How to replace a winch cable

When the cable in your winch is already showing signs of wear and tear, you may have to replace it to prevent accidents and injuries from happening. Replacing winch cables is a pretty task to perform and requires only a few materials and tools. Read this article to learn how to replace a winch cable.

Reeling out the cable, removing the cable and attaching the new cable

1) Reel out the entire length of your old cable. 2) Take out the winch cable from where it's connected to the drum. Ease out the tension on the cable and press the end of the cable at the point where it runs through the tiny hole in the drum. If you see that the rope is curled over and spun tight in the drum, push out the cable from the hole till you are able to comfortably unbend the curled cable. Next, pull the cable's end through the hole in order to take it out it from the drum. If you cannot remove the cable by pushing, try utilising a hammer and pin punch to push the keeper or metal button out of the hole. If the old cable is connected to the drum with a bolt, you would have to remove the bolt in order to get the cable out. 3) Fit the fresh cable to the drum. For wire rope, place the cable's end through the drum's hole, then screw the cable tightly to keep it firmly in place. For recovery winches, put a good adhesive to the thread of the cable clamp to prevent screw from loosening, then screw the clamp tight but not too tightly.

Putting and reeling the new cable

4) Whenever you're replacing your cable with a winch rope made of synthetic materials, first push the rope's end into the drum's hole. Pull in the rope through the drum's hole, then twirl it around the drum's underside and over the top. Next, tuck the rope underneath itself from the point where it leaves the drum, then press the rope's end back into the drum's hole. You may find yourself utilising a screwdriver to insert the rope's end into the hole. 5) Re-reel the new cable in the under wound direction in order for the winch to correctly spool in and out. Re-reel a load that weighs a minimum of 500 pounds to ensure that the outer layers would not go into the inner layers.