Frequently Asked Questions

Here is a series of questions that have been asked over time. If you have any other questions, please send them to us using the form on the Contact Us page.

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Double braided polyester rope is actually one rope braided around another. This implies that the outer sheath may wear and be damaged, but the inner rope is always new. You can use it a long time before it is no longer useful. It is difficult to estimate the lifespan of a rope, but for occasional use, you can surely count several years of use.

The combination of a new rope and a new capstan drum is indeed more difficult to use at first. This is because the rope is very clean and the drum is not worn at all, the coefficient of friction is at its lowest.

Although the rope is made specifically for our winches and each drum is cleaned to remove any oil residue during machining, the drum may be so smooth it offers less grip.

During the first uses, it is normally advisable to start with small loads in order to both get used to the behavior of the winch but also to start the wear of the drum (by the rope) so that the coefficient of friction increases slightly.

It is also advisable to make your rope dirty by dragging it on the ground (without load) so that tiny particles of sand and earth get inserted between the strands, again, in order to increase the coefficient of friction. A dirty rope will work much better.

Another possibility is to start the motor to spin the drum and press sandpaper on the drum to scratch it.

All parts relating to Honda engines are available at all Honda mechanical product retailers. Parts specific to our products are also available from our retailers or directly from us. We strive to ship all orders as quickly as possible. You can access the exploded views by clicking here.

Since the rope enters the winch and then comes out, there is no maximum distance limit to be observed. That’s why we sell ropes of different lengths. That said, when possible, it is a good idea to pull on a distance enabling you to see the load to be pulled clearly and react if necessary.

Use gasoline without ethanol;

A filled tank means no condensation;

Air, and therefore space, in an unfilled tank will create condensation, especially in seasons with good temperature variations.

If the winch is not started for an extended period (more than 3 months), this can become problematic;

It's not a bad idea to put stabilizer in gasoline;

When stopping the winch, let the engine run, close the fuel valve and let it burn;

Once done, pull on the starter rope to close the valves (until you feel resistance);

If the exhaust valve is open, air from outside enters the engine, which can cause condensation and rusting of the pistons, which can prevent winch from restarting;

See the Honda engine manual for more details;

Tip: When you fill your tank at the pump, it is a good idea to run the first liter in your vehicle, which ensures to empty the gas of the previous customer...

We strongly believe that the PCW3000-Li might catch the attention of the occasional users like cottage owners, homeowners, small private woodlot owners, etc.

We have been recently talking with some expert hunters and their thought is that with the 300 meters (1000') of pulling autonomy that 2x 2,5 Ah batteries provide, it is appropriate for most hunters. Obviously, some customer will always prefer to buy gas unit, and it’s OK too!

Also, more and more trucks are equipped with a regular electric plug, so hunters can charge their batteries in the truck.

The GXH-50 engine uses approximately 340 g / kW. At full throttle, under load, the engine develops 1.8 kW.

Gasoline has a specific gravity of about 0.74 (or 740 g / litre), so the engine will consume in one hour: (1.8 x 340) / 740 = 0.827 litre / hour.

The fuel tank, with 1.2 litre capacity will last approximately one hour at full throttle.

But in our experience, one hour of pull is more than a normal day in the woods. But some applications will have different intensities of use.

There is no CE Declaration of Conformity for the pulleys PCA-1273, PCA-1274, PCA-1275 and PCA-1283.

The reason is: Declaration of conformity can only be made for products that fall under one of the CE Directives.
Pulleys are not covered by any directive, so we cannot say that it is conforming to something that does not exist.
Some pulleys do have the CE mark: PCA-1271, PCA-1272 and PCA-1292. The reason they do is that they are designed for climbing or rescue operations, thus they qualify as Personal Protection Equipment and fall under the PPE Directive, which is not transiting into the PPE Regulation (EU) 2016/425.

These items are not intended for lifting, and therefore are not governed by the Machinery Directive. There is therefore no Declaration of Conformity for these items.

The chain grade (70) is marked at every 12 link on the choker chain. The grade (70) is indicated on the hook of the PCA-1282. There is no grade or standard for the hook at the end of the choker chain.

Fort he sling included with the winches, as well as for our items PCA-1258, 59, 60, the slings are produced according to EN 1492-1:2000+A1:2008. They are labelled according to said standard.

The safety factor on our Portable Winch Co. pulleys are as follows:

At 2x WLL: Pulley is still operable – sheaves are turning freely.

At 4x WLL: Pulley is still in one piece, but side plates are deformed and prevent shave from turning.

Breaking point is much higher.

For ISC self-locking pulleys: They are engraved with Minimum Break Strength (40 kN). Appropriate safety factors should be decided by the end user depending on their application.

Here are a few elements of information:

1 metric ton= 1000 kg (2200 lbs)

The safety factor for the hooks is 4:1.

This means that the WLL being 3/4 ton x 4 = 3 tons per hook x 2 hooks per winch = 6 tons.

Knowing that our winch will only give 1 ton of pulling, there is a 6:1 safety factor on the winch anchor.

Also, the sling we provide to anchor the winch has a WLL of 2 tons. When used basket-style (like we do to anchor the winch) the WLL goes up to 4 tons. These slings have a 7:1 safety factor, therefore, 28 tons.

Even if someone was to use the winch with a block and tackle system, the force applied directly to the winch will always be at maximum of 1 ton. Therefore, as you can see, the safety factors are respected.

Here arethe actual weights:

Winch without battery: 9.9 kg (21.8 lb)

Winch with Greenworks Commercial 2.5 AMP Battery: 11.4 kg (25.1 lb)

Winch with Greenworks Commercial 5 AMP Battery: 12.4 kg (27.4 lb)

To find the weight with other models of batteries, refer to the chart in the catalogue which you can find by clicking here.

There is no simple answer to this question, but you have to understand that the 1000 kg (2200 lb) pulling capacity is the peak that the PCW5000 engine will give out, and at that point, it is very close to stalling.

Also, there is the aspect of friction. On flat ground, you need more force than the mass of the log to move it. At 45-50 degrees – that is very steep, then you don’t have much friction. But you have to worry about the load going back down – so you should be using a self-locking pulley to secure it, unless you use the PCW4000 model.

Our guess is that you will be able to raise a load of 450 kg (1000 lb) up a 45-degree incline at 12 m/min (40’/min). So, it should take about 8 minutes to bring it in.

If you absolutely need to bring up the 900 kg (2000 lb) load, you have to install a pulley at the load and double the force. It will take twice as much rope, which means the pulling time will double. But as you bring up twice as much each pull, the productivity is the same.

And yes, it can work for 8 hours a day. The only thing you must monitor, especially on long, hard pulls, it that the drum does not get too hot from friction with the rope. It could lead to rope degradation or even melting the rope in extreme cases. The drum can be cooled down with water if necessary.

We made a great video showing how. Click here to see it!