Spare tire winch wanted

[mcneon]

I'm looking for a spare tire winch. I want to be able to mount my spare under the motorhome and get it in or out without breaking my back!

These things are typically used in pickup trucks and some vans. Most of the ones I see for sale, though, seem a little lightweight for a big 16" tire and steel wheel that pushes 80-100 lbs.

I missed out on a heavy-duty model a few weeks ago on eBay, and I can't find any aftermarket sources for them. Any help out there? Used would be fine.

Bob McKeown
Nashville

[jaco]

Brother aren't we all!

Saw some nice ones at the Rennissance Festival. The ones with spare tires were also plentiful.




EDIT: Sorry I just couldn't pass it by.
Back to serious for me!

[74Argosy24MH]

If you want a winch, I've been thinking about something like this. It could be mounted outside the frame rail so the handle just cleared the bottom of the rail. One more pulley and you wouldn't have to crawl all the way under to let it down.

John

[mcneon]

And here's the pulley, John. Grainger 1VN50 (www.grainger.com), 2" diameter, epoxy frame w/zinc plated sheave, load rating 1000 lbs, $9.37. I believe my problem is solved!

[74Argosy24MH]

Make sure it has a brake or some kind of lock before you order it, looks like maybe not; you could use one of the regular gear drive ones that ratchet but it probably would drag the cable on the frame rail. Now you need a 2 pulley system.

John

[mcneon]

I'm thinking either install the winch so the crankshaft is parallel to the ground and let gravity be my brake or just depend on worm-to-roller friction to keep it immobilized. I suspect that, at the price, this winch is not a terribly low-friction device to start with.

Bob

[mcneon]

I just bought one of the Harbor Freight winches John found. They're in stock at my local H-F store and on sale right now for only $19.99.

The worm appears to be plated or galvanized, and it runs in a pair of bronze bushings. I think I can install this under the motorhome and not worry too much about lubricating it, except for the spool shaft. Total lifetime usage should be under a dozen cycles anyway.

The winch has no brake mechanism. Worm drives, however, are wonderful for one feature - you can't back drive them. In other words (and unlike spur-geared boat trailer winches) the spool can't start spinning and make the worm go along with it; there's too much friction and not enough leverage.

I believe I'll be able to mount the winch so that the weight of the handle will keep it secured. If that's not enough, I'll add a coil spring and a couple of washers to the worm shaft to eliminate its free spinning nature.

I may also look at mounting the winch right above the spare and not using the extra pulley. In this case, I'd install a longer crank shaft and extend it out past the frame rail to a convenient spot. More on that after the monsoon ends.

Bob McKeown
Nashville