Not sure where this post really belongs. Winches and hoists are tools, but they are also sometimes installed permanently in garages.
I found a really neat solution to the control issue and wanted to let you in on it. I have a little Harbor Fright winch - I think it's a 2500 lb, which I have bolted to an I-beam to function as a hoist for my garden tractor. It sat for so long bfore I got around to installing it that the batteries leaked and destroyed the RF remote control. It's not difficult to bypass the receiver and rig a switch to trip the relays that control the motor, so that's what I did.
Trying to find some reasonably elegant way of doing this, I went to my favorite new/used/obsolete/weird electronics store and found the perfect solution. It's actually made for a power-lift chair, so the switching action is just right for a hoist; it's even momentary center-off. For $7.50, how could I lose?
I finally got around to taking some pix to post. I went by the place today for something else, and wondered if they had any more. Turns out they have about 50 of 'em. The nature of their business is that with stuff like this, that's the whole supply. Anyone interested, it's Gateway Electronics, 2220 Welsch Industrial Court, St. Louis, MO 63146, 314-427-6116. And of course, gatewayelectronics.com.
No affiliation except I've been a customer for several decades. I asked if they minded if I gave them a mention, and they said, "Not at all - just don't expect a discount!"
I found a really neat solution to the control issue and wanted to let you in on it. I have a little Harbor Fright winch - I think it's a 2500 lb, which I have bolted to an I-beam to function as a hoist for my garden tractor. It sat for so long bfore I got around to installing it that the batteries leaked and destroyed the RF remote control. It's not difficult to bypass the receiver and rig a switch to trip the relays that control the motor, so that's what I did.
Trying to find some reasonably elegant way of doing this, I went to my favorite new/used/obsolete/weird electronics store and found the perfect solution. It's actually made for a power-lift chair, so the switching action is just right for a hoist; it's even momentary center-off. For $7.50, how could I lose?
I finally got around to taking some pix to post. I went by the place today for something else, and wondered if they had any more. Turns out they have about 50 of 'em. The nature of their business is that with stuff like this, that's the whole supply. Anyone interested, it's Gateway Electronics, 2220 Welsch Industrial Court, St. Louis, MO 63146, 314-427-6116. And of course, gatewayelectronics.com.
No affiliation except I've been a customer for several decades. I asked if they minded if I gave them a mention, and they said, "Not at all - just don't expect a discount!"
