Winch2010 - a 4.8HP powered winch - $985.00

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 square tube discrete members to lighten the winch overall but cross members are added to resist frame flexing during extreme launches.  Staking rails are added to the bottom of the frame to insure the frame will set securely on a rigid platform or trailer.  Includes solenoid shorted warning LED's built into the frame of the winch as standard equipment.  The Winch2010 uses Anderson connectors for quick connect/disconnect from battery and foot switch.  Construction details here.  Price includes the winch, drum, battery connector and foot switch only, battery, line, parachutes and turnaround are not included (see package information below).   The battery you select does make a difference, please see the battery information section below.  You may add a solenoid actuation counter for an additional $15.00.  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. Shipping weight for the Winch2010 is 46 pounds. Note:  The Ford Long Shaft motors will not fit this frame due to the mounting differences between the FLS and the new motors.

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 3-5 days.

Winch2010 RTL Package

RTL (Ready To Launch) is to winches what RTF (Ready To Fly) is to planes. 
These packages are intended for the new winch owner.  Complete with Winch2010, Turnaround I, line and chute contained in one box.  Only the ground stakes are necessary to complete the setup.  Available with either the Turnaround I or the Turnaround II.

Winch2010 Kit I - with Turnaround I - $1100.00

This is a $1174.00 value for $1100.00 - a savings of $74.00.
(Kit includes Winch2010, Turnaround I, line, chute, all hardware (except ground stakes) and shipping.)

Winch2010 Kit  II - with Turnaround II  - $1175.00

This is a $1250.00 value for $1175.00 - a savings of $75.00.
(Kit includes Winch2010, Turnaround II with Post, line, chute, all hardware (except ground stakes) and shipping.)

Turnaround II - $90.00

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.

Turnaround II plus Post - $170.00
Tie back line are not include, stakes are not included - free shipping.

Winch Motors - $385.00

The new build motor used in the Winch2048-Winch2110 is now available for individual purchase.  These motors are band new and not rebuilt, they contain ball bearings from the manufacture and produce 4.8HP at approximately 3000RPM.  These motors are intended for the new winch build as they will not fit existing FLS frames without modification.  Motor will not be shipped from stock but will be dropped shipped directly from the manufacture to save time and shipping cost, please allow about five days 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.

There is a bonus to all this wait, the motors are now chrome plated so your winch will have that built in BLING!

Not a stock item and will be dropped shipped from the manufacture.

Solenoid Activation Counter

The only true way of knowing when the solenoids are nearing end of life is to count the number of actuations.  While they may last far beyond the recommend 50,000 activations it is prudent to change them out near the number of activations recommended by the manufacture.  Failure to do so can result in a welded contact with disastrous results.  This is a mechanical non-resettable counter so there cannot be a mistake of resetting before the expected end of life.  Restart will require the number be recorded preferably on the winch or solenoids themselves.   Not available for stand alone purchase.  Price is $15.00 installed on winch.  Color and size may differ from picture.

For more information or questions email and I will respond usually the same day.  I prefer PayPal as it protects both of us, credit card through PayPal (no account needed);  you can pay with a bank check or money order (no personal or company checks please) if you really must, contact me for mailing address.  Shipping by FedEx ground 4-5 day for a flat rate of $45.00 for a winch, $40.00 for a retriever and  $15.00 for a turnaround anywhere in the lower 48 states, contact me for other destinations.  Tracking information will be provided as soon as it is available.

Warranty
Due to the nature of the product and its intended use there is no warranty either expressed or implied.  I want you to be happy with your purchase and if a difficulty arises please contact me directly.

Specialty Items
I stock replacement parts for winch purchases only, I do not sell individual components, please contact the vendor below for individual parts.

Craig Christensen or MrKite
Parachutes made to order

I have been ask to recommend a "good" battery for winch use.  I am in no way a battery expert nor do I claim to know all that much about batteries other than they provide 12V DC for use for a period of time.  One criteria for me was a battery that would not spill acid if tipped over during transportation.

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.

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 build of the 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
www.theshope.net