What is the importance of underwinding compared to overwinding the wire rope on my winch?
The importance of underwound compared to overwound wire rope depends on the winch being used, and it is most important when a brake is incorporated into the winch. Hand winches with disc brakes only hold the load in one direction. The same holds true for the internal brakes used on 477 and 4WP2 series power winches as well as the band brake on TA Series air winches. This means that running any of these winches with the wire rope wound incorrectly will cause the winch to work against the brake. This could cause the brake to function improperly which could allow the load to fall. It will also cause premature wear on the brakes. Prolonged use of overwound wire rope on Series 477 power winches will also cause internal failure to the reducer (gearbox), and the frame of a hand winches will flex far less with underwound wire rope.
