Made with high-quality components, such as the Honda engine. (Buy from Amazon)
In the land of capstan winches the PCW5000 is king and the PCW3000 is the queen.
The PCW5000 capstan winch is an ultra-compact gas-powered winch capable of pulling up to 1000kg (2200 lbs). If you need to pull fallen or stuck trees the PCW5000 will be your best friend. Need a get a vehicle out of a jam, no problem. When you’re in a dilemma that requires pulling power you’ll be thankful for the streamlined engineering of the portable PCW5000 gas-powered winch.
It has two built-in speeds and interchangeable drums allowing you to customize it to match your requirements. Either way, we have a lot to cover in this article about the PCW5000. We’ve only just begun.
Why Buy the PCW5000? Do you Need A Capstan Winch?
Use with any length of 12 mm low stretch double braided polyester rope.
If you’re like me, you always thought of a winch as an electric motor driven item attached to the front end of an off-road vehicle, you’re about to get an education. You may be wondering what use you could possibly have for a portable gas powered winch, that’s probably because you never knew they existed in the first place. I’ll admit that I had to do quite a bit of research before I got to understand how useful they are.
Initially, the gas powered winch was intended for use in the forestry industry. After cutting down large trees in an area that cannot be reached by a vehicle, foresters need an efficient way to pull these logs closer to an accessible area. This could be up a steep ravine or through dense bush.
What better way to do this than with a winch that has an unlimited pulling length and doesn’t require an electrical socket. While this was the original intended market for the product, it went on to find many other applications.
Video | How to Use the PCW5000 Gas Capstan Winch
Benefits of A Portable Winch:
Ultra-portable. Take it with you wherever you require pulling power.
Constant pulling power. Speed and power depends on the engine and drum selected.
Because the winch is equipped with a gas-powered engine, no external energy source is required.
Reliable Honda engine.
High quality components ensure continuous use and long life.
Once the winch is anchored, you need only to wrap the rope around the drum and pull.
Operator is never standing in the pulling axis.
Thanks to the capstan principle, the rope does not accumulate on the drum but merely goes thru.
No more wire rope! Polyester ropes have low stretch properties and are comfortable to work with.
Quickly anchor your winch to anything in seconds.
Here’s a quick overview of the PCW5000 —portable gas-powered capstan winch. We’ll take a closer look at its features later in the article.
Portable Winch PCW5000 | Capstan Winch
Work cycle : Continuous with Anti-reversing needle bearing brake.
Specs and Features of the PCW5000:
Capacity
Maximum pulling force with installed drum (imperial) : 2200 lbs.
Maximum pulling force with optional drum (imperial) : 1545 lbs.
Speed
57 mm drum : 40’/min
85 mm drum : 60’/min
Rope
Pulling : Low stretch double braided polyester – unlimited length
Minimum diameter (imperial) : 3/8″
Maximum diameter (imperial) : 5/8″
Ideal diameter (imperial) : 1/2″
Engine/Gear Box
Engine/Motor : Honda 4-stroke GXH50 (50cc)
Gear box and gears : Aluminum alloy gear box. Heat treated 3 stage spur gears. Shafts mounted on ball bearings. Oil bath lubrication
Gear ratio : 110:1
Brake : Anti-reversing needle bearing
Weight : 35 lbs.
Noise Level:
Engine Idling : 73 dBa
Full Throttle : 89 dBa
(Please wear hearing protection like the 3M Peltor X-Series X5A)
Now, let’s return to the an overview of using a gas-powered winch. Don’t worry, we’ll get back to the Portable Winch PCW5000 shortly. By the way, “Portable Winch” is the brand for this particular product.
PCW5000 — Gas-Powered Capstan Winch
Let’s take a look at one common scenario. You’re out hunting miles from the closest road and the only access is by foot or perhaps with an ATV. You take down a large elk in a densely forested area and need to get the animal to a more suitable terrain. It’s going to take four or more strong guys to haul the beast to where you want it. The only problem is that there’s no way for all of you to move through the bush whilst dragging an animal weighing several hundred pounds. I think you can see where this heading. A winch provides the perfect solution to this dilemma.
There are quite a few other instances where a portable winch may be your best option. A truck that has lost its load and the valuable cargo has tumbled several hundred feet down an embankment. Even if you could get a vehicle to the site, you’re going to be limited by the length of cable on a regular barrel winch, so this will be of no use to you.
You’re going to need a winch that is is not limited by the length of its pulling capabilities. This will apply to any situation where you need to haul heavy objects in a difficult situation. Whether it’s for your business or for recreational use, many of you could find that a gas powered winch can make your life a lot easier.
So now that the gas powered portable winch is starting to make a lot more sense, let’s look at what is widely considered to be the best model available – the Capstan PCW-5000.
Capstan is a Canadian company that manufactures both electric and gas powered portable winches. They have a range of 5 gas powered winches – 3 of them designed for pulling and 2 for lifting and pulling. In this article, we’re going to focus on the pulling winches and pay particular attention to the biggest and most powerful version, the PCW-5000 which comes in two variations the standard PCW-5000 and the PCW-5000-HS (high-speed).
The first thing we should take notice of is the pulley system that makes all Capstan winches so incredibly versatile. Unlike conventional winches that wind a steel cable around a barrel, Capstan winches use a rope fed through a continuous motion pulley. The concept is simple, which is a sign of its genius.
Forestry Kit — PCW5000-FK | Includes the PCW5000 + much more
Forestry Kit Includes: PCW5000 Portable Gas-powered Winch; PCA-1215M DBP Rope (1/2″ x 164′); PCA-1259 Polyester Sling (3 3/8″ x 8′); PCA-1274 Stainless Steel Swing Side Snatch Block; PCA-1276 2-Pk. Steel Oval Locking Carabiners; PCA-1282 Grab Hook (5/16″) with Latch and 3 Chain Links; PCA-1290 Skidding Cone for Logs up to 20″ Diam.; PCA-1295 Choker Chain (1/4″ x 7′) with C-Hook and Steel Rod; PCA-1215M Small Rope Bag.
The rope is passed through a guide pulley and then wrapped a few times around a rotating drum, with the end of the rope continuing out the other end of the drum. When you pull on the loose end of the rope, it puts tension on the rope wrapped around the drum. This causes the pulling motion and the rope then continues to move around the drum and out the other end. This means that the rope never collects on the drum, but rather moves around it and out the back end, allowing for no limit to the length of rope that you can use.
The power to drive the drum is provided by a 4-stroke GHX 50 cc Honda engine on the PCW-5000 and PCW-5000-HS models and a 4-stroke GX-35 cc Honda engine on the smaller PCW-3000-HK model. The pulling capacity is then determined by the gear ratio and size drum that is fitted to the machine as follows:
PCW-3000-HK — gear ratio: 200:1, 76mm drum: pulling power 700 kg (1,543 lbs)
PCW-5000 — gear ratio: 110:1, 57mm drum: pulling power 1000 kg (2,024 lbs)
PCW-5000-HS — gear ratio: 53:1, 57mm drum: pulling power 500 kg (1,012 lbs), 85mm drum: pulling power 350 kg (771 lbs)
The PCW-5000-HS is a high-speed version of the PCW-5000 and will move at 24 m/min with the smaller drum and 36 m/min with the larger drum. The PCW-5000 will move at 12 m/min with a smaller drum and 18 m/min with the larger 85mm drum.
This might be all a bit too technical and boring for many of you, but the figures will help to understand what they do. So to simplify things, if you want to move more weight (up to 1 ton) and have less of a need for speed, then the PCW-5000 is the one to go for. If speed is more important and you don’t need to move as much weight then the PCW-5000-HS will be the one for you. The PCW-3000 can be seen as the economy version moving slower than either of the other two at 8m/min with a weight capacity of 1 543 pounds.
Video | Which Winch Size Do Your Need?
Using the Portable Winch PCW-5000
The operation of this winch is pretty straightforward, it comes with an anchor strap to attach it to a solid anchor like a tree. It also comes with a 50m (164 ft) rope, though you can use any rope provided that it has a diameter of 10-16mm if you want to get something longer. The rope that comes supplied with the machine is double braided polyester, so if you’re going buy a longer rope, use the same type.
Basically, you want a rope that won’t stretch as this is not good for winching. The PCW-5000 also has an optional nosecone made of heavy-duty plastic. The rounded nosecone helps prevent the item being dragged from catching or snagging on obstacles in its path. The smooth rounded surface will push away branches or glide over rocks and other obstacles on the ground. You will also get all the necessary heavy-duty hooks needed for attaching the rope and nosecone to the item that you’re pulling.
So when you get started, your first step will be to anchor the winch securely. You will then attach one end of the rope to the item that you want to move, either directly or by first attaching the nosecone. This is a really simple process of winding the rope around the object and through the hook that has been provided.
The tension of the pulling motion and the weight of the object will cause the rope to wrap tightly around it. The other end of the rope gets fed through the pulley and wrapped 3 or four times around the drum leaving a loose “tail” at the back of the drum.
The Honda engine starts with a recoil (pull) starter and has a small throttle for speed control. When you start the machine the drum will turn but there won’t be any motion on the rope. This is because there is no tension on the rope. When you’re ready to start moving the item, you simply pull lightly on the loose end of the rope and the tension will cause it to grip on the drum and start moving.
For as long as you keep tension on the rope it will keep moving. If you need to stop the movement for any reason, you simply let go of the rope and it will lose tension, thereby causing the rope to stop moving. It’s a completely safe and extremely simple operation.
The Honda engine is renowned for its reliability and performance. It will run continuously without overheating, so you can work for as long as needed without any cause for concern. The engine is also fitted with a safety cut-out that will stop the engine if it tilts or when the oil level runs low, preventing any damage to the engine. Being a 4-stroke engine, there’s no need to mix 2-stroke oil with the gas, you just fill it up with regular unleaded gas and get working.
Both the PCW-5000 models weigh 16kg (35 lbs), which could be a bit of a weight to carry, particularly over a long distance. the PCW-3000-HK weighs 9.5kg (21 lbs) which might be more suitable if you’re going to be lugging it into the forest by hand.
The PCW-5000 models come with a 5-year warranty for private use and 1-year warranty for commercial use. For the PCW-3000-HK the warranty is 1 year for private use and 3 months for commercial use. It is very clearly a robust machine, designed for heavy-duty work under harsh conditions.
If you’re looking at getting one for your annual hunting trip, chances are, it will last you for the rest of your days. If you’re going to be working it hard on a daily basis you can still expect many years of reliable service. It’s well worth the money spent, offering reliability and great performance anywhere, anytime.
When you look at all the data and read the customer reviews you quickly realize that the PCW-5000 is one of the best capstan winches on the market and should be a top contender on your list.
Learn more by visiting the Portable Winch Company site.
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