- Full size Intercooler
- Kenlowe Fan
- Propshaft & Flange
- Hand Winches
- Split charge relay
- Re-building a Caliper
- Noise Killer

Hand Winches (page 4)

With the Brano you can pull at any angle you like, on any secure point on an end or side of the vehicle. On a drum winch you must of course only pull in the cable square to the drum to avoid problems.

If you have a particularly heavy recovery and you just happen to have two of these hand winches within the group's equipment, then you could always consider using both simultaneously to halve the load on each. Or you could use a Superwinch swingaway snatch block to double up the wire rope and bring the hook back to the same anchoring point that the Brano is attached to.

Pulling back the Brano’s release lever (see picture below).

Make sure your wire rope is always in good condition, not only for safety's sake, but also damaged wire rope will not 'run through' the 'jaws' of the Brano. To ensure that you get no kinks in the wire rope, when taking the rope off the carrier, drop the hook end to the ground and walk forward unrolling the rope. Simply dragging the wire rope off the side of the carrier will cause all sorts of problems of untwisting of the lay and kinking. You have been warned!

Inserting the tapered end of the wire rope (see picture below).

I like to keep my Brano and extension wire ropes in old worn out trail bike tyres. Drill the odd hole in the sidewalls to poke through the tapered end of the wire rope and guide the remainder of the rope all into the tyre. Three or four tree ties or cable ties will ensure the rope stays inside.

Maintenance:

The Brano is lubricated with general purpose grease on all pivot points on assembly. From time to time I usually squirt a little duck oil (WD40) in through the top to kill any rust that make try and form (why is it nearly always raining when you are carrying out a recovery?) Also this helps to make the unit run more smoothly as the oil lubricates all the smaller pivot points. Once a year, or sooner if you use the unit a lot, I recommend you remove the ring bolts on the casing, split the unit sides, lift out the whole mechanism in one, wash it off in degreaser, rinse off, dry and regrease all pivot points. Leave a light coating of duck oil over all the mechanism. Do not attempt to take the mechanism to pieces!

Carefully lower or release the load (see picture above).

The "heart"of the Brano hand winch (see picture above).

Try not to use the Brano actually in the mud for fear of it entering the unit through the slot where the lowering lever protrudes. Should this happen, strip the unit as above when back home, before your next off-road session. Never oil the wire rope as it will not be very nice to handle. The oiled surface will attract dust and dirt and the jaws will not grip so well!
Never drag a rope under load over sharp rocks, as you could easily damage the rope by either breaking some of the wires that make up the strands or, just as bad, squash the rope flat so it cannot go through the 'jaws'.

In finishing, always look after your Brano Rope Hoist and it will always look after you! At the website www.davidbowyer.com you can find more information on Brano hand winches.

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