Anchor Windlass

[pacific_voyager]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I am surprised your system has worked like that.
You NEED a solenoid, the foot switch is not meant to take much power, usually just enough to close a solenoid, not enough to run the windlass.
There should be two posts on your windlass motor, one runs up when power is applied, the other down of course.
There is also a ground of course.
Just buy another foot switch and a solenoid box, it should come with instructions.

Imtra foot switches are rated at 200AH continuous. You do not need a solenoid, just a second foot switch to the second terminal post and appropriate cabling, assuming your motor is reversible, which it should be.

[pacific_voyager]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

The usual interpretation of "non-reversing worm gear" is not that it can not be run in either direction, but that you can't drive the motor by applying torque to the output gear. That is, pulling on the chain will not cause the motor to turn. But, they can run "in reverse" by turning the worm gear in the opposite direction.

Jim

Jim is correct.

AFIK Lofrans should be reversible. You need to tell us which model you have.

[wsmurdoch]

My Muir 800 windlass is operated with two foot switches (up and down) that handle the entire current to the 1000W motor. I have no solenoid. I figure that with no solenoid in the system, I have have no solenoid to fail.

I have had a switch fail, but it was easy to open up, clean the contacts, and put it back in use.

My reversing motor has three terminals - F1, F2, and A. The 'F's are the positive forward and reverse. The 'A' is the negative.

By moving a pawl in the winch I can make the windlass pull the chain out of the chain locker, or I can let gravity and the boat backing up pull the chain out while the motor spins in reverse. I tried using the motor to pull the chain out of the locker but did not like it. If anything tangles in the locker, the hard pull of the windlass makes a huge tightly drawn up mess.

[double u]

all windlass motors I came across (Goiot, Lofrans, Quick, Lewmar, Leroy Somers) were either
permanent magnet: 2 poles, up-down changed by changing polarity (not possible with full-current/solenoid-less footswitches)
or
with field windings: 3 poles, up, down & ground; could be operated by direct-footswitches
(there are some with 4 poles, they need a reversing solenoid too)
anything else I'm keen to learn...