Pickup Boom Powered By Flywheel Winch

Pickup Boom Powered By Flywheel Winch PICKUPS Accessories 24-6-4 "My remote-controlled, battery-operated winch turns my 1/2-ton pickup into a handy winch truck that I can use to pick up everything from round bales to big steel barrels," says George Lamb, Gruver, Texas. The winch attaches to the pickup's gooseneck hitch and consists of a steel frame that supports a pair of gin poles. A homemade electric winch, consisting of an automotive flywheel driven by a starter motor, mounts on the front part of the frame and connects by cable to the top of the poles. The winch is controlled by a friction brake. Both poles pivot at the bottom on the frame and extend forward when not in use. The winch can quickly be removed from the pickup bed by hooking the cable to a solid object such as a fence or tree, then activating the starter motor and driving out from under the winch. "It saves a lot of time and labor and can be operated right from the pickup cab. It can lift up to 1,000 lbs.," says Lamb. "I use it a lot to build fences and hang gates and for other jobs. I've also used it to load hundreds of round bales in the field and haul them home. It takes only about five seconds to load a bale. All it takes to unload the bale is a slight pull on the brake release and the bale drops to the ground. "It takes only about 10 minutes to remove the unit from the pickup bed. The friction brake allows me to raise or lower the cable in small 1-in. increments. This is a great advantage over conventional 12-volt winches that operate at a much slower speed. The starter motor has a lot of torque so it can move the load in short, quick movements. "I also use my winch to roll up Armin plastic irrigation hose. I mount a simple device on back of the pickup and use a remote control to control the speed and guide the hose as it rolls up onto a reel." Lamb says he's looking for a manufacturer. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, George Lamb, Box 340, Gruver, Texas 79040 (ph 806 733-2893).

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