Build Mother's $100 Winch... for $35!

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Finish the crank by threading the 16" length of 3/4" pipe into the open end of the just-mounted elbow, put another 90° elbow on the pipe's other end, and screw the 8" length of 3/4" pipe into that. Then weld all the threaded joints together so they'll never come apart during the winch's use.

The hoist's business end is made by cutting the splined hub from an old universal joint and welding it to a spur gear about 4" in diameter (the gear's hub size isn't critical, as long as it'll fit over the splined shaft that comes out of the transmission). Then weld a 14"-long piece of pipe to the other end of the U-joint's splined hub (it's OK If the pipe extends about half an inch into the hub for extra strength when the two are welded together), slip a 6"-diameter V-pulley over the axle (you may have to cut some meat out of the pulley's hub to do this), and weld the pulley to the splined hub, too.

You're now ready to cut two 7"-diameter discs from some scrap 16-gauge sheet metal. Drill a 3/4" hole in the center of each of these drum end plates, slip the first one over the axle, and weld it securely to the V-Pulley. Then center a 9-1/2"long section of 4" pipe (the drum itself) on the plate, slide the second end plate down the axle until it touches the drum's other end, and securely weld the assembly together. (NOTE: It is important that the section of pipe is "true" on the end plates before it's welded to them so the finished drum won't be "off center" as it rotates. One good way to true up this assembly is by cutting four pieces of wood to the same width and then squeezing them equally spaced around the axle—in between the 3/4" shaft and the 4" drum before it's welded to the end plates.)

Slip a 1"-long piece of 1" pipe over the 3/4" pipe shaft, slide this spacer up against the finished drum assembly, loop the brake belt over the V-pulley, drill two 5116" holes through the "toot" of the last main support bracket, push the bracket up loosely against the 1 " spacer, and bolt the support to the winch's base.

Next, cut a 45° angle onto one end of each of the small (5/16" X 1-3/8" X 4-1/2") brake and pawl support brackets and weld the supports—as shown—to the side of the base directly under the drum assembly's spur gear (with the 5/16" X 1-3/8" X 8" pawl stock positioned between the two brackets so that it squarely contacts the spur gear's teeth).

Then drill a 1/2" hole through the support brackets, the pawl, and one end of the 5/16" X 1" X 18" brake handle. (Two 5/16" holes should also be drilled through the brake handle at this time: Spot the first four inches above the 1/2" hole and the second six inches above the first. This, too, is a good time to drill a 1/4" hole—for the tension spring to hook into —through the pawl arm about four inches down from its top.)

After that, run a 1/2" X 5" bolt through a flat washer, the butt end of the brake handle, four more washers, the first support bracket, the butt end of the pawl, the second support, and another washer. Then drill a 1/8" hole through the bolt's end and secure the whole assembly with a 1/8" X 1 " cotter pin. Hook one end of the tension spring to the 1/4" hole in the pawl arm and the other end to the hole in the bent-up washer bolted to the main support bracket. This, also, is the time to secure a 5/16" X 2" bolt in each of the brake handle's two 5/16" holes (use two nuts—one on each side of the bar—to firmly cinch each bolt in place).

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