Winch for Dyno?

[Alvin]

Has anyone seen anyone using a winch for pulling cars on the dyno?

I've got a neck issue so I'm having a hard time watching where the tire is on the 4 post lift as I back up. Also I'm a fairly big guy and little 140 pound racers bring me cars with quarter master clutches and seats I can't fit into. It's frustrating trying to back these cars up exactly where I want them.

I want to be able to winch the car up while I steer the car. I have an idea on how I want to do this but I'd like to see if there's anyone else whose done this so I can steal the idea. I'm thinking something that I can use to pull it on the 4 post, then move to pull it back on the drum after I lift the car up. 120 volt

I'm using a 224 loading dynojet with 4 post lift.

[gtstorey]

I guess you are talking about mounting the winch to the lift? At first thought, that makes me a little nervous, but I guess it depend on how "overbuilt" the lift is, and how it is anchored down. But that would be loading it in a way that it isn't designed for. No way I would do it on my cheapo "home" lift.

[04silverado6.0]

I have seen a winch anchored to concrete to pull in junk vehicles. Do you have a tiedown attachment on the rear of the dyno you could weld or bolt to? My mustang dyno has a very heavy tiedown attachment on the rear made from square tubing that should accept a u bolt or weld a plate on top. If i cant see my ramps in the side mirrors the customer loads the car or ill get a assistant.

[Speedboosted]

I was just on a dyno a friend setup in his home shop, Dynojet 224 where he did exactly this. Harbor Freight 12k winch anchored to the wall or floor, tugs it right up the ramps without any fuss/burning up clutches/etc. Its a 12v winch of course thats hooked to a deep cycle marine battery, which is then connected to a 1 or 2 amp Noco trickle charger into the wall. He has straps with various hooks to grab onto something for the car. Mine was easy with a rear tow hook in the bumper.

[04silverado6.0]

I was just on a dyno a friend setup in his home shop, Dynojet 224 where he did exactly this. Harbor Freight 12k winch anchored to the wall or floor, tugs it right up the ramps without any fuss/burning up clutches/etc. Its a 12v winch of course thats hooked to a deep cycle marine battery, which is then connected to a 1 or 2 amp Noco trickle charger into the wall. He has straps with various hooks to grab onto something for the car. Mine was easy with a rear tow hook in the bumper.

Dyno ramps are perfect to get a heat cycle in a new clutch, or a old clutch.

[blindsquirrel]

Winches get mounted to car hauler trailers all the time, can't see that this would present any more difficulties that doing that. It's not like a recovery winch on a rollback that has to be able to drag a truck upside down and sideways through trees and shit, it's just pulling a rolling car up an incline.

[gametech]

I should have thought of doing that years ago on my neighbor's dyno. I put a lot of cars with really grabby clutches and in some cases very high stall converters up the ramps on that thing. Would have been much easier/safer with a winch. I vote "great idea".

[Alvin]

The problem with the winch kits I see for the lifts like I have is I'd have to drive over it to get on the dyno and that isn't a possibility.

The 8.5 quarter master clutch cars just don't like to be slipped to do things like this. If you haven't driven one than you really don't know what it's like. It's not just grabby. it has zero inertia.

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I've thought of using a 12v battery as a buffer with small charger.. but more to move.

ideally i'd like to pull it up on the lift as step 1.. then I'll need to move the winch to pull it back on the dyno after the car is lifted up. If the winch is in the spot for step 2 I think it would be pulling at too high of an angle for step 1. Does that make sense?

[Alvin]

I was just on a dyno a friend setup in his home shop, Dynojet 224 where he did exactly this. Harbor Freight 12k winch anchored to the wall or floor, tugs it right up the ramps without any fuss/burning up clutches/etc. Its a 12v winch of course thats hooked to a deep cycle marine battery, which is then connected to a 1 or 2 amp Noco trickle charger into the wall. He has straps with various hooks to grab onto something for the car. Mine was easy with a rear tow hook in the bumper.

is his above ground or below.. I think if I have a winch mounted so that I can pull it on the dyno it would be at too high of an angle to pull on the lift.

[blindsquirrel]

Pretend the lift is a trailer, and the car is being loaded ass-first. Winch would be below the Camaro's rear bumper. If the winch needs to be mounted low & behind the rear crossbar of the lift, you can mount a roller fairlead up above it so the cable can go up and over without rubbing. This really shouldn't need anything massive, a little ATV-type winch should be fine.

EDIT: OH, nevermind, I finally get what you're saying. When the lift is down, the cable would also have to go up and over and then downward to get a straight pull. What about... if the winch was farther forward on the lift (away from the dyno roller)? Run the cable underneath the car and attach it to the front?

[RDF1]

On my buddys dyno he has a 4000# atv winch mounted to the rear cross member of the lift. Its got about 90' of 5/32" Amsteel on it.
The 4000# is small enough so when you let the lift to the floor theres nothing close to touching.

With a wireless remote it makes getting cars on the 4 post easy. And once lift is high enough just winch it back to the rollers.
To get the car off the lift he just disables the front locks and lowers the front of the lift just enough so the car can roll and be controlled by the winch.

He uses the same battery to run the winch as he does for the LM1 wideband so its convenient.

[Alvin]

Run the cable underneath the car and attach it to the front?

That is a good idea.. Backing on the drum is less of a problem. but that is a solid solution

[abc]

I would mount the winch behind the dyno roller. Mount an attachment for a snatch block or quick disconnect type pulley assembly on the rear of the lift (closest to the dyno roller). This would then be the same as a redirect winch assembly. Once the car is winched onto the lift, the lift is raised and the cable is removed from the redirect pulley and winched onto the dyno roller and in reality could be left connected for another measure of safety.

[Speedboosted]

is his above ground or below.. I think if I have a winch mounted so that I can pull it on the dyno it would be at too high of an angle to pull on the lift.

Above ground. Its behind a big two post lift that he spreads the arms out, has big long ramps, and you winch the car up the incline onto the drum. Then he powers the lift and sets the car level. It sounded sketch as hell when he described it initially, but after being in there and doing it, felt no less secure than any of the above ground 4 post lifts I've been on at other places.

His winch is mounted behind the rollers. I'll see if I can get a picture from him at some point.

[04silverado6.0]

Not to hijack but how often are you doing a load cell cal?

[abc]

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Why not just put the dyno in the ground and use the lift to make money in another bay?

A competent person/contractor could have it in the ground in a weekend.