"Ignoramus9168" wrote in message
...
As I mentioned earlier, I installed a Harbor Freight "truck crane" on
my truck. When trying to lift a 300 lbs rotary table into my truck,
using the crane, the winch jammed. It jammed because somehow the drum
went off its axis by about 1-2 mm.

Its other problem is that the hub ot the Harbor Freight winch was very
thin (less than 1 inch, for a 1/4 inch cable). As a result, the cable
would not wind nicely around the drum and it was a mess causing some
kinks.

After this jamming, I briefly considered fixing the winch, but decided
against it.

Instead, I bought a McMaster winch 3644T53. I also bought a cover for
it (shown on same page 1388). The price was $28 + $7.

I did not fit existing holes on HF crane exactly, so I had to mill
one hole bigger, about 2mm in one direction.

The result is much nicer -- it looks way better with a cover, and the
hub is 2 inches thick, so the wire rope wraps very nicely around the
hub without kinking.

That said, I am now considering replacing HF rope also, and would like
to know if "all wire rope is the same", or perhaps some wire rope is
more flexible than other kinds of wire rope. I have been reading
McMaster's description of various wire rope construction methods (6x37
etc) and it seems that this Harbor Freight wire rope is not
greatest. (which I sort of expected).

For those who would offer a snide remark such as "why did you buy this
crane if so many components are crap", I would answer that the crane
body does seem to be very sturdy, and a comparable brand name crane
would cost way above $1,000. I have never seen them sold, used.

Anyone has any experience? Would I gain anything from spending to buy
more expensive wire rope?

i

Yes. You would get better rope made of better steel. As a former crane
operator, I can tell you that using it wrong will mess up even a good rope
on its first use. Watch how it feeds into the spool, and try to guide it
like a level wind fishing line. Keep your hand at least a foot away from
the spool. I saw a guy lose four fingers like that once on a big air
tugger, but same principle. Some of HF stuff is good for what it's good
for. I bought an electric winch for my cabin that has about a 500# capacity
on a straight line. I don't like the looks of the pulley enough to trust it
by doubling the cable. So far, so good, but we just use it to make lifts of
less than 100#. Still, every once in a while I pay out all the line, and
then reload the reel using the level wind technique. You did good by
spending some extra bucks. A hammer is a hammer, but there's a lot of
difference in hoists. And if you have a problem with stuff after it's off
the deck, you got a problem.

Steve