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Winches and water crossings
Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2005 1:00 pm
by cainef
Electric winches.... What happens to them in a deep water crossing?
I always thought electric appliance + water = bad. Like a toaster in the bathtub.
How do you get around this?
Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2005 2:15 pm
by Jafa
yes....bad.... lotsa guys seal them up and vent them with a tube,
Just chuck the electric one away and go hydraulic
Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2005 3:56 pm
by Jungle
Yeah 240 volts AC is bad in the bath tub.
But 12 volts DC works well under water as long as you keep the actual workings of the electric motor and gearbox of the winch reasonably water tight. You'll be surprised how long your head lights and your electric windows work when under water.
Just gotta service your winch a bit more often when using in water.
Cheers
G
Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2005 4:08 pm
by Jungle
Speaking of water crossings. We just had a work Ford Escape go back to the Ford dealer. Was driven through a ford that was not that deep but the manufacturers in all there brilliance have situated to air intake below the headlight. I reckon they seem to be getting lower every year.
Anyhow it took enough water to blow a hole in the top of a piston. Some what reducing the compression in that cylinder. Funny thing is! Its a petrol. Must be pretty high compression in the V6 petrol.
Moral of the story. Check your intake and don't take pretend 4WD's, 4wding.
Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2005 4:33 pm
by Jafa
Lol George, I dont want to know how you know that electric windows work underwater!
Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2005 7:14 pm
by klompy
Yeah theres nothing wrong with electric winchs.If there sized properly and used properly they are by far the best choice.
Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2005 6:47 pm
by Jungle
I never got any photo's off it but the old girl spent three hours under water in the Waimakariri river one winters afternoon. Lessons learnt. Stay way from dirty rivers and hi lift jacks are great winches when you have nothing else.
Other memories of that night. Bolt the floor down on your landrover. Stops them lifting up and floating away. When swimming off an island in the dark via a rope that was thrown to us, put you cellphone under your beanie. Not in your pocket.
Took three days till the river came down enough to recover the trucks and another two weeks of stripping the vehicle and steam cleaning to get river silt out of everything.
Amazingly the truck still goes.
Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2005 8:38 pm
by Mud_Plugger
Haha
hmm that sounds like a land rover
I'll make sure I dont buy a cheap 4x4 from rotorua. thats some big holes your going through in your pic
From Roy