Wait, don't tear that winch down yet! The brake band in the LU4 winch has no
function whatsoever unless the worm shaft parts or the driveline lets go, as
in a sheared pin. It is NOT a drive clutch! Overfilling the LU4 should not
cause damage. The brake band's intended purpose was to allow a new shear pin
or pto shaft to be installed without losing the load. (assuming proper
adjustment, which is rare!) Picture winching a truck up a hill, and having
the shear pin let go..the brake will actually hold the truck there while you
change the shearpin. I'm not certain I want to be underneath a loaded truck
dangling on a hill, brake band or not, but that's what it was for.
The LU4 works like this:
The pto turns the wormshaft thru a pinned yoke which enters the worm gear
case on the driver's side. In this same housing is where you find ther brake
drum and band. There is an external adjustment on the case for the band
tension. The worm wheel is keyed to the mainshaft, which travels right thru
the drum without powering it. It exits the passenger's side of the drum and
turns the rotating half of the jaw clutch, which is a lot like one of those
interlocking motor couplings. No friction surfaces..it's a positive
mechanical jaw clutch. It's either engaged or disengaged. From there, the
driven half of the clutch turns the drum. If the winch will spool until a
load is placed on it, something's broken, bent, or disengaged. I suggest a
closer look..it may be a shear pin or a malfunctioning clutch handle. In rare
cases of overload, the worm wheel will part from the shaft. If the clutch
itself has been abused by using it as an in and out winch control, instead
of using the pto shifter, the clutch could be chewed up beyond further use,
but there are lots of things to check before assuming that. Worst cases are
usually a slightly bent main shaft, which sticks to the drum just enough to
allow spooling line until a load is put on, then it slips. This would be with
the clutch disengaged. With the clutch positively engaged, the unit will
ignore a bent shaft and wind normally, albeit a bit noisily.
Hope this helps!
Nick
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