nothing more than a bit of round bar, perhaps 3/8 or maybe 1/2 inch in dia. it was sort of rectangluar with rounded ends, as if someone had got hold of a circle and stretched it... i'll try and get a drawing of it on here for you if need be.

i also saw summat like it many yrs ago on an old prewar winch. the cable guide was powered by the motor, and traversed across the drum.
you would need a lot of engineering skill and a machine shop to make one methinks?

ps, seem to remember that the drum was also grooved?

i could probably make something like that ( and thats not me offering, i've got far too much on unfortunately as much as i love playing with lathes and milling machines )
basically what you need could be achieved with a simple clutching system and two large threaded bars arranged properly. or one bar if you were guarenteed to have line tension when retracting the cable. clutch to differentiate between which bar is needed ( or limit switches could be used if you're good with electricals and probably some electronics ) and the threading on the bars will lead the way.
there are similar contraptions available.
or you could pull a good retractable garden hose reel apart, nick the components and have them made out of bright bar rather than the plastic. they work well enough

Keep those memories jolting and the idea's coming guys, somewhere in there is an answer.......

cheaper to give the wife a pr of gloves and tell her to guide the cable across?

i have seen it on a fishing rods! and on a larger winch at a boat yard for towing boats up the ramp, but not the size you want

no wife now, got Discoveries instead, some costs but do as they're told and no back chat. Still working the spooler idea and making some headway on an own design, long way to go tho !, so please keep those grey cells ticking, all idea's and info needed.

just an update on the "Spooler" search, well so far no good, but now going along the lines of a heavy worm gear from a crane steering box, it has nicely rounded of edges and is plenty deep in the grooves, using two fitted in opposition in an under and over set-up with a cable tripped flip over at each end, relying on the tension on the cable to supply enough pressure to activate all. Yep i KNOW it could never work, but thats why we try ain't it !

Believe this is what you are looking for..http://www.offshore-technology.com/contractors/lifting/bezemer/bezemer4.html.. however it might be a little big and expensive, and not sure if you have a hydraulic pump.... I had a smaller version on the log skidder I used to use. Unfortunatly not sure of the manufacturer....

This might be more like it... http://www.alliedpower.com/columbia/options/specs/COLUMBIA_AutoAdvance.pdf

Thanks Pickuprover, have mailed em to see what they might have that suits, winch is electric so fingers crossed.

Just had a chat with the mechanics at work and on our company vehicles we have a device thats sits in a small hole at the front of the winches with is like a foot long handle and when the winch is being used it guides the cable back and forth the guys didn't know the technical name for it but all our winches come from superwinch and they say that it comes with them
hope this helps
http://www.innovation-engineering.co.uk/winches.htm

If it helps when calling if you quote our company NEDL they might have a better idea

For Pickuprover, had a mail response from the company in Oregon U.S. they can do but estimate $3000 as cost, great idea but i'm not THAT keen, mind you i now have a picture of what they make and maybe........

For Richyborofanrich, thanks for tha lead, gonna go take a look, will let you know how i get on.

for any other interested heads, scratch the crane worm gear idea, only got one and it's from the ark, no more available ah well... onward and upward where's there's a will (wheel) there's a LR attached to it !

I also saw a diamond gear on a Unimog winch one time... still trying to find a site with a picture. Will see if I can find one this weekend.