Hi Members,
It's probably been some time that many members used their winch. Ideally, you should use your winch once per month just to keep all the gears lubricated. So just winding it out 3 or 5 metres, and then winding it back in should be reasonably good.
A couple of days ago, I gave my winch it's monthly workout (about nearly 3 months of not touching it), and the drum brake was not sounding healthy. It crunched something metallic, and instantly stopped the winch winding out. It sounded very bad, and thought the winch has reached the end of it's life. Anyway, over a few days of winding in and out, it seems to be working ok now.
So if you get the chance, remember to use your winch ever so often.
Cheers
Dave.