Winch question ???

[SaltyOne]

I fly at a club with no sailplane winches. Everything there is aerotow. I need a winch to practice with, so I'd like to either buy or build a winch. I was told the Superskeg winch kit is a good alternative. I looked on the net at some of the prebuilt complete setups. One was advertised as very light which seems like a good idea for single handed sport flying. When the dust settles on any alternative, unfortunately, the cost is $500+. I was looking for some guidance on whether to buy or build (scratch building may be tough) and what the options are? My airplane is a Sharon (140+ inches) and fairly heavy. Any help is appreciated.

Thanks,
George

[Doc Data]

A good one-man winch, 'The Little Big Winch', can be found at
http://www.irfmachineworks.com/lbwinch/

The WinchDoctor offers a a winch more suited for a club at
http://www.monkeytumble.com/winchdoc/winch.htm

...and you know about the one from Tom Hoopes at SuperSkeg.

Good luck,
dd.

[Ron Cichowski]

http://www.superskeg.com/

George,

This is the kit manufacturer we talked about yesterday. The prices have gone up a bit but is still cheaper than the $500+ for a completed unit.

Ron

[SaltyOne]

You are right Ron. The SuperSkeg kit seems to be the best winch for the price. I'm trying to track down a used winch. If that's unsuccessful, I'll pop for the SuperSkeg. I just wish he included a footswitch. That might be a hard item to track down.

George

[Ron Cichowski]

..........or if you are wicked lazy http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/productdetail.jsp?xi=xi&ItemId=1611599576

I'm using one of their foot switches that came with a cord attached. I plug it into a standard outlet on the winch for the connection. Works as advertised. No building required.
Ron