Winch Sizing

[unbusted67]

I am a little bit confused when it comes to winch sizes. It would appear that a lewmar #10 is not the same size as a Barient #10. Nor is a Barient t10 the same as a Barient H10. Can someone help get me sorted out.

I am trying to replace a barient t10 which has a base somewhere around 4.5" and has 6 bolts. Whoever installed the winch never bolted the 6th bolt in and it was the one on the bottom. The force of the halyard cracked the winch base.

[unbusted67]

Oops correction: I have barient 10p not t10s. I am confused though. I thought mine was a 2 speed but then I had to cut it off the mast and I can't find any that are two speed. Did Barient make a 10p that was 2 speed?

[CarinaPDX]

I can't help with the Barient info, just some general stuff. There used to be two systems of sizing: one where the number indicated the highest gear ratio (e.g. a "46" meant a 46:1 ratio) and the other that indicated the maximum working load (in 100's of pounds IIRC). These days the ratio version dominates, but there are a lot of winches out there named for load, not ratio. There is only a rough correlation between ratio and load, so winches with the same ratio may have differences in SWL and winches with the same rated SWL may have differences in ratios. The only safe thing to do is find the original manufacturer's specs.

There is no standard for bolt patterns, so a change of winch often means new mounting holes. It is common practice to use a 6-bolt pattern (60 degrees apart), and in some cases the winch has a design that can only use 5 holes. However, if the winch has 6 holes then all should be used.

Good luck with the project.

Greg

[CarinaPDX]

I wouldn't waste a lot of time trying to find a winch that can bolt into the existing holes - that could well be mission impossible. Decide on what winch you want to install, then get on with drilling and tapping the base for the new bolt pattern. I would recommend a good 2-speed self-tailer, like the Andersen 28ST, for the main halyard winch.

[CarinaPDX]

I need to make a correction: current winches are sized by their power ratios, not their gear ratios. Basically, the power ratio adds the effect of the length of the winch handle and diameter of the drum to the gear ratio for a total power rating. There is a tendency to round up the ratio to a convenient higher number when naming a winch (the "28" above is actually 26.5:1). Finding the SWL of modern winches can be very difficult. I am skeptical that modern winches are really as strong as older designs, but very hard to prove...

[GordMay]

The Barient #10P has a gear ratio of 1:1, a power ratio of 7.6:1, and a drum diameter of 66mm (2.598).
➥ Winch Service Manual for Barient No. 10P

The Lewmar Size 7 winch has a gear ratio of 1:1, a power ratio of 7.9:1, and a drum diameter of 2-9/16" (2.5625", or 65mm)
➥ Non ST Winches products