Developing the Bushranger COVERT winch

Australian Engineering: Every detail matters. Come behind the scenes in this video, and you'll see how one idea and a team's curiosity turned into developing the latest Bushranger COVERT winch.

[@buzz7927]

Just ordered the newly released 12,00 lb version through ARB.

[@briannoble8768]

Can this winch be installed on a Range Rover sport L494 (2018 model)? Understand the plastic cover at the front would need to be removed. Brian

[@Angler233]

After salt spray testing do you run the winch through your in house testing etc?
Any concern the contactor being in close proximity to the motor? My limited understanding tells me contactors like like to get too hot.. i guess this would be covered in thermal shock testing?

[@bushranger]

Hey @user-zt5if7vt8m
Short answer: Absolutely! We conducted thorough testing on the COVERT after the salt spray, and when it came to heat, we dedicated considerable attention to the contactor during development. Our design has been validated, and rest assured, the heat has no adverse impact on its performance.
Long Answer: The heat was a key consideration in the development of COVERT; the engineering team wanted to determine if a contactor would function effectively when mounted close to the motor. From previous winch development, we knew the worst-case temperatures, so when we initiated the contactor design brief with Albright Industries, we had the performance criteria established. Albright Industries conducted its own testing to confirm the product, but the winch assembly was tested extensively by us in test rigs and in-field testing to assess the various operating temperatures for the motor and contactor.
One of the tests we carry out is a durability test; in this test, the operating temperatures for both the motor and contactor are captured using a data logger; for the Bushranger winch test process, the durability test continues until the winch fails; it is a destructive test. In the multiple COVERT durability tests, the contactor continued to function as required even after the test was completed. When tested to destruction (e.g. full load in, no load out, then immediately repeat with no cooldown), the winch motor temperature is the highest component on the assembly, and the contactor temperature is hotter when mounted over the motor, but it isn't hot enough to impact its performance.
The durability temperatures were then replicated in our water ingress/thermal shock test. In this test, the winch assembly (including the contactor) is heated to the target operating temperature in a commercial heat booth to well over 100°C. After boasting in the heat booth for a few hours, the winch is removed and immediately plunged into a cold water tank over a meter deep and immediately powered up for a period of time. During and after this test, both winch and contactor continued to function, once testing was finished, the winch went through a teardown process, we found that the winch motor, gearbox and contactor had zero water ingress.
There are further testing methods that we conduct, although the above two specifically cover heat.

[@Angler233]

Hi Bushranger, thank you for the detailed answer to my question. As a materials and test engineer myself I am very happy to see the very thourough testing you have carried out. I hope to be the owner of a new Covert 10S in the coming months!

[@davidfarrington5545]

Greeny your on TV 🤣

[@GIANNISILIANA]

Toly christofakakis έχεις σχέση με Ελλάδα????

[@kate-wm2tl]

Batang queapo