Lewis Winch - an experiment started

[pondnstream]

I've been curious about these portable chainsaw winches and how useful they really are.
The logs which I've been moving around with my 3000lb more-power-puller look a lot bigger than in the Lewis Winch pictures and videos but they can move the load a lot faster than I can with a manual winch.
So, when a Lewis winch came on craigslist for $300 I went for it, even though I had to drive 200 miles ow to get it .

The unit I got has not been used much and in fact has been in storage for the past 18 years.
I opened up the gearbox and the oil was gone, evaporated or leaked out over the years.
When I took out the gears, all the bearings seemed to turn fine. I put in 6oz of 90 wt gear oil and sealed it back up.

Next I tried connecting a chainsaw. The Lewis winch has a 'universal adapter', which didnt fit my Jonsered 2083. So I tried my stihl ms290, but that saw didn't have enough torque to turn the gears. Either the gears and bearings are still too stiff from being in storage or something is stuck. I can turn the cs side of the winch gear with pliers but not with my bare fingers. Tomorrow, I'll see if my husky 3120 can hook up to it, the only downside of that setup is the weight, but it should be plenty of power . More to come. . .

Any comments on these earlier versions of the Lewis winches, they seem almost the same as what they are selling now.

Tim

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I'd be finding out why the 290 wouldn't turn it... With no load it should beable to do it. 3120 will probably just strip something out through sheer force...

A gear box with no oil? I'd be looking closely at the bearing and shafts to see if it was run without oil.

SR

 

[gemniii]

Is it warm? Or do you have it on the porch outside where it's cold?
I'd make sure it was in a warm place, might even warm it up in the oven.

Then crank it around with pliers for a while.

 

[Dave Boyt]

I've had my Lewis winch for about six years. My Husq 455 ran it fine, but I've got it on a 365 now. There's got to be some reason why your 290 won't run it. It should turn easily by hand when not attached to the saw. If you have to replace the cable, consider getting the Amsteel rope cable. Saves a lot of weight and doesn't foul up as bad. Even with all that driving, you got a good deal.

 

[pondnstream]

Its been real cold here recently and that could have something to do with it being stiff. Maybe it will loosen up with use and warmer weather, the warm it up idea is a good one.
I called the manufacturer today and spoke to them about converting it to direct coupling instead of the chain adapter.
They told me that the older models used to leak out the oil from around the shafts because they didn't use any seals.
He suggested that I might bang it on the outside with a rubber mallet to free up any bound up gears. Its not bound up cause I can turn it with my fingers but just barely . I'll get the direct coupling setup and it should be good . The thing is that these older models were not ever drilled out for direct coupling even though the bracket is there. The technical guy told me just to drill it out for the bar studs. I sent him some pictures and he is going to get me the parts I need for my jonsered 2083 to connect .

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[pondnstream]

I like the suggestion re the amsteel blue, I have that on my mpp winch and its really nice to work with: light , flexible dont need gloves etc but omg the price! For 150' its $225....maybe when I get this thing working I'll replace the steel cable with amsteel, if the cable breaks.

The manual says 3-4 hp for 'light duty 2000-2500 lbs straight line pulling' . Your Husky 455 is 55cc and 3.5hp , my stihl 290 is 54 cc and probably the same hp ..... so I agree , it should be able to run this thing.

One thing I noticed when I had it apart is that the input shaft (a 5/8" shaft with spline gears on one end) was very tight against the next gear (4" gear) . I dont know if this is by design or if its because of some thousands of an inch off in machining but it was the one spot in the whole configuration of gears and bearings that showed some unusual resistance to movement. But maybe this is by design in order to keep the gears meshing especially because the input shaft is such a small diameter compared to the next gear 1/2" vs 4" . Just a thought .

 

[Jredsjeep]

that sounds like some great customer service for soem older parts, nice to see a company stand behind there product!

 

[stikine]

I've had my Lewis winch for about six years. My Husq 455 ran it fine, but I've got it on a 365 now. There's got to be some reason why your 290 won't run it. It should turn easily by hand when not attached to the saw. If you have to replace the cable, consider getting the Amsteel rope cable. Saves a lot of weight and doesn't foul up as bad. Even with all that driving, you got a good deal.

Dave, I'm curious if you can wind up the same length of Amsteel vs. wire rope (given equivalent diameters)? It worked on an atv winch for me, but those only hold 50' so it's not a very good test compared to the Lewis drum capacity.

 

[2treeornot2tree]

Will the new lewis winch work with a ms880?

 

[hamish]

It will work with any saw.

 

[pondnstream]

I heard from the fella at Lewis Winch today. He says that all I need to do is drill holes in that bracket for the bar studs and the chain tensioner and mount the saw. They sell a coupling piece that connects the input shaft of the winch to the chainsaw clutch , it cost $95 + shipping ....ouch !!

I figure that since a 3/8 x 7 tooth rim sprocket fits on the input shaft AND on the chainsaw......I can just buy about 4 of these for $20, weld em together and presto I got a coupling. I think those rim sprockets are cast steel so they should weld ok .

Got to fuss with it some more.

 

[Dave Boyt]

Dave, I'm curious if you can wind up the same length of Amsteel vs. wire rope (given equivalent diameters)? It worked on an atv winch for me, but those only hold 50' so it's not a very good test compared to the Lewis drum capacity.

In theory, yes, but in reality, you can get a little more of the Amsteel on the line, because it seems to pack on the reel a little better. 3/16" has a 4,900# tensile strength, and 1/4" has 8,500# tensile. The Lewis winch is rated at 4,000# pull, and I like the extra margin that the 1/4" line gives. The main thing is the WEIGHT, but it is also just easier to work with.

 

[stikine]

In theory, yes, but in reality, you can get a little more of the Amsteel on the line, because it seems to pack on the reel a little better. 3/16" has a 4,900# tensile strength, and 1/4" has 8,500# tensile. The Lewis winch is rated at 4,000# pull, and I like the extra margin that the 1/4" line gives. The main thing is the WEIGHT, but it is also just easier to work with.

Thanks Dave. The weight savings (significant) is my primary interest as well.

 

[pondnstream]

I've made some progress on this project:

I made a direct drive coupling by welding together 3 rim sprockets, both the saw and the winch have 3/8 x 7 splined rim sprocket shafts. By carefully lining up 2 sprockets and welding them together, then adding a third I was able to make a coupling that is wide enough to join both the saw and the winch.

The Jonsered saw was torn completely apart and given a good cleaning, a new piston ring, oil seal (one side only, couldn't find the big one on the clutch side) and put back together. It had been run with used crankcase oil for a long time (not by me) and it was a filthy, oily mess. It still has some starting/running problems, I think it needs a proper impulse line (all I had is tygon fuel hose) and a carb diaphram. But it did start and run sporadically, enough to spin the gears and drag back 20' of cable.

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Tim

 

[pondnstream]

Maiden voyage of Lewis Winch.... exceeded my expectations!

I put a carb kit in the Jonny and a little silicon sealant on the carb boot and the cs was finally running well enough to go to the woods. With a straight pull and no snatch block , I was able to pull 8-10' cherry logs some 17" diameter. The snow on the ground probably helped make the logs slide better but this cs winch really delivers a lot of power and pulls in the cable plenty fast for my needs. The pulling speed is so much faster than my come along, its like night and day. Definitely a thumbs up for being inexpensive , portable and with 150' of cable very versatile .

The coupling turned out to be a bit narrow and at the end of the day the clutch started to slip in the end of the sprocket so I'll weld another rim sprocket on it and make it wider so it wont be able to move over to one side.

Check out these pictures:

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[hamish]

Things are looking up, glad to see you have it working.

You may want to re-consider some of your riggings, hooks are not meant for side loading, and tress dont like scarrs.

 

[Dave Boyt]

Very good! I don't know why more people don't use Lewis winches-- they're pretty handy. Try using a choker cable, or a pair of logging tongs to hitch onto the log. They're a lot easier than trying to get a strap under a log. Thanks for the pics!