I've got a 1985 Hunter 25.5 with Maxwell winches. I've never had any problems with them, but would like to tear them down and re-grease them. Any ideas on how to take them apart?
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Maxwell
I tear down my Maxwell ST's annually. It is a fairly easy job, but you do need to take care not to loose any parts (some can fly when the drum is pulled) and pay very good attention to the order when it comes to clutch parts. These are reversible and can be confused when you put the thing back together. There are also a number of small springs in the clutch mechanism. They tend to need replacement periodically since they tend to get smashed and distorted. I have a small supply from Maxwell (obtained a few years ago), but have no idea of where replacements can be found at this time. That is probably a good bit of information that someone could supply to the board. I try to take mine apart while on the hard. No matter what, cut a hole in the bottom of a small box that is big enough to go over the winch drum and put it over the winch before you start. That way flying parts will be less likely to be lost. For cleaning, I normally use kerosene. An old paint brush and bucket make cleaning off old grease and dirt easy. I use a light weight white grease for the bearings, bearing races and clutch and a light weight oil for the springs. If you clean a small wich you will find pawls in the mechanism. You have to watch these closely sbecause they have small springs and need to be put back in the same orientation when rebuilding. It is best not to use grease on pawls. I use a light oil here too. Before you start you should try to find a diagram of your winch model(s). I will try to attach a diagram of a fairly typical Maxwell, but it is a 2 speed model. If you have a one speed, there are fewer parts.
I tear down my Maxwell ST's annually. It is a fairly easy job, but you do need to take care not to loose any parts (some can fly when the drum is pulled) and pay very good attention to the order when it comes to clutch parts. These are reversible and can be confused when you put the thing back together. There are also a number of small springs in the clutch mechanism. They tend to need replacement periodically since they tend to get smashed and distorted. I have a small supply from Maxwell (obtained a few years ago), but have no idea of where replacements can be found at this time. That is probably a good bit of information that someone could supply to the board. I try to take mine apart while on the hard. No matter what, cut a hole in the bottom of a small box that is big enough to go over the winch drum and put it over the winch before you start. That way flying parts will be less likely to be lost. For cleaning, I normally use kerosene. An old paint brush and bucket make cleaning off old grease and dirt easy. I use a light weight white grease for the bearings, bearing races and clutch and a light weight oil for the springs. If you clean a small wich you will find pawls in the mechanism. You have to watch these closely sbecause they have small springs and need to be put back in the same orientation when rebuilding. It is best not to use grease on pawls. I use a light oil here too. Before you start you should try to find a diagram of your winch model(s). I will try to attach a diagram of a fairly typical Maxwell, but it is a 2 speed model. If you have a one speed, there are fewer parts.
The teardown...
Thanks for the info. Great idea about cutting the hole in the box. What I don't understand is how to do the teardown. How do ou remove the retaining ring on the top? It looks as though a special tool would be needed. Mine are just one speed self tailing, though I can't find a model number on them.
Thanks for the info. Great idea about cutting the hole in the box. What I don't understand is how to do the teardown. How do ou remove the retaining ring on the top? It looks as though a special tool would be needed. Mine are just one speed self tailing, though I can't find a model number on them.
Removal
The ring screws on/off. Take a screw driver, seat it in the indentations on the ring and hit the butt of the screwdriver handle with your free hand to turn the ring: counter-clockwise to remove. You should not need to hit the thing very hard and should be careful to have the screwdriver well seated in the notch/indentation. It doesn't take any special tools for the job.
The ring screws on/off. Take a screw driver, seat it in the indentations on the ring and hit the butt of the screwdriver handle with your free hand to turn the ring: counter-clockwise to remove. You should not need to hit the thing very hard and should be careful to have the screwdriver well seated in the notch/indentation. It doesn't take any special tools for the job.
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