The traction effort of the winch

Content

• Features of choosing a winch
• What is the traction force of a winch, and how to calculate it correctly?
• How to find the traction force of the winch?
• Friction factor
• Lift factor
• An example of calculating the traction force of a winch
• Traction force through the block

Oh, these extreme trips, competitions on off-road vehicles, overcoming the most difficult off-roads in the country. You imagined these pictures right away and wanted to experience it all yourself? Of course, everyone wants to experience these emotions and adrenaline rush! But for such extreme competitions or ordinary off-road trips, you need to prepare carefully. Every detail must be perfect and tested. Especiallywinch, because if we are talking about off-road sports, then the winch is part of the base. It is like one of the four wheels, if one is removed, the car stops moving. Actually, regarding the choice of the winch, you need to be as careful as possible and take into account all the characteristics of the choice of the winch.

Features of choosing a winch:

• carrying capacity;
• cable length;
• possible cable winding speed;
• mains voltage (ifelectric winch);
• consumer power.

But the most important thing that you need to know when choosing a winch is what pulling power it has.

What is the traction force of a winch, and how to calculate it correctly?

Not every winch is all-powerful, each is designed for different uses for different equipment. Traction force is a parameter that indicates the approximate weight that a winch can move. If the maximum pulling force of the winch is not sufficient for your SUV, it will be impossible to pull it out due to the usual lack of power. According to experts, you don't need too powerful a tool either, because accordingly the price will be higher, and there will be no place to fulfill the device's normal performance.

How to find the traction force of the winch?

This parameter is measured in British pounds (lb) at the international level, where one pound equals 0.454 kg. As for the CIS countries, measurements remain in kilograms (kg).

Exact traction force in real time is impossible, because the calculation is affected not only by the weight of the SUV, but also by the surface where the vehicle is stuck. It is because of these factors that the maximum traction force of the winch is determined approximately, but with the greatest possible accuracy to reality. To make a correct calculation of this actual parameter, it is only necessary to determine the traction force of the winch by the formula:

Required traction = mass of the car (friction factor + lift factor).

Where:

• car weight - the maximum weight during the intended operation (that is, the possible luggage, power body kit and the chassis itself are taken into account);
• the friction factor is a value that indicates the resistance to movement on a particular surface;
• lift factor - the position of the car at the time of its extraction (vertically upwards or horizontally forwards).

It is worth calculating the maximum traction force of the winch by determining the most complex development of events and influencing factors.

Friction factor

The value in a straight line depends on the condition of the surface on which the SUV moves.

The lift resistance (factor) is determined by taking into account the value of the angle of inclination of the surface or the level of lift.

Lift factor

It is calculated as a percentage if the car moves at an angle of inclination.

An example of calculating the traction force of a winch

Let's say that we are driving a 2800 kg off-road vehicle in a competition, which is stuck in a swampy pit with a slope of about 20%. That is, we need to make the correct calculation and as a result we will get a winch with the following traction force:

2800 (0.52 + 0.2) = 2016 kg.

When calculating, it is better to take into account the worst position of the car (dirt, swamp). Also, do not forget about possible additional cargo.

Traction force through the block

When choosing a winch, you should always pay attention to all the components of the device: slings, scales, cables, hooks. These spare parts must correspond to the loads of traction force.

For reinsurance and confidence that your winch will withstand the test of terrain and all loads, you can supplement it with a lifting device - a hoist. This is a tool consisting of a wheel through which a cable passes. Using this block, you can almost double the traction force. And if you increase the combination of these blocks, you can also increase the power of the winch by 4 or more times.

What is the effectiveness of this design? And the fact that the rope is divided by the block into two parts and now the applied pulling force is divided into two. Meanwhile, the length of the rope needed to lift the same load doubles. This facilitates the operation of the drum, because the entire cable does not wind up at once, slowing down the operation of the winch.

If you have problems or questions regarding the choice of a winch, please contact the company's expertsVnedorognik.