Winchmate: Frequently Asked Questions

1. Q. How do I install my Winchmate?
   A. Follow these INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS
2. Q. How do I service or maintain my Barient winch?
   A. These sites contain how-tos:
   
   • http://www.arco-winches.com/Barient.html
   • http://cncphotoalbum.com/indexes/winches.htm
   • http://sailnet.com/collections/articles/index.cfm?articleid=woodto027

Availability

3. Q. Does the Winchmate fit my Lewmar winch?
   A. No, it will only fit Barient, Barlow and some knock-off sailboat winches.
4. Q. I have an #28 Barient aluminum winch. Will it work for me?
   A. Yes. The Winchmate fits aluminum, stainless and chromed bronze winches.
5. Q. My Barlow winch has a circlip instead of a retaining nut. Will the Winchmate fit my winch?
   A. No. The circlip is used on the #26 and smaller winches. You must have a #27 or larger.
6. Q. Do you have a model that will fit my #30 Barient?
   A. Yes, the #30 & #32 are availble in both fixed and spring jaw. Contact us for more information.

Installation

6. Q. I was installing the spindle extension and found that it made contact with the needle bearings, what do I do?
   A. If there is a spacer (fiber or bronze), you can either grind them down or, if it is a short one, remove it completely. There are many variations of bearings and spacers. You can also contact us.
7. Q. I was having difficulty getting the line-lifter/stripper arm on. How do I get it to install.
   A. Loosen the rope blocker cap screw or remove it completely. Install the line-lifter and then install the rope. Blocker.
8. Q. The rope blocker was making contact with the line jaw. What can be done to adjust this?
   A. As the drum crown has different curvatures among the manufacturers, the Winchmate may sit on the crown differently. A simple solution is to remove the rope blocker and grind the edge that meets the stripper arm so that it meets at a different angle. Or you can notify us of the problem and we will try to resolve it.
9. Q. After I installed the spool section, I noticed when I turned the drum by hand, there seemed to be some “binding”. What can I do?
   A. Loosen the retaining ring, turn drum by hand, and retighten retaining ring. Check for continued binding. On some winches, the threads on the spindle were minimally machined, causing the spindle extension to flair when tightened fully. You will recognize this characteristic if it is difficult to lift the drum during removal. Contact us for support.
10. Q. The two spacers with the six holes will not fit between the line-lifter and the top of the drum. Do they need to be installed?
    A. No. If you lift on the drum,there should be a little upward play. The Winchmate was designed so that these spacers could be placed either between the spool sections for different line sizes or under the stripper arm when not used. However, sometimes the drum configuration will not allow for this. You should keep these spacers in the event you change to larger sheets.