Thought I would list some lessons learned on a recent rebuild of an 8A winch and controller. Going to try posting first to test for debug error.
As it has been noted many times on the forum, before purchasing a winch, take the clutch/brake cover off to get a look at what you are up against. Unless it is free, or you can get it for scrap value, walk away if you can not get the cover off. These winches are very susceptible to moisture, that combined with years of leaking brake fluid can result in a rusted corroded mess. Look before you leap.
Get a manual/parts list for the winch/control. Study them. Things are easier to figure out if you can see them in diagram.
Slow wins the race. It takes a long time and lots of penetrates and persuasion to free stuff up. Easy on the flame wrench. A rose bud and even heat is the way to go when trying to remove parts like the clutch lever or the clutch spider.
When trying to remove the clutch spider, do not over tighten the jacking bolts. It is possible to bend one of the legs which will make adjustment of the clutch bands at reassembly difficult. Use a combination of heat and tightening of the bolts. Go slow, it will come off.
The brake adjustment screw is typically a bad place for corrosion. Get a new shiny one from Lavoy, but chase the threads in the winch casing with a 1-1/2-20 tap before you reinstall the drum/shaft and bearings. The threads for the adjustment screw can get pretty buggered up and you may need to chase them from inside the casing rather than from outside at the bottom of the casing.
Use broken hacksaw blades to center the clutch bands in the drum, then tighten the adjustment bolts on the clutch spider.
The cylinder rebuilt kits for the control are only available for the clutch cylinder and not the brake cylinder. The X710 controller uses two different cylinders for the clutch and the brake. The later controllers for the 19 used identical cylinders. Use a clutch rebuild kit for the brake, but reuse the old brake plunger with a new o ring. The old plunger for the brake has a hole in it that allows fluid to pass through. The clutch cylinder has a small hole in it that allows fluid to get behind the plunger. The brake cylinder does not.
Use copper washers in lieu of the fiber washers on both sides of the hydraulic gland. The fiber washers fail after they have been tightened a couple of times and will piss you off.
The Deluxe seat frame will need to be cut or shimmed up to avoid interference with the brake cylinder located on top of the winch.
If replacing the wire rope, the drum is an over-wound, right to left set up, so use left lay wire rope if you can. it will help with bird nesting.
The winch works great. All bearings, clutch and brake bands were replaced, including 100ft of 1/2 inch wire rope. It would pull the Queen Mary around if you could hold the 420 down. We use it for our small sugaring operation and for logging/firewood.
Thanks to Paul, Tom and Lavoy for their help on info/parts. Big help.
Happy winching....
Andrew
