Questions on operating Braden LU 4

[NAM VET]

I have never tried to unwind or use my Braden. I recently drained the heavy wt winch fluid, rinsed with diesel, blew both sides out, refilled with the appropriate heavy oil, and have had a slow leak, 1 Ml a day, from the spring tension bolt for the brake band, on the low driver's side of the winch. Looking at the diagrams of the LU4, it looks like that is an adjustment for the brake band, which should not be in oil. Must be a leaking seal. I put my fiberoptic camera down into the driver's side, and the brass round gear has teeth with little if any wear. Can't see the worm.

Well, for the first time, my son was by, so found that engaging the big winch cab lever then starting my engine, with the cab lever pulled back it slowly unrolled my drum's wire. Then to rewind put the cab lever forward. He walked the cable in and wound it nicely. The lever on the top of the passenger winch side moves freely, there is a mark "in" to one side, but moving the lever back and forth between the two pin hole stops did not change anything. I can't find my soldiers "Owner's Manual" now, so can someone tell me how this is supposed to work.

I am guessing the top winch lever engages things for the full pull power, and in the "out" position, is for just a no-load rewind.

Any advice for me???

HC

[NAM VET]

well, found my "operator's Manual", and reading how this thing works is helpful. I wonder if my clutch is frozen and non-functional. I will play around with it and see if it loosen's up. I am well aware that winches can be dangerous. HC

[just me]

Handle to the curb is freewheel. Handle to the center is engage. Push in clutch and reach down to disengage lock and move PTO to wind or unwind winch under power. Push in clutch to stop motion. Center PTO to prevent motion.
The correct oil (per Braden) is 600wt steam cylinder oil. Since steam cylinder oil isn't popular anymore Shelll and Mobil have both just renamed it as Worm Drive Gearbox oil. DO NOT USE GL5 or any EP lube. The additives destroy yellow metals. Your winch is mostly yellow metals.

[NAM VET]

Your explanation is more clear to me than the instructions in my 1973 soldier's operating manual, written for a 7 or 8th grade education. I do have the 600 WT Mobil gear oil in it. I think I could not free-wheel the cable because it was pretty tightly wound on the drum. Next time I have my son here, we will try to actually pull something. Leak is a mess, though. Thanks. HC

[UZIS9MM]

I can tell you a good story about that freewheel position. About twenty years ago I was returning from a car show and kept hearing this clang, clang, clang noise coming from behind my truck. I pulled over and there was roughly 30-40 feet of cable spooled out dragging under & behind the truck.
I was by myself and couldn't operate the clutch to rewind it so I wrapped all of the cable around the bumper till I could get some help, what a mess! Apparently someone was interested in how the winch operated and switched it over to the freewheel position at the car show. After that little experience I found an old brass U.S. marked lock and locked the winch so it cannot be put into the freewheel position.

[NAM VET]

Have a gasket/seal kit and new brake band coming from John B. I plan on the easier task of just removing the driver side bumper, then having access to the front of the winch. My hope is to remove the brake cover, then the bearing/seal block, and pull and then install a new oil seal, and put it back in and bolt it back together. I have the Body and Frame TM, which gives complete Winch drawings and instructions for a total rebuild. I am not sure how I will adjust the brake band, with the drive shaft from the PTO still hooked up. But my worry is that when I reinstall the bearing/seal plate, the worm shaft will have dropped or slipped slight off center, and I won't be able to push it back on.

Reviewing various write-ups and videos of LU4 rebuilding, I don't sere any cautions about this possibility, or tricks to hold the worm shaft in position for installing the bearing/seal block.

Anyone here have difficulty or hints fo me to damage this part, or not be able to have it slide back on the worm shaft?????

Oh, was out off roading yesterday, some trails and muck, was fun. HC

[sturmtyger380]

I just rebuilt my LU4 a few months ago. When you pull off the bearing retainer from the worm shaft the shaft will drop but it won’t hurt anything. It will just go right back in place when you put the retainer back on. Just use something to hold the shaft up as you push the retainer back on.

Getting the brake band cover and band off was not a big deal. Pulling the safety brake drum off was a tough thing. It was frozen in place. I had to do some heating and soaking with penetrant oil for some time and then had to use a small puller I had.

After that is off you can get the retainer out. Now the seal is behind the bearing race, so the race has to come out. In the Army manual they have this small puller that can be used. I didn’t have that, and my bearings were in bad shape, so I welded a metal piece across the bearing race and stuck a rod through the retainer opening and drove the race out. Maybe someone else can say how they got the race out.

[NAM VET]

Appreciate your experience. I have studied the pictures on other forum posts of the shaft/bearing/race and seal, it seems to show that the new seal can be pressed out and replaced without troubling with the race. I hope and suspect my winch's s "innards" are in good shape, and thus may just have to pull the front cover and the front bearing/seal retainer and see what is what. If it needs the race out, I will just button it back, up and decide what to do then. Thanks, Hal