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Launch
Equipment Store Winch2010 - Retriever2010 - Turnarounds - Winch Motors
The Winch2010 will meet or exceed the expectations of the most discriminating pilot for fun and competition launching. It produces twice the horse power as the FLS powered winch and is recommended for advance pilots. The Retriever2010 is now a AutoPickUp retriever. If you are familiar with the Rham retriever then you know what this one is like with two major differences. The Retriever2010 will automatically pick up the line for the retrieve and is slowed down by about 70% to reduce injury to the operator and help prevent line twisting. The Turnaround I is a simple ball bearing supported glass filled nylon pulley designed to be maintenance free for its life. Robust construction using 6061 aluminum and assembled with stainless steel hardware insure trouble free long life. Three staking holes are provided for those powerful launches. The Turnaround II is designed for those who wish to have the turnaround above ground or to reduce line drag and line wear. Using the same pulley as the standard turnaround it features sides made from .250" 6061 aluminum and assembled with stainless steel hardware. Winch Motors are brand new, not rebuilt. They are a special built motor for model sailplane winch use. They contain ball bearings from the factory, nothing is needed to make them suitable for winch use, they are rated for continuous duty by the manufacture. More detail can be found towards the bottom of the page.
Availability and
Ordering Information
General Setup
and Maintenance Instructions
The motor used is a strong special purpose built
native 12VDC motor producing 4.8HP at approximately 3000RPM. Motor
comes from the manufacture with ball bearings installed - not installed
as an extra or as an afterthought. It uses an isolated ground
never relaying on frame ground which can cause the loss of power if
something comes loose. Frame is constructed from 12ga The battery you select does make a difference, please see the battery information section below. Add Winch2010 to cart - 3 - in stock - $985.00Due to increased motor cost winches will no longer be available for immediate shipment. Winch2010's will be assembled to the point of adding the motor and stocked. Once an order is placed the motor will be ordered and the assembly completed – about 5-7 days (excluding weekends). Add a Solenoid Activation Counter to the winch - $15.00 Winch2010 RTL Package RTL (Ready To Launch) is
to winches what RTF (Ready To Fly) is to planes. Includes Winch2010, Turnaround I, line, chute and shipping. Due to increased motor cost winches will no
longer be available for immediate shipment. Winch2010's
will be assembled to the point of adding the motor and stocked.
Once an order is placed the motor will be ordered and the
assembly completed – about 5-7 days (excluding weekends).
Winch2010 and Retriever2010 Package Purchase a Winch2010 and Retriever2010 for one price including shipping. Price varies depending on which turnaround you chose. This kit will include everything necessary to setup to launch and retrieve except the stakes needed to hold the units in place - free shipping. Winch2010 - Retriever2010 with Turnaround I - $1860.00 Winch2010 - Retriever2010 with Turnaround II - $1925.00
These packages are custom built, packed and
shipped, please contact me for purchasing information.
Retriever2010 - AutoPickUp Retriever - $750.00 The Retriever2010 is now an AutoPickUp retriever meaning the pilot can now launch and retrieve their own line without a retriever operator being present. (Safety still dictates that a retriever operator should be present.) A foot/hand switch is provided to operate the Retriever2010 once off tow. To ready the Retriever2010 for the next launch is a simple push of the bail to the launch position, this resets the Retriever2010 for the next launch. It features a 1.4 HP motor with a 10" belt driven drum and will retrieve about a 1000 feet of line in about a minute, fast enough to keep long lines from forming behind the winch but slow enough to enable the control of the retrieve without injury. Drum is supported by ball bearing pillow blocks and comes with zerk fittings for lubrication. Frame is constructed using the same quality materials and workmanship as the Winch2010 and will provide years of trouble free use. Motor actuation is by footswitch or a hand held push button switch (optional) controlling a solenoid which is used to supply current to the motor. It is easy to setup and use, once the plane has released from winch line the pilot/retriever operator simply activates the switch and the Retriever2010 does the rest. All wiring is captive so it can never be left at home. Connection to the battery is with jumper cable type clips which are included. Shipping weight for the Retriever2010 is 55 pounds. Includes the Retriever2010, line guide, 1 spool of #9 braided nylon line and the harness for connecting to the winch line. Shipping by FedEx ground 4-5 day and is a flat rate of $45.00 anywhere in the lower 48 states, contact me for other destinations. Tuesday, June 1 - field testing has successfully completed. A couple of Retriever2010's are going out to individuals for further real world testing. Standard equipment is a foot switch like the Winch2010 and is preferable to hand switch for individual use, i.e. flying alone. The foot switch is small, about 3 1/2x2 5/8x1" and is easy to hold and operate by hand or foot. A hand held push button switch is available at no extra charge, however if you wish to have both switches and have them "jacked" there is an extra charge of $50.00 for the extra switch and Anderson SB50 connector.Due to increased motor cost retrievers will no longer be available for immediate shipment. Retriever2010's will be assembled to the point of adding the motor and stocked. Once an order is placed the motor will be ordered and the assembly completed – about 5-7 days (excluding weekends). Retriever2000 - Manual Retriever - $499.00
This is the retriever that started it all - or at
least a reincarnation of the Rham retriever from the '80's.
This is similar to the original Rham retriever in that it does
require an operator to be present to
Turnaround I -
$95.00
Turnaround II
- $90.00
Post for Turnaround II - $85.00 With the introduction of the “above ground” turnaround pulley (above) a suitable down field post was in need of development. Mike Fox succeeded in designing a very robust post getting the pulley assembly approximately 2 feet above the ground. The post is made of 1” square tube with a piece of solid steel bar welded in to the end going into the ground and another piece in the top to provide a solid pounding surface. The overall length of the post is approximately 27” and weighs about 5 pounds. The post will be sold as a separate item or a kit and will consist of all items necessary to get the pulley off the ground except the tie back rope and the tie back ground stakes which can be purchased at your local hardware store. Shipping by FedEx ground 4-5 day is a flat rate of $15.00 anywhere in the lower 48 states, contact me for other destinations. Note: These posts will not be a stock item, each one will be custom made and require 3-5 days to make and ship. Does not include the Turnaround II pulley. Not a stock item - Ground Stake - $85.00Shipping charges will show once you proceed to check out page.
As a bonus the motors are now chrome plated so your winch will have that built in BLING! These motors are intended for the new winch builds as they will not fit existing FLS frames without frame or motor modification. Motor will ordered and when received will be shipped out to you the next day, please allow five to seven days (excluding weekends) to receive the motor. Shipping will be by FedEx ground for $30.00 for the first motor and $15.00 for each additional motor ordered. Not a stock item - please allow 5-7 days to process. Not a stock item - $385.00Shipping charges will show once you proceed to check out page
The only true way of knowing when
the solenoids are nearing end of life is to count the
Ordering, Payment and Shipping Information
Warranty
Specialty Items
Craig Christensen
or MrKite
Battery Information Based on the information below (and some guys from Texas) if I were purchasing a winch battery today it would be the Sears DieHard PM-1 (~$250.00) with the Optima D31 (~$225.00) a close runner up. Cost wise they are in the same ball park and the PM-1 can be purchased locally so shipping is not a concern. Quite frankly in my opinion Odyssey has priced the PC 2150 (~$315.00) out of this market. August 2008 - A little update here: I recently did purchased a Sears DieHard PM-1 and have used it several weekends for fun flying and one contest. Launches seem the same as from the Optima D31 battery it replaced. However, it is a back breaker! That 15 extra pounds really comes into play when I have to drag it more than a few feet from my truck to the setup point. So I developed the BatteryTransporter2000 to alleviate this problem, the transporter breaks down into a small package for storage and transportation. Other battery information The Optima D31 (D34 if smaller size is important) batteries are a spiral wound glass matt design and use a jelled acid instead of liquid making them spill proof if tipped over during transport. The D31 battery offers three post styles, the M (both SAE and marine), A (SAE), T (marine). The D31M offers a 18 month free replacement and 18 month pro-rated replacement whereas the D31A and T offer a 24 month no charge replacement and pro-rate the remaining 12 months. When looking for Optima batteries make sure any Optima battery you purchase has the light grey case and not the dark grey. The light grey are the deep cycle which we want. I have recently been introduced to a new (to me) battery that could also work very well for our application. It is made by Odyssey and they offer three sizes of batteries, a G34, G31 and T6. The construction is similar to the Optima but their specifications are somewhat better than the Optima but the cost is greater. They use a square cell instead of the round like the Optima and therefore probably contain more surface area within each cell giving higher specifications than the round cell. I have checked prices locally and found them to be $65-85 cheaper than the web site but you will have to pay sales tax. I have not used or even seen one in use for powering a winch only in off road trucks and these guys love them. Some added news about the Odyssey batteries has come to light thanks to some Texas fliers. The Sears DiHard PM-1 battery is made for Sears by Odyssey and carries about the same specifications for substantially less money invested; ~$250.00 vs $385.00. The PM-1 has both SAE (automotive) and stud terminals making winch setup even easier. Unlike most of the other deep cycle batteries it has a three year free replacement warranty, a design life of 12 years and a service life of 400 plus cycles (6-10 years). Please be aware the Odyssey PC 2150 and the Sears PM-1 weigh in at 75 pounds, the Optima D31 at 60 pounds so bring a friend to help carry these brutes to the field or get a BatteryTransporter2000!
Watch the slideshow of the Winch2010 build...
The frame of the Winch2010 is constructed from discrete
pieces of mild steel
MIG
welded into a single unit. This makes for a strong frame which is
lighter than
a solid
process and to relieve stress caused by welding.
Frame is then conditioned with a metal etch and
primed with automotive primer which is
heat cured at 125 deg to resist rust and insure a good bond in
preparation for the rattle can paint. Power
coating and other exotic coating are avoided due to the problems with
refinishing the winch at a later date. With the rattle can paint
it can be taken to a shop an bead blasted to remove all paint and easily
refinished by the owner.
All hardware used to assemble the Winch2010 is stainless steel to prevent rust from forming on the bolts. Where nuts are used they are nylock to prevent them from coming loose. Where nylock nuts cannot be used red thread lock is used. Drum is assembled using 6061(T6) aluminum and mandrel mounted for final truing and finishing. It is brush finished to hide finger prints and other dirt collected during a day's flying. The drive pin is totally enclosed so there is nothing to grab the line or your fingers!
The motors used to power the Winch2010's are brand new,
never rebuilt. They
standard and are mounted in the frame for easy
viewing from the launch position. They are super bright green (for
go) and a quick glance before hooking up and you know the winch
is in a "good to go" condition. An optional "click"  counter
can be added
so you will know where the
winch is in the life
cycle of the solenoids. The Cole Heresse solenoids used in the
build are nominally rated at 60,000 activations (MTBF) and should be
replaced close to that number. In case of solenoid failure the
On/Off switch is mounted high on the winch frame in an easy to reach
position so power can be quickly removed. In
addition the Anderson connectors
can be used also to remove power.
Winch2010
Warranty: This winch/retriever/turnaround has been built and tested with care. The same care that I would use for my own personal use. Due the nature of the use to which the winch/retriever/turnaround will be put to there is no warranty either expressed or implied on the winch/retriever/turnaround as a whole or any component used to assemble the winch/retriever/turnaround. Electrical Component (except motor): If an electrical component fails (except the motor) during the first 30 days of ownership I will make a replacement available for what the part cost me to purchase. This includes the solenoids, foot switch and cables. You must return the failed part for analysis, if the part is not returned no replacement will be made available. Shipping both ways will be the responsibility of the owner. Motor: Due to the nature of the use to which the motor will be used there is on warranty on the motor. If you have a motor failure it can and should be rebuilt by a local rebuild shop. Frame and Drum: Frame or drum failures within the first 30 days should be returned to me so I can see the cause of the failure to help improve my process making the winch/retriever/turnaround stronger and safer. I will either repair or replace the failed item at my desecration. Failure to return the failed part will result in no repair or replacement. Shipping both ways will be the responsibility of the owner. Modifications: Any owner modifications to the winch/retriever/turnaround what so ever will void any of the above warranty immediately. This includes but not limited to the addition of any solenoid warning device, ball bearings, switches, warning lights, clutches, wiring or any replacement part not authorized by the original builder of the winch/retriever/turnaround (The Shop).Risks: All winches/retrievers/turnaround are inherently dangerous due to the high speed rotating drum used to spool the line. Debris can be picked up and thrown at great speed and injure onlookers or operators. The speed at which the line is drawn in during a launch and retrieve can cause severe cuts and burns and care should be used when handling the line. Power should always be turned off or the battery disconnected before performing any operation on the winch/retriever/turnaround or when working in close proximity to the winch/retriever/turnaround. Loose clothing should not be worn in close proximity to the machines. Burns and or fire can result if the battery connections or polarity are not observed. Children should not operate the winch/retriever/turnaround without proper training and a trained adult present. Any injury or damage caused by a malfunction or misuse of the winch/retriever/turnaround is the sole responsibility of the equipment owner. Winches create a great amount of stress on any aircraft attached to the launch line and care must be taken when launching from the winch. Too much power on time can and will break airplanes, even well built ones. It is the responsibility of the winch owner to ensure all users of the winch are made aware of the potential of aircraft damage before being allowed to use the winch. It is the sole responsibility of the winch/retriever/turnaround owner to ensure they are in good working order and to be ever observant during their use and discontinue use if any discrepancies are observed or reported. The manufacture of the winch/retriever/turnaround (The Shop) has made every effort to ensue the winch/retriever/turnaround is in proper working order before shipment and should a failure occur and injury or damage result the owner or user of the winch/retriever/turnaround cannot hold the manufacture (The Shop) libel for any damages or injury to a person or an object. Finally, these machines are extremely dangerous and are not toys and should be treated like any high speed tool or machine. Proper maintenance is essential for the safe operation of the machines and the safety of the operators and bystanders.
The Shop
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button will be the number of available frames currently available.
