Need to be cleaned
Pete, It sounds like your winches need to be cleaned. When the pawls are greased, and the grease thickens with age, then those pawls stick closed and allows the winch to free-spin. This can also be caused by worn pawls that are seated in the pawl pocket incorrectly.Get some spares and clean out the grease using oil to lubricate the pawl springs and I think you'll find that your winches work like new..