Grease for winch

Claybirdd

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Is this a good grease to use in my smittybilt xrc 9500 winch? In the process of cleaning the old cheap stuff out to help it freespool better and this is what i have on hand.

Will this be OK or should I buy something better?

20210327_090928.jpg
 
Unless you are only in warmer climates I would use something that is #1 weight and with moly in it. Phillips Moly Lowtemp #1 works well.
 
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#2 would be ok but will increase effort to free spool vs #1.
I went ahead and used what I had. Freespools like a dream. Before it was a royal bitch. Took two hands and almost all my strength to pull and I would be exhausted by the time I had set up for recovery. Now I can walk it out with one hand. Night and day difference.

Why they come with that paste they call grease is beyond me. Was so thick I had to take everything to my work and use a scalding hot pressure washer to get that crap off.
 
Any idea if there is a common cold weather moly that I can get at auto parts or Home Depot? Without special ordering online?
 
Any idea if there is a common cold weather moly that I can get at auto parts or Home Depot? Without special ordering online?
Home Depot is a big fat no. Most chain part stores are not much help either. Look to see if you have heavy equipment dealer/shop or a bulk oil distributor near you. Some farm stores are worth taking a look in as well.
 
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I dunno if this is "right" or not - but I was told specifically to NOT grease the sliding ring gear on the outside, but to use motor oil on it instead. As the ONLY time it moves is for freewheeling, that kind of makes sense. The guy said to remove the clutch handle every now and then and squirt a bit of oil in - then freewheel it to distribute the oil. So I've been making sure I've freewheeled my winch every 3 or 4 months since I did my rebuild - Its probably time to squirt a few more drops of oil in - I'll pull the clutch handle and see if there's still a film of oil on the gear...

What's the official WARN position on this?
 
I dunno if this is "right" or not - but I was told specifically to NOT grease the sliding ring gear on the outside, but to use motor oil on it instead. As the ONLY time it moves is for freewheeling, that kind of makes sense. The guy said to remove the clutch handle every now and then and squirt a bit of oil in - then freewheel it to distribute the oil. So I've been making sure I've freewheeled my winch every 3 or 4 months since I did my rebuild - Its probably time to squirt a few more drops of oil in - I'll pull the clutch handle and see if there's still a film of oil on the gear...

What's the official WARN position on this?
Use a film of grease on it and run it. Unless you are submerging a winch a lot in which you need to take it apart and grease more frequently you are better off just spooling the line off the drum once in a while and powering it back in. Keeps the grease flowing and makes sure the motor and brake do not get stuck from lack of use.
 
Use a film of grease on it and run it. Unless you are submerging a winch a lot in which you need to take it apart and grease more frequently you are better off just spooling the line off the drum once in a while and powering it back in. Keeps the grease flowing and makes sure the motor and brake do not get stuck from lack of use.
That was the exact point of the guy who said to use motor oil. But he was a Brit - so there's that. ;)
 
That was the exact point of the guy who said to use motor oil. But he was a Brit - so there's that. ;)
Putting oil in there will start to thin out the grease and it may loose its ability to cling on to the gears as well.
 
I'd certainly ignore the advice of someone who has more experience with winches than anyone I know.
How would I know? I saw it on the Internet, so it must be true! As long as the oil stays on the outside of the ring gear, I can't see any harm - but I'm willing to be educated otherwise. Seems to me any excess would pool at the bottom and stay there until the ring gear moves, then it would be on the outside only IF one didn't overdo it. *shrug*
 
How would I know? I saw it on the Internet, so it must be true! As long as the oil stays on the outside of the ring gear, I can't see any harm - but I'm willing to be educated otherwise. Seems to me any excess would pool at the bottom and stay there until the ring gear moves, then it would be on the outside only IF one didn't overdo it. *shrug*
Why are they telling you to use the oil?
 
"Needless increase of drag" - which does make sense. Let me see if I can find the video...
Put into plain English, we want you to thin out the grease to reduce how thick it is in order for the sliding ring gear to turn easier. That about right?
 
Put into plain English, we want you to thin out the grease to reduce how thick it is in order for the sliding ring gear to turn easier. That about right?
Here's the vid, cued up to the relevant spot:


He says to run the outside of the ring gear "dry", then spray a bit of WD-40 on the outside every couple of months.
 
I went ahead and used what I had. Freespools like a dream. Before it was a royal bitch. Took two hands and almost all my strength to pull and I would be exhausted by the time I had set up for recovery. Now I can walk it out with one hand. Night and day difference.

Why they come with that paste they call grease is beyond me. Was so thick I had to take everything to my work and use a scalding hot pressure washer to get that crap off.
I agree, the substance that the factory uses when assembling these winches is more like glue than anything else.

Per the recommendation from Smittybuilt, I used Mobil 28 Aircraft grease. It made a HUGE difference for me. Glad to hear your winch is spooling better now too.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XH7XRTD/?tag=wranglerorg-20
 
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