ldstruckn

i cant get the clutch lever to move up to free spool the line. The winch will power out and in but powering out the line will cause undue wear and tear, pull on the battery, and burn out the winch break. Any suggestions?
Arn't these things supposed to have warranties?

Rubicon John

I have the same winch and my lever needed a little PB Blaster to free it up (did the same thing to me). Now it's perfectly fine and moves freely, better than before.

ldstruckn

i soaked it with wd40,,,i'll try pb next.

bkw

Wiggle the lever while engage/dis-engaging. Mine gets stuck all the time too.

CA-JK

Mine has the labels backwards; free spool is engaged and engaged is free spool. I was forcing the lever back and fourth trying to get it to free spool then I tried it in the "engaged" position and it worked like a charm.

hippiemiller

mine was stuck also. shot it with pb blaster and with some gentle tapping on the lever it freed up. bought mine at 4wheelparts and they said they would replace it if i couldnt get it to work. it was still under warranty.

TEEJ

That's odd, my Warn never had those problems....

:P

Yeah - for winches that can get corrosion at the clutch lever, the PB works much better than the WD-40.

After you get it freed up, lube it well with mobil1 grease, it seems to help keep the water out better, so it doesn't freeze up on you again.

The Harbor Freight and other winches get this issue all the time...its a PITA, but its fixable.

The backwards label is cute though, I have not seen that YET....what a cruel practical joke.

wilywillie

Chinese engineers' attention to detail.

My XRC8 lever gets stuck, too. I mechanically run it out a few feet, then back in a few, etc., until the lever frees up. I got what I paid for

ldstruckn

wilywillie. if i cant get it unstuck I'll come up from ft lee and get you to teach me.
I did notice the lever will rock a little while the winch is operating but I couldn't get it to switch to free spool.

pb blaster i guess

TEEJ

It does need time to soak in and dissolve the rust welds.

Some, it takes spraying it every day for a week, before it breaks free again.