Next I started coming up with some rough ideas for making/mounting the drum. Every winch I have seen uses a live axle… however, that adds width and complexity. I decided to simply mount everything around the bearings in some custom machined hubs. This cuts the number of machined parts to 2 total.
I think this is a vast improvement over the standard “live axle” method:
I also decided to make the drum in a few pices by using 8 rods and dowels to join 2 discs… that way I can essentially change the drum diameter by moving the dowels outward.
I do want to add the ability to disengage the sprocket to facilitate easier line extension…
So what stops the engine/causes the clutch to disengage in order to stop pulling you when you get to the end of the run? Is it possible to make a 2-unit setup with one on each side of the field/pond working on the same cable so you won’t have to manually unravel the cable?
I agree, just wondering about the possibility. I’m still unclear on what causes the unit to stop pulling the person when the cable is nearly completely coiled/they are at the end of the run - 2nd person to kill the engine to disengage the clutch?
The reason that they don’t use steel cable is because when it breaks, it fucking whips and can kill you. This is pulling a person on a snowboard. Even if it somehow DID break on some fluke, the forces involved are so low the cable will just fall to the ground.
Honestly that sounds like a terrible idea. The point of this isn’t to go for joyrides, it’s to hit jumps and shit.
It’s gotta be a 2 person operation. IDK how anyone expects me to run the line out, fire it up, run back to the handle and strap in while it’s reeling in cable.
The person operating the winch throttles it up and when the rider lets go as he approaches the machine, the operator hits the brake. The Torque converter acts as a centrifugal clutch, so when the operator hits the brake, the drum is no longer driven by the motor. (I’m working on a parallel project which is using an RF transmitter in the pull handle to modulate the throttle/engage the brake… this will allow 1 person operation)
However, the thing I was talking about disengaging the drum is something totally different. Since the chainring adds a 1:6 ratio, friction in the chain, as well as having to overcome the inertia of the driven torque converter pulley apparently make pulling out the cable quite a pain in the ass, especially if you have to swim the cable out… The only solution to this problem that I have seen is basically removing a clevis from the drum allowing it to freely rotate on the axle… However, this requires opening the cover, pulling the pin, etc.
I have already designed a foot actuated sprocket disengage system (you can see what will eventually hold the pedal sticking out of the right side of the machine). You just stomp on the pedal and the winch line will pull out easily, then release it to engage the drum again. There is nothing like that on the market currently. I hope to add some sexiness into the design as well to set it apart from other manufacture’s setups…
Higher speeds
The snowmobile can go almost anywhere (Assuming this set up will have its limitations on where it can go)
No one has to run a line to you time and time again
Any POS sled will pull you for a pretty cheap cost
The sled can then take you back to the start vs. walking
Better bigger jumps/drops with better landings
