I've seen a fair few cables snap and witnessed some very close calls. One of our guys smashed his jaw a few years back when the cable came back and hit him in the face.

Oiling the drum and cable helps stop it unravelling when slackened off. It also helps pull out any kinks when the cable is pulled back in under tension. Often you can use a hammer to help 'flatten' out any kinks.

When winding the cable in you can often steer the vehicle left and right to aid spooling on neatly. A hammer and occasionally a pry bar may sometimes help. I'm meticulous about winding my cable in neat on my truck. I have to be though as I have 150ft of 10mm cable on my drum and it doesn't leave any room to allow the cable to spool un-evenly without chopping through it. A cable will usually last me about 5 years which is pretty good considering how many times it gets used and the conditions it's used under. Regular oiling for my cable is a must. Most of our guys get through cables at an alarming rate, sometimes as often as every couple of months.

I fit most of the new cables onto the works trucks and the workshop guys can always tell which ones I've fitted as they are the only ones that are oiled.
 
khaos said:
You winch first and then after you let it back out and use a small amount of tension to re wind it neatly after because you can touch it and not be worried about being shinned by the wire.

To be honest, a winch cable snapping might cut your shins but it's not lethal like people make out. I've seen a test where they snapped steel cable to see what it would do to a person. They used a pig as a test subject and it didn't even break the skin, just bruised it.
Click to expand...

Many years ago, whilst working on the riverside, I saw a chap lashed to a stanchion by a broken cable, he was fine and talking 'til they came to unwind him, almost cut him in half. Same result tho. :eek:
 
ratty said:
I've seen a fair few cables snap and witnessed some very close calls. One of our guys smashed his jaw a few years back when the cable came back and hit him in the face.

Oiling the drum and cable helps stop it unravelling when slackened off. It also helps pull out any kinks when the cable is pulled back in under tension. Often you can use a hammer to help 'flatten' out any kinks.

When winding the cable in you can often steer the vehicle left and right to aid spooling on neatly. A hammer and occasionally a pry bar may sometimes help. I'm meticulous about winding my cable in neat on my truck. I have to be though as I have 150ft of 10mm cable on my drum and it doesn't leave any room to allow the cable to spool un-evenly without chopping through it. A cable will usually last me about 5 years which is pretty good considering how many times it gets used and the conditions it's used under. Regular oiling for my cable is a must. Most of our guys get through cables at an alarming rate, sometimes as often as every couple of months.

I fit most of the new cables onto the works trucks and the workshop guys can always tell which ones I've fitted as they are the only ones that are oiled.
Click to expand...

Ratty, What's the best way to oil it initially?

I was thinking pull it all out then wind it back in through an oily rag. But, would it be ok to just pour a half gallon of engine oil over the whole thing on the drum and let it soak in?

I guess if I had to, I could arrange some sort of temporary oil bath and just dunk the cable into it as I pull it off the drum then I could wind it back on via a rag to take off the excess.

How do you do it usually?

Hmm. Now that I think about it, I can probably answer that myself. It wouldn't be that difficult to take the whole cable completely off the drum and wind it up by hand then leave it to soak in an oil bath overnight or so.
 
Last edited:
Clanforbes said:
Ratty, What's the best way to oil it initially?

I was thinking pull it all out then wind it back in through an oily rag. But, would it be ok to just pour a half gallon of engine oil over the whole thing on the drum and let it soak in?

I guess if I had to, I could arrange some sort of temporary oil bath and just dunk the cable into it as I pull it off the drum then I could wind it back on via a rag to take off the excess.

How do you do it usually?
Click to expand...

I prefer to oil it as I go to avoid getting too much crap stuck to the cable.

Unwind the entire cable making sure you pull it out and leave it in a straight line and not coiled and pour oil over the winch drum, Smear the oil around by hand (I usually wear a nitrile glove in my left hand for oiling and a heavy duty rigger type glove on my right for feeding the cable but if you prefer to wear heavy duty gloves simply bung a plastic bag over the top of one to stop it getting too oily) wind the spool around 180 degs and smear again adding more oil if needed. While the cable is layed out walk along examining for any flat spots. If you find any, cup your hand underneath it and pour oil over the cable and 'carefully' work/manipulate the oil into the flat spot with your fingers. DO NOT RUB YOUR HAND UP AND DOWN THE CABLE COS WHEN YOU CATCH A BROKEN STRAND IT DOES HURT. I prefer to wind my cable in well tensioned so I usually attach the cable to a car, apply the handbrake halfway and then pull it in. Doing this will also help pull out any flat spots/kinks. WInd the cable in and tap/pry with a bar as required until the first layer of cable is on. Pour oil over the full layer and rub it around. Rotate the drum 180 degs and pour some more and again spread it around. Repeat this procedure until the cable is fully wound in. When you get to about layers of cable you may need to oil the layer and rotate 120 degs instead of 180 as the surface area has increased. When the cable has only a couple of feet left to go I then oil what's left out including the hook and eyelet. I then unhook it from the vehicle and pull it in tight with the hook on a bumper/bed mounted recovery point. HAving seen the results of ****ed up assholes on a saturday night I NEVER leave my cable loose or on freewheel.

If you're winching the cable in by hand rather than using a vehicle or load, I find it easier to stand on the cable to keep the tension up as it saves having to keep putting on and taking off rigger/nitrile gloves and also stops you from trying to slide the cable through your fingers.

The first few times you use your cable after oiling, you will still have it 'twang' up when you use it but after a few uses/oiling sessions you will notice it does it less and less. Mine will only twang/loosen about 2 turns of cable even if I let it lay loose on the ground.
 
ratty said:
I prefer to oil it as I go to avoid getting too much crap stuck to the cable.

Unwind the entire cable making sure you pull it out and leave it in a straight line and not coiled and pour oil over the winch drum, Smear the oil around by hand (I usually wear a nitrile glove in my left hand for oiling and a heavy duty rigger type glove on my right for feeding the cable but if you prefer to wear heavy duty gloves simply bung a plastic bag over the top of one to stop it getting too oily) wind the spool around 180 degs and smear again adding more oil if needed. While the cable is layed out walk along examining for any flat spots. If you find any, cup your hand underneath it and pour oil over the cable and 'carefully' work/manipulate the oil into the flat spot with your fingers. DO NOT RUB YOUR HAND UP AND DOWN THE CABLE COS WHEN YOU CATCH A BROKEN STRAND IT DOES HURT. I prefer to wind my cable in well tensioned so I usually attach the cable to a car, apply the handbrake halfway and then pull it in. Doing this will also help pull out any flat spots/kinks. WInd the cable in and tap/pry with a bar as required until the first layer of cable is on. Pour oil over the full layer and rub it around. Rotate the drum 180 degs and pour some more and again spread it around. Repeat this procedure until the cable is fully wound in. When you get to about layers of cable you may need to oil the layer and rotate 120 degs instead of 180 as the surface area has increased. When the cable has only a couple of feet left to go I then oil what's left out including the hook and eyelet. I then unhook it from the vehicle and pull it in tight with the hook on a bumper/bed mounted recovery point. HAving seen the results of ****ed up assholes on a saturday night I NEVER leave my cable loose or on freewheel.

If you're winching the cable in by hand rather than using a vehicle or load, I find it easier to stand on the cable to keep the tension up as it saves having to keep putting on and taking off rigger/nitrile gloves and also stops you from trying to slide the cable through your fingers.

The first few times you use your cable after oiling, you will still have it 'twang' up when you use it but after a few uses/oiling sessions you will notice it does it less and less. Mine will only twang/loosen about 2 turns of cable even if I let it lay loose on the ground.
Click to expand...

Excellent, thanks. I'll give it a go during my hols next week. I have been considering padlocking the eye on the hook end of my cable to a secure point to prevent the "****ed up jokers" from doing anything silly with mine.
 
Clanforbes said:
Excellent, thanks. I'll give it a go during my hols next week. I have been considering padlocking the eye on the hook end of my cable to a secure point to prevent the "****ed up jokers" from doing anything silly with mine.
Click to expand...

It still won't stop em unravelling it cos it's funny. I saw a vehicle a few years back where the oiks deceided to pull the cable out and up and over the roof, hooking it onto the towbar. They then shorted out the winch connector pins and crushed the roof down into a V. Yet another good reason to have an isolator fitted and to actually use it.
 
ratty said:
It still won't stop em unravelling it cos it's funny. I saw a vehicle a few years back where the oiks deceided to pull the cable out and up and over the roof, hooking it onto the towbar. They then shorted out the winch connector pins and crushed the roof down into a V. Yet another good reason to have an isolator fitted and to actually use it.
Click to expand...

YEEK!

Yep, I intend to fit two isolator switches, one at the front as an emergency stop and one in the interior as well. I also intend to have dash mounted controls inside the vehicle as well as the socket for the remote cable on the outside. I don't think it would be worth fitting a socket on the inside as well as the dash control, though it would be easy enough to do.

Och well, time for bed. Thanks again.
 
Clanforbes said:
YEEK!

Yep, I intend to fit two isolator switches, one at the front as an emergency stop and one in the interior as well. I also intend to have dash mounted controls inside the vehicle as well as the socket for the remote cable on the outside. I don't think it would be worth fitting a socket on the inside as well as the dash control, though it would be easy enough to do.

Och well, time for bed. Thanks again.
Click to expand...

No probs.

When I finally get around to fitting my leccy winch to the raer on mine I'm gonna fit a momentary toggle switch on my dash too. I'm also gonna fit a key operated isolator to kill the power to the dash switch ASWELL as the full on isolator.;)
 
When unwound, goes the cable 'coil' or 'spiral'??

If so, you have the wrong handed cable - not mickey taking! They are handed! These will be a pain to use, and rewind on the drum as they want to fight against you.

If it is kinked, then the rope in knackered anyway, as the fibre core will rot, the cable will stretch and snap. They are not expensive, so just get a new one.
 
Nahh it didn't seem to coil up or twist, it's the cable that came on it. Yeh it's kinked and pulled the fibers apart in a few places! Il let him kno so he dosent use it and have it snap on him!

Good advice on keeping it oiled and stuff ratty, cheers. The bloody thing just seems to wind too fast to lay it on the drum properly! Sure we will get used to it soon enough!

Cheers guys
 
auto said:
If it is kinked, then the rope in knackered anyway, as the fibre core will rot, the cable will stretch and snap. They are not expensive, so just get a new one.
Click to expand...

If oiled when fitted and then kept well oiled it will be fine even if kinked. As stated in my earlier oiling post, when spooling on you pay particular attention to kinks to make sure the oil gets inside the flat spot prior to winding the cable in/pulling the flatspot out. Having the oil on the cable from word go helps waterproof it and will allow the cable to pull any flat spots out. I very rarely go through winch cables even though my cable can sometimes be exposd to or used in tidal/sea water or salty conditions.
 
If using yours in marine applications, it may be different.

In vehicle recovery, number one rule is never oil a cable as it traps grit, which cuts the fibres when trapped between the casing and core. This would be in a 'dry' use situation generally, and all contaminents need to be removed regularly - but that is dealing with oils/petrols etc.As with all these things, they change regularly. Currently my passport is up to date, but you never know - when it gets renewed, they may have changed views!
 
auto said:
If using yours in marine applications, it may be different.

In vehicle recovery, number one rule is never oil a cable as it traps grit, which cuts the fibres when trapped between the casing and core. This would be in a 'dry' use situation generally, and all contaminents need to be removed regularly - but that is dealing with oils/petrols etc.As with all these things, they change regularly. Currently my passport is up to date, but you never know - when it gets renewed, they may have changed views!
Click to expand...

Where did you get that info from? Are you saying that every time you flat spot or kink a cable you replace it rather than pull the kink or flat spot out?:confused: Do you not use the 10% rule? If you don't oil the cable it rots on the inside. Oiling a cable also keeps it suple and helps prevent broken strands and spiraling and therefore maintain a healthier cable and prevents flat spotting and trapped cables.

I was a full time specialist rescue technician up until the change in recovery regs governing driving hours/distances. Now I do mainly breakdowns with the odd specialist job thrown in here and there.
 
ratty said:
Where did you get that info from? Are you saying that every time you flat spot or kink a cable you replace it rather than pull the kink or flat spot out?:confused: Do you not use the 10% rule? If you don't oil the cable it rots on the inside. Oiling a cable also keeps it suple and helps prevent broken strands and spiraling and therefore maintain a healthier cable and prevents flat spotting and trapped cables.

I was a full time specialist rescue technician up until the change in recovery regs governing driving hours/distances. Now I do mainly breakdowns with the odd specialist job thrown in here and there.
Click to expand...

He might be thinking of a fider rope not wire rope/steel cable
:D:D
 
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