My winch fried itself after I ignored the duty cycle rating

I used my Warn 3500 to pull a stuck Outlander out of a bog in Northern Ontario last weekend, ran it for 4 minutes straight without letting it cool down, and now the motor smells like burnt toast and barely spools up... anyone else wrecked their gear this way or am I the only one who skipped the manual?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_derek10d ago

The duty cycle rating is usually about more than just the motor, it also protects the wiring and solenoids that can't shed heat as fast. If you cooked the motor that badly, there is a decent chance the drum brake or internal gear grease got overheated too, which can cause slipping or binding later on. A quick test for that is to spool it out under no load and feel for any rough spots or drag before you spend money on a new motor.

seanh919d agoTop Commenter

Yup, that burnt toast smell means you cooked the grease inside too. Had a buddy's winch bind up solid a week later.