Replacing the grease on my Smittybilt XRC9500

freedom_in_4low

I'm a rooster illusion
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After living for two years in utter defiance of the manufacturer guidance to unspool and winch in your line every month, free-spooling my winch became impossible.

Earlier this week I took it apart, cleaned it, and replaced the grease with a supposed AMSoil equivalent to the Aeroshell formulation that Warn recommends for their winches.

As for what was in there to begin with, I have no idea. Brake cleaner may as well have been water, 'cause it didn't touch it. After an hour cleaning by hand, then 4 hours in a Berryman's chem dip can, followed by a thorough tooth-brushing, I finally gave in and took it to the car wash to blast out the remnants. I'm not a chemist, but it seems like if brake cleaner and chem dip didn't do much, was the grease even petroleum based? It may very well have been actual molasses with some sort of surface tension modifier to prevent it from flowing while at the same time making it slightly less sticky. and there was GOBS of it.

IMG_20200810_102939.jpg


Anyway, here is my very first how-to YouTube video which has brought new awareness to how much I hate the sound of my own voice.

 
After living for two years in utter defiance of the manufacturer guidance to unspool and winch in your line every month, free-spooling my winch became impossible.

Earlier this week I took it apart, cleaned it, and replaced the grease with a supposed AMSoil equivalent to the Aeroshell formulation that Warn recommends for their winches.

As for what was in there to begin with, I have no idea. Brake cleaner may as well have been water, 'cause it didn't touch it. After an hour cleaning by hand, then 4 hours in a Berryman's chem dip can, followed by a thorough tooth-brushing, I finally gave in and took it to the car wash to blast out the remnants. I'm not a chemist, but it seems like if brake cleaner and chem dip didn't do much, was the grease even petroleum based? It may very well have been actual molasses with some sort of surface tension modifier to prevent it from flowing while at the same time making it slightly less sticky. and there was GOBS of it.

View attachment 183853

Anyway, here is my very first how-to YouTube video which has brought new awareness to how much I hate the sound of my own voice.

Very helpful video man, I'm bout to do this tomorrow.
 
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Nice tutorial, looks easy and painful 🤣. I have an old smittybilt that works, but looks awful. I need to unhook it and give it some TLC, thanks for the inspiration!
 
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