Powerwinch Clutch Gear and Ratchet

[gabrahamlincoln]

I've got a 2018 Rockwood Freedom 2318G. Last time we went camping the camper lid slid down a bit when I raised it up. It held up though, so I figured the clutch just needed to be tightened when I got back home. Now that I've taken it apart I'm seeing some strange wear on the gear and ratchet pawl. I know what parts I need (R001754 and R0017459), but for the community I want to ask if anyone knows what could cause this?

Before I replace the clutch gear and ratchet pawl I want to make sure there isn't something deeper in that is causing this and needs attention as well.

[flyerdp]

Shoddy design and/or materials? Was the pawl only warn on about 1/2 its width with corresponding wear on the gear?

Ask me how I know.

[gabrahamlincoln]

Yep, that's what I'm seeing. Looks like they wore against each other at an angle. When I found it the ratchet pawl was almost eroded all the way through. I adjusted it a bit to see if I could get a little life left out of it and it immediately tore the rest of it off.

I ordered the new parts from Powerwinch. Just not sure how much life I can expect from the replacement. Is it going to work for a few years until it wears away again? Or tear itself apart right away?

[aceinspp]

If it was me I'd replace with a better unit and forget fixing. You may be money ahead in the long run. Later RJD

[flyerdp]

Originally Posted by aceinspp

If it was me I'd replace with a better unit and forget fixing. You may be money ahead in the long run. Later RJD

It was a 2018, you got this far

I have a 2018 and just replaced the clutch and made sure the pawl was in line with the entire gear when I did that. So that means I bent it a tiny amount. Too much and the angle will cause it to fall off.

[gabrahamlincoln]

Update: Got the clutch and ratchet pawl replaced. Watching this in action I can see what's happening. These parts are pretty much designed to wear out over time. The spring on the ratchet is really tight, causing it to press hard into the turning gear as the pop-up top goes up. They even heat up a bit, probably why the manual says to wait 5 min after raising the top before moving it again. I put a bit of silicone grease on the ratchet axle and the gear to hopefully lesson the wear over time. I might loosen the spring too if this seems to be grinding down faster than I'd like. More durable metal from the manufacturer would really help. Or maybe I'll just be replacing these again in 5 years...