Fulton F2 3200# winch handle snapped

[jetboater4life]

I power load my boat and use the winch to snug the eyelet up to the bow roller. My buddy normally does the cranking and last Thursday while cranking the last inch or two he snapped the handle right off.

I called Fulton support and the first guy I spoke with said that the winch had a limited lifetime warranty and transferred me to their technical support line. The next guy I spoke with said I needed to send him a copy of the purchase receipt as well as the whole winch for inspection. He also pointed me to a repair kit on etrailer.com and suggested I purchase the kit.

I sent him an email with the pictures above as well as my purchase receipt and he responded saying he could send me the repair kit without me sending him the winch. For now, I put my original winch back on so I don't miss any boating days. The tricky part of getting the F2 winch off the trailer was I had to loosen the strap. To do this I used a large channel lock pliers on the broken bolt and was able to release the tension so I could turn the release knob on the winch. I used a scrap piece of seadeck on the bolt so that I wouldn't damage it just in case they wanted to inspect it. The new bolt install should go smoothly as the bolt made a clean break and all the gears look good.

My winch was 4 years old. The fact that etrailer sells the exact replacement part tells me it is a common problem.

 

[Ronnie]

Ive broken the handle in half (actually i think it was the valet service i used) but not at the mounting point. Ended up buying a new handle for $35 (about the same cost as a generic winch). I am surprised fulton offers the part broken in this instance and thought they would offer you an entirrly new winch under warranty. Hope they take care if you at no cost.

As an after thought, i sometimes use my winch handle as a step into and out of the bow, maybe this is causing it damage such that it will break the same way. Oh well if it breaks like that i will at least have a possible cause.

 

[jetboater4life]

I use my winch as a step too, but I don't think that causes any problems. To me it looks like this hollow bolt is a weak point. I am wishing I chose the 2000# single speed version of the winch as the handle can be mounted on either side and it probably doesn't have a hollow winch gear.

 

[KXCam22]

I have the 2000. It is just enough mech advantage to skid the boat forward on the bunks anytime required. I put a step on the opposite side so don't step on the handle. I would bet my handle is the same hollow design. Cam.

 

[Speedling]

Daaaaannnng!
My wife can winch the boat up with ease so no idea how you guys are using so much force!
Try no wake mode speed just before you hit the trailer and let it slide up slightly from momentum. I do that and my wife hardly has to winch. This is with fender tops right about waterline or just below. Could be you need to adjust the bow stop height too.

 

[Beachbummer]

My wild guess is that stepping on the handle distributes weight differently than turning it. I could imagine the direction of the forces created when stepping on it having some consequence on the lifetime of the handle, specially considering is it hollow.

 

[jetboater4life]

I do not use the handle as a step. I use the top of the winch as a step. Only the last inch or two to snug the eyelet to the bow stop are the tight cranking, and I think if I talk to my cranker he can probably ease up a little since I do get the boat all the way up.

 

[KXCam22]

Still it should be impossible to break. Bad design. Cam.

 

[Beachbummer]

I agree that the handle should not break in use. Something's fishy with that design.

 

[jetboater4life]

I had to use my old winch today and what a piece of crap it is compared to the Fulton. I can't wait until the gear arrives and I can get my Fulton back in action.