Deck Winch Repairs
Deck winches are a crucial part of a vessel’s machinery and they are multipurpose. These purposes include towing, anchoring, pulling and lifting heavy objects, as well as mooring. Per their name, their installation is on-deck. Deck winches can be powered either manually, pneumatically, hydraulically, or electrically. Deck winches are important since they aid in the reduction of costs, bring efficiency, and are suitable to most vessels’ causes.
Effectively, deck winches handle ropes or wires and spool them on a drum, horizontally. Modern winches are driven by electricity or hydraulic motors. At some point, steam winches were in effect before becoming obsolete. Typically, winches are operated for mooring. As such, winches are installed on the fore of the vessel, as well as after decks of both vessel sides. Auxiliary vessels, such as tugs and offshore vessels also have winches installed to operate their designed heavy-duty operations.
Deck winches’ power sources are, as designated by the client: hydraulic; either low-pressure or high pressure and: electrically driven, either frequency-converter or pole-change. Drive type choice stems from the use the winch is designed for. All winch types have cons and pros.
Most commonly, deck winches operate under the classification of the barge, lifting, pulling, towing, mooring and anchor deck winch. Its importance is especially highlighted during ship anchoring. Two types of anchoring deck winches exist, rope winches and chain winches. This allows for the vessels’ anchor to be lowered and raised at a speed of approximately 10 meters per minute. In addition, their advantages cover high torque and step-less speed regulation. Since deck winches are not mechanical, per se, they have few maintenance costs on their low-pressure drives.
In the mid-2000s, the winch design was altered with the invention of winch bollards. These devices are comprised of cylinders which are rotating and grooved. These cylinders are installed over a bollard arrangement. They replace every other traditional equipment typically used for mooring operations and a sole crew member can operate them through stepping on a pedal, providing mooring operations, albeit without stoppers.
Naturally, there are emergency stops and fail-safe brakes for safety optimization. In addition, there are sensors for the reduction of line speed in the event of increased loads. The introduction of this device has reduced space needs when compared to previous technologies.
Importance of Deck Winch Repairs
Marine winches incorporate many components, such as the chain or wire rope, the manual clutch, the drum, and the manual band brake. In addition, they are outfitted with their power systems – a diesel engine, a hydraulic pump or a motor. Finally, winches have a control system. Optionally, the winches can and should be equipped with the following. 1) An automatic braking device, 2) a manual band brake, 3) an overload limiter, 4) an emergency release and, 5) a rope guide. All of the components referenced above showcase the importance of proper maintenance, repairing and overhauling of a vessel’s deck winch.
Vessel Types
Our collaborating service providers can operate in the maintenance, repair, and overhauling of deck winches in all vessel types.