Why CSW
While it is true that competitors have tried to mimic the technology used on the Cloud Street Winch, they haven’t quite matched its success. Some have even gone as far as making a knock off version of this winch however, the most important details have been sorely overlooked. While other competitors sell their winches at a lower price, you can be sure that corners have been cut to make it happen. What makes the Cloud Street Winch so remarkable are the details that can’t be seen at first glance. No expense has been spared in the construction of this winch and only the highest quality components are used in the construction of this winch. This is inline with the design philosophy at Cloud Street Design.
Technical Details
At the heart of the Cloud Street Winch lies a sprag type clutch which effectively disengages the hydraulic motor during rewind. This allows the hydraulic fluid in the system to deaerate and return to equilibrium during this phase. This is only one of the reasons we were able to achieve such a large reduction in the volume of oil needed in our winch. Other competitors incorporate clutches only in their ‘heavy duty’ versions. Their ‘light duty’ versions push hydraulic fluid through the system during both payout and rewind phases, leading to excess heat build up and unnecessary aeration of the fluid. This, in turn, necessitates using much more hydraulic fluid as can be seen by the large tanks being used. Furthermore, on closer inspection of the clutches being used, one finds that the rated torque for our clutches is nearly twice the capacity of our competitors. The technically inclined might ponder that if the towline exits the spool approximately 12” (1ft) from the centerline, and most paraglider manufactures recommend the highest towing tension to be in the neighborhood of 90 DaN (~220lbs), we would end up with at least 220 Ft-lbs of torque being transmitted to the clutch/shaft. Indeed this number will be larger as the outside radius of the spool initially is significantly larger due to the line stack. It becomes noteworthy then that the clutch used in our competitors winches falls significantly short in rated capacity at 150 Ft-lbs while ours far exceeds this number at 284 Ft-lbs, nearly twice the capacity! Nevertheless, some choose to install underrated clutches because it is significantly cheaper to do so. Good for budget, not good for longevity.
The hydraulic components chosen for the Cloud Street Winch are also top quality. Only custom built, Charr-lynn hydraulic motors are used. These motors are second to none. We custom order every motor from the Charr-lynn factory with the tightest tolerances available along with high pressure, high temperature viton seals. Other competitors use lesser quality as well as generic versions of the same motors because they are significantly cheaper. What is not told however is that the tolerances in these motors is significantly looser, which leads to quite a bit more heat build up in the hydraulic fluid due to internal leakage. Again, for the technically inclined, we use hydraulic fluid as the medium for transmitting and dissipating the energy being used to apply tension to the towline. Here is the break down of what happens: 1.) We put work or energy into the system by pressurizing the fluid via the turning of the spool with a given towline force 2.) We then take that pressurized fluid and reduce the pressure back to atmospheric conditions through means of a pressure reducing valve 3.) Instead of putting that energy to useful work, such as turning something else or moving something, all of the energy is relieved and effectively wasted, consequently all the wasted energy then turns directly into heat. This is where the majority of the heat in these hydraulic tow rigs is generated. The rest of the heat being generated is within the hydraulic motor and peripherals. Using a loosely built cheap hydraulic motor allows for internal leakage and more fiction which significantly increases heat build up within the fluid even before reaching the relief valve! The use of custom built hydraulic motors is yet another reason why we are able to use less hydraulic fluid in our system and still maintain reliability for the long run. Not cheap but well worth the benefits we have realized by choosing this path.
As for cooling the oil, we have developed two options. One for normal use and one for heavy duty use. Both options are more than adequate in the intended use environment. The heavy duty version incorporates a fan cooled hydraulic radiator with a thermoswitch to automatically control the fan. It is powered either through a accessory plug or trailer hitch plug at the rear. No matter which option you choose, each are incorporated into the design of the winch and are mounted on the winch itself. Our competitors have chosen to mount the cooling components loosely on the control lines and it is left up to the user to find a safe place to put the radiator in the bed, trunk or back seat I suppose…and not damage the components in the process.
The rewind drive components also contribute to the reliability of the CSW. One significant factor of the smooth payout behavior of the CSW can be attributed to the fast and very tight rewind of the towline as well as the towline itself. We use 1200 lb test Spectra on our winches where our competitors use 1000lb test. Not only does the 1200lb line last significantly longer, from experience we have found that it stacks better during rewind and feels much smoother upon payout. The high rewind tension also improves the payout behavior and can be attributed to the superb rewind system incorporated in the CSW. The clutches we use for rewind are fitted with needle bearings rather than a simple bushing to allow for further longevity. The bushings in our competitors winches are sensitive to chain tension and see significantly more wear than one with proper needle bearing support. While our competitors get away with using this cheaper version of a clutch, we just don’t feel it is worth leaving someone in the desert with a mile of line hanging over sage brush because of a clutch failure.
Furthermore, an adjustable Lovejoy chain tensioner is used on the CSW to maintain chain tension and prevent derailments from chain stretch and expansion due to heating. With these components coupled together, we are able to maintain high chain tensions without any detrimental wear to the clutch, providing a smooth and worry free rewind. Next, only industrial grade Honda motors are installed on the CSW. We have monkeyed with the Briggs and Stratton motors and determined that they are just not up to par with our principles. The Honda is hands down the best motor available and is THE most reliable engine available. More expensive? Yes but single pull starts are critical as the towline is dropping after the pilot has released and no one wants to deal with a motor that constantly floods, sputters, and hesitates at this moment let alone not be able to start for some random reason and end up with a mile of towline in the lake or desert. Incidentally, we have the one and only Briggs motor we purchased sitting in our shop if anyone is interested….it even has electric start…
It might also be noted that the CSW is built to hold up and provide worry free operation in a marine environment. All stainless steel fasteners prevent unsightly rusty bolts. The powder coating of the frame and related components go through a sand blasting, zinc base coating and a final coating. The zinc base coating is identical to the treatment for high end boat trailers to prevent rust from appearing underneath the powder coat after a year or two. Our competitors skimp in this area and skip the zinc base coating to cut costs. Furthermore, the CSW frame allows ease of adaptation to a boat by providing a slightly wider platform for a larger distribution of stress to the flooring. One of the major problems with mounting a winch in a boat can be that the flooring underneath is not that strong. The smaller the base of the winch, the harder it will be to reinforce and keep from pulling out of the fiberglass or worse yet, pull the flooring up out of the boat.
All these small details add up to a large package that is really unmatched.
