Recommended Worm Gear Winch for Tilting 2000-lb Well House

Question:

Just to make sure that this winch is suitable for my needs, it will be used to lift and lower a well house that will tilt over to allow access to the well for servicing. The well house will be attached to the concrete slab on one end with hinges. The well house weighs about a ton, maybe. I want to be sure I can ratchet it up or down and not just let it free fall uncontrolled. The winch will be attached to a utility-type pole with the cable running through a pulley near the top of the pole and over to an eye bolt at the opposite end of the well house. The well house will tilt back and rest against the pole just before the break-over point. Will this winch be appropriate for this use?

asked by: Glen M

Expert Reply:

While the 1.8K-rated Dutton Lainson winch # DL15502 has enough capacity for tilting your well house, in your particular application of using a winch to raise one side of a 2000-lb well house to allow servicing I recommend a worm gear winch for the most safety. Worm gear winches CANNOT reverse the direction of pull, meaning that the person working underneath that well house will have the peace of mind of knowing they will get to wake up in the morning.

Dutton-Lainson winch # DL11001 has a 2K rating, includes a handle and also allows for use with a hex drive on a drill. You can use either 25-foot cable # DL24100 or 50-foot # DL24104.

It is always a recommended safety practice to place other supports, such as jack stands # PTW41021, under the well house while there is a person underneath it (even with the winch holding it).

expert reply by: Adam R