Power Halyard Winch Trouble Shooting

[Rick D]

I have a powered halyard winch on my 1994 Hunter 40.5. It has started tripping the breaker under a heavy load, like pulling up the main the last five feet or so. I have inspected the leads from the breaker to the control box and from the control box to the motor. All looked good and I brightened them up before re-attaching. I replaced the breaker also. The winch was serviced last year and it works fine manually. Where ought I look next before pulling the motor?

 

[JoeWhite]

How is the battery voltage. A low voltage will cause higher current and trip the breaker.

 

[Rick D]

How is the battery voltage. A low voltage will cause higher current and trip the breaker.

Voltage is fine. Batteries 100% and engine running. However, I have not checked it at the motor. I'll do that. Thanks. More suggestions appreciated.

 

[dlochner]

Voltage is one thing, capacity is another. Older batteries can show good voltage, but not have the capacity to power an electric motor.

Is the engine running when raising the main? If not, try raising with the engine running.

Clean the track. Dirt and grit in the track can increase friction which might be over loading the motor, which draws more current, which trips the breaker.

 

[kappykaplan]

Is the engine running when raising the main?

Batteries 100% and engine running.

 

[smokey73]

Clean the track. Dirt and grit in the track can increase friction which might be over loading the motor, which draws more current, which trips the breaker.

I'd bet on something providing increased resistance when hoisting rather than a problem with the winch itself, especially if it happens in the last few feet of hoisting. It may be exasperated by some increased resistance in the electrical lines reducing the voltage at the motor but I'd focus my attention on the sail track. Have you tried hoisting it manually and notice a heavy load at the last few feet more than you would expect?

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

Rick
i had that exact same problem when we had a 40.5 when raising the main. Sometimes the breaker would trip, sometimes not. Had nothing to do with battery capacity, integrity of any connections or the breaker which was replaced.
Turned out to be the 20 feet of undersized wires between the winch motor and breaker and batteries. As I recall, they were #8 wires which cause the voltage drop. When I looked up the specs for that run based on published ratings, the wire size seemed appropriate but only in an ideal world which doesn’t exist in those “last 5 feet”.

 

[heritage]

While you are raising the main those last 5 feet, have someone put an amp. meter on the positive dc lead just before it gets to the circuit breaker. This number should reveal if the circuit breaker is opening before it should.

 

[Rick D]

Thanks for all the suggestions. It worked fine for the first 20 years...but something has changed.

 

[JoeWhite]

Is the main sheet and boomvang loose? Is there anything holding the boom down? Can you raise the aft end of the boom by hand. Do you have boom break?

 

[quadrille38]

I'd bet on something providing increased resistance when hoisting rather than a problem with the winch itself, especially if it happens in the last few feet of hoisting. It may be exasperated by some increased resistance in the electrical lines reducing the voltage at the motor but I'd focus my attention on the sail track. Have you tried hoisting it manually and notice a heavy load at the last few feet more than you would expect?

Spray some McLube on the sail bolt rope. Dirt and oxidation in the groove of the foil can cause binding.

 

[Rich Stidger]

FWIW, I also have an electric winch for my halyard. It is a Lewmar OP2 - not the most powerful winch on the market, and it is no longer available. I have always had a slow-down the last foot or so (not 5 feet) and the winch will come to a stop. So I always stop and hand crank the last foot. And it is very difficult to get the last few inches of hoist to tighten the sail along the luff at the gooseneck.
IIRC, my wiring is 4 gauge - oversized for the run length. But my 50A breaker does not trip unless I actually stall the winch. I don't do that.

 

[Rick D]

I'd bet on something providing increased resistance when hoisting rather than a problem with the winch itself, especially if it happens in the last few feet of hoisting. It may be exasperated by some increased resistance in the electrical lines reducing the voltage at the motor but I'd focus my attention on the sail track. Have you tried hoisting it manually and notice a heavy load at the last few feet more than you would expect?

I winch it up the final way after the breaker trips and don't notice undue strain on the winch while doing so manually. I have not cleaned the track recently, but we had heavy rains and I McLube'd the slides, so I think it should be good. I do have a track cleaner...somewhere...and I will pull that through to be sure. FYI, I did install articulating batten cars to reduce the torquing on the sail slides.

 

[Rick D]

Rick
i had that exact same problem when we had a 40.5 when raising the main. Sometimes the breaker would trip, sometimes not. Had nothing to do with battery capacity, integrity of any connections or the breaker which was replaced.
Turned out to be the 20 feet of undersized wires between the winch motor and breaker and batteries. As I recall, they were #8 wires which cause the voltage drop. When I looked up the specs for that run based on published ratings, the wire size seemed appropriate but only in an ideal world which doesn’t exist in those “last 5 feet”.

Definitely something I will take a look at. I don't recall the wiring being particularly large. OTOH, the thing didn't trip the breaker (very often) before. I'd probably upsize the wiring before pulling the motor.

 

[Rick D]

While you are raising the main those last 5 feet, have someone put an amp. meter on the positive dc lead just before it gets to the circuit breaker. This number should reveal if the circuit breaker is opening before it should.

I have not done that but will add it to the list!

 

[Rick D]

Is the main sheet and boomvang loose? Is there anything holding the boom down? Can you raise the aft end of the boom by hand. Do you have boom break?

Everything is loose when I raise the main including the reefing lines.

 

[jssailem]

Clean the track. Dirt and grit in the track can increase friction which might be over loading the motor, which draws more current, which trips the breaker.

I'd bet on something providing increased resistance when hoisting rather than a problem with the winch itself

My first go to would be the friction in the system you are using the winch to provide assistance in raising.

In addition to cleaning the track, if your luff uses cars attached to the sail, sometimes these get a little loose on the sail and will turn out of alignment with the track, causing added friction. Restitching the cars may be needed.

 

[Rick D]

Spray some McLube on the sail bolt rope. Dirt and oxidation in the groove of the foil can cause binding.

I have a cleaning kit somewhere I will dig out and do a clean.

 

[Rick D]

FWIW, I also have an electric winch for my halyard. It is a Lewmar OP2 - not the most powerful winch on the market, and it is no longer available. I have always had a slow-down the last foot or so (not 5 feet) and the winch will come to a stop. So I always stop and hand crank the last foot. And it is very difficult to get the last few inches of hoist to tighten the sail along the luff at the gooseneck.
IIRC, my wiring is 4 gauge - oversized for the run length. But my 50A breaker does not trip unless I actually stall the winch. I don't do that.

Did you notice any difference when you had the Strong Track?

 

[Rich Stidger]

Did you notice any difference when you had the Strong Track?

Now that I think about that, I had to winch up the last several feet with the Strong Track. But that could have been due to the lifting of the aft end of the boom. My Schaefer boom has a fixed strut that holds the boom at the correct angle at all times.