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Servo winch or that super strong warn winch?

CoolRunning

Rock Crawler
Joined
Jan 3, 2017
Messages
521
Location
DownUnner
I'm looking for a winch and can't decide on a bumper mounted or internal mounted winch.

Basically I'm not that fussed about what it looks like TBH (so internal is fine if I can find room else it needs to be bolted to a bumper) as long as the thing has loads of power and can crank my truck up into the air without burning out.

I've watched YT vids of the powerful warn and it looks impressive. Just add a wireless HeyOK controller and you're golden (don't even need a spare TX channel).

Is there a servo winch that has similar power? I'd like to support one of the local guys like KMS etc that build winches but I'm not sure of their specs and how powerful they'll be in comparison (as the warn has reduction gears where the servo winches just use the motors - I imagine they work this way anyway). I guess the price points need to be similar-ish and ultimate reliability is the key. It needs to tolerate water and yeah, lifting the truck into the air etc because it can...ha!
 
Precision RC Hand of God internal spool 270oz. will get you what you're looking for. Coupled with the Dragon relay controller if you have the channel for it is a killer combination. I've accidentally pulled rocks out of the ground with it and ruined course obstacles as a result, lmao.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
 
I made this servo winch out of a $12 Tower Pro servo and Locked Up winch spool.

YQ8bI6Bl.jpg


It has more than enough power to deadlift my 8 lb TRX-4 so I used it to pick up my 15+ lb Savage XL and even that didn't get close to stalling it out.

A servo winch will give you much more power for the money than a scale winch. Servos have a ton of gear reduction in them, that's why you can get 500+ oz of torque out of a tiny motor. The strongest scale winches like the RC4WD Warn 8872 and SSD Ox basically use servo motors and gear sets in a fancy case.
 
Do you still need a winch controller for the servo winch?

Yeah, I'm using one of the little HeyOk ones that fits in the servo case but small ESCs work equally well if using an open channel on your radio.

You can modify the servo board to be a winch controller but they have a tendancy to drift and slowly let the winch unwind.
 
I found some cheap micro esc's on fleabay for about $5 each for exactly this purpose. They are not waterproof so you may need a little extra work if you plan on swimming.

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I've got a KMS KS-3 in my JK and it is awesome. Has a free spool feature and plenty of power to lift my JK off the ground with ease. Before that I had a TziWorld Beefy Winch and it as just as impressive. I ran them both with a Tekin B1R ESC as a winch controller.
 
Depends on what you want. The top end in terms of performance will always be a custom servo winch built from a quality servo. I use Hitec 5995, 7995 and 7950's depending on the application. Mid range (in terms of performance) are the RC4wd 8274, SSD OX, KMS, Powershift and other pre-built winches. They're all really nice, some have freespool and the work is done for you but they tend to use cheaper servos to keep the cost point down. The bottom end are gear-motor based winches which use cheap gear motors. They can be ok if you run them at higher voltages, but they don't last long so so there's a bit of a payoff.
 
Even a servo winch made from an inexpensive metal gear servo will have more than enough power to lift a rig or two at a time off the ground.
If you get the chance, a KMS winch with free spool is a great way to go!
Thanks for considering using one of my wireless winch controllers.
 
I'll definitely be using one of your HeyOK wireless controllers! I'd like to support the guys that helped create the hobby where possible. KMS was definitely also in my sights.

So would something around the 250-300oz/in level be powerful enough to lift a rig (or two)? I know that is in the vicinity of a 25kg servo per cm so if it can honestly use that rotational power to lift 10 pounds or more, I'll be more than fine! It's really to have enough power to pull the truck over a ledge or something where it's a bit stuck; I figure if it can deadlift it, it'll be fine for where it's a little stuck and not just pulling on an angle (plus having power to spare means less stress and longer life).

I need them for two rigs so it's not going to be cheap!
 
Yes, a servo of that strength will probably pull much more than you need.
If you have a moment, here's a winch that Robert made for me from an old Hobby King titanium servo that I had a broken output spline. It's running on 3S using one of my relay output winch controllers (basically the same ability as the wireless winch controller).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJD_Wy5SlG4

I think it is lifting more than the weight of two rigs.
 
I'll definitely be using one of your HeyOK wireless controllers! I'd like to support the guys that helped create the hobby where possible. KMS was definitely also in my sights.

So would something around the 250-300oz/in level be powerful enough to lift a rig (or two)? I know that is in the vicinity of a 25kg servo per cm so if it can honestly use that rotational power to lift 10 pounds or more, I'll be more than fine! It's really to have enough power to pull the truck over a ledge or something where it's a bit stuck; I figure if it can deadlift it, it'll be fine for where it's a little stuck and not just pulling on an angle (plus having power to spare means less stress and longer life).

I need them for two rigs so it's not going to be cheap!

My servo winches are machined using lathe and milling machine with DRO read out, each one made to throw the parts in a box and retrieve any part will fit for style of winch ,I use servos that keep the cost down for you , and have tried my different servo's to find the most reliable ,Form the beginning of this year I have replaced 2 motors for guys that have really pushed there winches and love them, and that's what iam about buyer being happy,,
The K3 SW180 deads lifts 25lbs for under 70.00 2s lipo The K3FS 220 dead lifts 50+ lbs freespool ,The K3 FS 480 Breaks the 200 testlb at 86 lbs holding with a bow scale ,its kinda dangerous with a hook flying by your head , The K2 line of winches mount on front bumper servo stands up or lays down ,They have the same power as the K3 servo winch and can be hid under body but are bigger and hold a lot more line ,, Choose the winch you want that you would be happy with ,Heyok is humble he makes a great winch too
 
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Running the SSD WARN look-a-like winch in my 11lb Yeti, and it's a beast!! I've got it set up with a HeyOk controller, and it's super precise. No creep. No drift. Just pure power! It's strong enough that it's pulled the mounting bolts up through the delrin baseplate I made for it!!

SSD RC Ox Power Winch (Free Spool)
 
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My servo winches are machined using lathe and milling machine with DRO read out, each one made to throw the parts in a box and retrieve any part will fit for style of winch ,I use servos that keep the cost down for you , and have tried my different servo's to find the most reliable ,Form the beginning of this year I have replaced 2 motors for guys that have really pushed there winches and love them, and that's what iam about buyer being happy,,
The K3 SW180 deads lifts 25lbs for under 70.00 2s lipo The K3FS 220 dead lifts 50+ lbs freespool ,The K3 FS 480 Breaks the 200 testlb at 86 lbs holding with a bow scale ,its kinda dangerous with a hook flying by your head , The K2 line of winches mount on front bumper servo stands up or lays down ,They have the same power as the K3 servo winch and can be hid under body but are bigger and hold a lot more line ,, Choose the winch you want that you would be happy with ,Heyok is humble he makes a great winch too


Stubbling onto this thread doing some research for a new build. I've been using a Warn 9.5cti with a HeyOK controller. Controller is great but I've burned up three motors for the Warn (surprise!). Going to switch to a VS4-10 chassis on the UMG and want to do a strong servo winch. I do need something waterproof, are any of yours waterproof? What would you recommend, I know this thread is pretty outdated now!
 
Stubbling onto this thread doing some research for a new build. I've been using a Warn 9.5cti with a HeyOK controller. Controller is great but I've burned up three motors for the Warn (surprise!). Going to switch to a VS4-10 chassis on the UMG and want to do a strong servo winch. I do need something waterproof, are any of yours waterproof? What would you recommend, I know this thread is pretty outdated now!

The winches themselves are essentially waterproof since they are only a brushed motor and some gears, the winch controller is the part that can potentially be ruined by water. HeyOK does a good job of making his winch controllers pretty water resistant but not full on submarine waterproof. If you want completely waterproof, I suggest using a waterproof ESC like the Hobbywing 1060 as a winch controller.

As for which servo winch for the VS4-10 chassis, I like the Powershift RC low profile servo winch. It has plenty of power to pull the truck out of trouble and is short enough to clear the panhard bar when mounted from the top.

5nXzwu8l.jpg
 
Stubbling onto this thread doing some research for a new build. I've been using a Warn 9.5cti with a HeyOK controller. Controller is great but I've burned up three motors for the Warn (surprise!). Going to switch to a VS4-10 chassis on the UMG and want to do a strong servo winch. I do need something waterproof, are any of yours waterproof? What would you recommend, I know this thread is pretty outdated now!

ktmhobby.com Has some K3sw180 servo winches , they will dead lift 25 lbs on 2s . At this time it's the only winch I'm offering. Thank you..."thumbsup"
 
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