If you are familiar with the operation of a winch, you must know that the most important component of a winch is the cable wire. For this reason, it is extremely important to know how to attach cable to winch drum. If you are having trouble completing this task then you have come to the right place. In this article we will discuss how you can attach cable to winch drum in detail. Read on to know more.
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Tools required
The first step in the process is to ensure that you have all the right tools for performing this task. Following is a list of the items that you will need:
- Cable wire
- Hex keys or Allen wrench
- Heavy-duty work gloves
- Pliers
- Socket wrench set
Steps to follow
Following are the steps that you need to follow in order to attach a cable to a winch drum:
- First of all, you need to put on the heavy-duty gloves for your safety. Handling the winch cable is quite dangerous so you must ensure your safety before proceeding forward. Just being careful with the process is not enough, one must ensure all safety precautions in case of any accident.
- Begin by removing the fairlead and winch hook from the winch and disengage the motor. Once, you have removed these, you can begin unspooling the cable wire that is already on the drum. Fir this, just grab one end of the cable wire and begin pulling on it.
You may also use a motor for this part but it is better to do this by hand because it allows you to easily handle bound-up parts of the cable wire.
- Now, detach this cable from the drum. For this, you may have to use an Allen wrench if you are working with a steel cable. If the cable is locked using a metal bead, you may detach it by pushing the cable wire from opposite the bead.
Synthetic ropes are usually just tied around the drum so it is relatively easy to detach them. You can take a photograph of the frum before detaching the cable wire so that you know how you have to attach the new one.
- Finally, we come to the part where you have to attach the cable wire. For this you must follow the method used on the wire that was attached previously. For wires attached using the Allen set screw, feed a small part of the cable wire into the slot. Then, tighten it using the Allen wrench.
For the metal lock bead method, you may insert a small part of the cable wire directly into the hole. Move it through the other side. Now, you have to make a ‘U’ shape using the shorter end of the wire and put it through the hole again. Tighten it in place and make sure that the locking bead is in the middle.
- Now you have to wind the cable wire onto the winch. Wrap the cable wire from one insert slot to the other and avoid overlapping. Make sure to hold the cable loosely.
- Finally, put all the components that you had removed back on the winch.
How to attach Dyneema rope to winch drum?
This process is quite similar to the one described above. You may use a battery lug in order to make the process more efficient. You can also use tape to get a few wraps of the dyneema rope around the drum so that it holds on to the drum. This will help develop traction and you will be able to wrap the rest of the rope with ease.
How to attach cable to warn winch drum?
Follow the steps below:
- Begin by threading the cable wire onto the warn winch through the fair-lead. Make sure that when you spool the cable, it will roll out through the drum’s base.
- Next, you have to pass the wire cable retention bolt in to the drum through the winch cable’s eyelet.
- Make sure to unwind the wire cable to ensure that it unspools in a straight line.
Tips and tricks
Following are some pro tips that will help make the whole process much easier for you:
- Take pictures of the winch before you begin doing anything. This way you will know where everything goes so that you can put back everything in place at the end.
- If you’re doing this for the first time, it may be wise to do this under the supervision of an expert. He or she can help you do things in a better way.
- Make sure you have people to help you while doing this because doing this all on your own for the first time can be difficult.
- Make sure that the new cable is at least 20 feet longer than the older one.
Conclusion
If you follow the steps mentioned above, you will be able to attach a cable to a winch drum with absolute ease. We hope this article helped answer all your questions related to the process. We have tied our best to include as much detail as possible. Make sure you share your feedback to help us improve.
FAQ’s
1. How to attach rope to winch drum?
Answer: You can just tie the rope around the drum once and wrap it around without overlapping.
2. How to tie anchor rope to drum winch?
Answer: Attaching an anchor rope to a winch drum is similar to attaching a rope to a winch drum. Just tie it around the drum and wrap without overlapping.
3. How do you attach a winch hook?
Answer: You may use the Allen wrench to tighten a winch hook properly.
4. Can you replace winch cable with rope?
Answer: Yes, you may replace winch cable with synthetic rope only.