Winch Line Spool Question

[bRIBEGuy]

Okay, so I picked up a Kingone winch from Chanda a while back, only to discover it didn't really fit into my ORFAB front bumper.  After much ado, I've finally broken out the grinder, and started to work on "fixing" the issue.  The winch now looks like it will fit...............BUT..............

The Kingone winch instructions show the line spooling in from the bottom of the drum.  With the way the winch sits in the front bumper though, this means the winch line does not line up with the opening for the fairlead.  If I flip the winch 180 degrees though, and pull the winch line up and over the top, the winch line should line up with the fairlead just fine.

My question is whether or not this is okay to do?  I've tried to do a bunch of reading, and so far haven't come to any real conclusion.  It shouldn't effect the winches rotation direction or anything like that, so I don't see how it would be problematic, but then again, I'm a winch uber-noob. 

SO I put it out there to the Jeeping recovery experts: Winch line spooling in from the top.......is this okay?

[LEMON-AID JAY]

That will be just fine. The winch free spool lever can be clocked as well if it's not in the right place. 

[WhiteOut]

If it is synthetic, I wouldn't even think about it. Using a wire cable might be different but I would still be a bit leery about doing it.

[LEMON-AID JAY]

If it is synthetic, I wouldn't even think about it. Using a wire cable might be different but I would still be a bit leery about doing it.

What would the type of line have to do with it ? You can set the winch in your bumper any way you want upside down , vertical it won't matter. Flipping your winch so the line feeds trough the top instead of the bottom is fine and won't make a defferance to your line.

[w squared]

As long as you liine up your fairlead with where the line comes off of/spools ont ot he drum, whether you're running synthetic or steel doesn't matter.

[TL-Iguana]

Electric motors will have the same amount of torque backwards and forwards. Locomotives run em, full throttle forward or reverse, the motor doesnt care which way it spools. If you have stress on the top of the winch drum from the line spooling in on the top, it would be the same forces applied to the bottom as well. Its just different by 180 degrees.

[JohnB]

It adds a lot of stress to the mounting bolts.

Are the brakes on these designed to work in both directions?

[bRIBEGuy]

Thanks for the advice guys.

The winch is running steel line.

The winch itself will not physically be running in a reverse rotation.  It will be wired and rotating as per spec.

Additional bolt strain should be an issue, as the winch bolts to the front of the bumper, not to a lower winch plate.

Most of the responses here seem to mimic my own thoughts.........that it shouldn't really matter from a mechanical/physics perspective.  I'm gonna keep grinding some steel this morning and see if I can get it all worked out.  I bet money I'll be stalled by the bolts being too short....lol!

[bRIBEGuy]

Well, before the issue of short bolts ever reared it's head, I've come up with another winch related issue.

 

I managed to clock the free spool lever with no issue, but the motor doesn't seem to be able to be clocked as well.  The mounting post locations for the main wires seem to be keyed into the main winch frame/motor base, meaning they have to stay put.  These posts connect to the control box with three thick copper tabs............if I bend each one of them ~45 degrees, this should allow me to clock the control box forward.  I'd like to just leave it alone, but it wo't clear the front of the XJ as is.

Think giving this idea a shot and bending those tabs is okay?

[bRIBEGuy]

............if I bend each one of them ~45 degrees, this should allow me to clock the control box forward.  

Update: DO NOT do this.

 

[vantagetes]

Here's an idea. Wire your winch the other way. 

[cLAY]

I think some pics might clarify somethings.