A mooring winch is a very important piece of marine deck equipment. It is used for handling ropes and towing wires and works by spooling cable onto a drum. The main types of mooring winches for ships include hydraulic driven winches and electric-powered models. In the past, steam-driven mooring winches were very popular, but you can only find them these days in history museums.
The power source for onboard winch systems can be customized to meet the requirements of a business. Common power sources for mooring winches include high-pressure hydraulics, pole-change electric drive, low-pressure hydraulics, and frequency-converted electric drive. The driving system of the marine winch needs to be selected based on its application. Each type of drive system has benefits and drawbacks, so in-depth research is important.
Over the years, for instance, there has been some criticism towards hydraulic mooring winches as they can suffer from oil leaks. Many businesses in the shipping industry have switched to frequency-converted electric driven winches for their enhanced energy efficiency ratings. What’s more, ships that travel to US ports that have hydraulic driven winches have to make sure that the hydraulic fluid meets strict VGP regulations. Electric mooring winches aren’t subject to such regulations as they have no hydraulic fluid.
Low-pressure drive designs are found on some of the best high torque winches. That type of drive system ensures robustness, reliability, easy operation, low noise output, and dynamic braking. Low-pressure drive winches also have fewer mechanical parts, meaning lower maintenance costs. Unfortunately, not all mooring winch manufacturers have winches with all available power drive systems.
There are many different types of winches on ships besides mooring winches. Other common marine winches include anchoring winches, capstan winches, towing winches, etc. Some marine winches have multipurpose designs, which means they can be used for a wide range of applications at sea and on land.
When it comes to looking for the best mooring winch for ships for sale, key specs to compare include rope capacity, driven type, loading capacity, price, working speed, main body construction material, anti-corrosive coating type, and more. As salty seawater is very corrosive, you need to ensure you look for winches that are made from steel with anti-corrosive properties. Otherwise, your machines could start to rust, corrode and suffer from malfunctions in a short period of time. It is also a good idea to check what certificates (eg. ABS, BV, RMRS, DNV, etc.) a mooring winch for ships has.
Here are a few questions to think about when searching for a marine winch online:
• What type of drive system are you looking for: hydraulic, electric or diesel?
• How will you control the winch: remote control or local control?
• What is your require loading capacity?
• What is your maximum budget?
• Do you need a heavy-duty model?
• What sort of cable would you prefer: rope or steel chain?
Above are just some of the many questions you need to keep in mind when researching different marine mooring winches for sale online.