FACT01.2013

Why is Regular Care, Maintenance and Inspectionof Winch Equipment Necessary? 2

Care RoutinesWinch System / Wire Rope / Rope Guide 2

Maintenance WorkWinch System / Hydraulics / Hydraulic Hoses 3

Annually recurring Inspection in acc. withthe Provisions of BGV D8 3

ROTZLER Maintenance and Inspection Service 3

Fire Brigades – Care, Maintenance and Inspectionof Winch Systems

FACT

ROTZLER FACT 2

Wire Rope

Rope guide & pulleys

Remote Control

Generator Hydraulics

Winch

Rope Storage Drum

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Why is Regular Care, Maintenance and Inspection of

Winch Equipment Necessary?

Winches that are used by fire brigades and other organisa-

tions for recovery purposes are not constantly in operation.

However, even after longer periods of inactivity, it is critical

that a winch can guarantee 100 % reliability when it is

required. Furthermore, it would be a mistake to assume that

the intervals recommended by the manufacturer for care and

maintenance work can be lengthened just because the winch

is used less often or only sporadically. Both the winch itself

and associated components such as the wire rope, hydraulic

hoses or the hydraulic oil are subject to environmental factors

like dirt or moisture, which can cause corrosion or prevent

the winch from functioning correctly. Especially when it

comes to water-carrying vehicles fitted with winches, pump

and/or tank ventilation must also be taken into consideration.

Any leaked foaming agent that is left on metallic or varnished

surfaces for any length of time can, under certain circum-

stances, cause components to corrode.

Care Routines

Winch System:

ROTZLER TREIBMATIC winches are largely maintenance-free

and require only minimum care. However, after operations

that cause heavy soiling of the chassis (driving in the rain,

over rough terrain, in flooded areas), the winch system

should always be cleaned along with the rest of the vehicle.

Any heavy soiling can easily be washed off using plain water.

After the winch has been superficially cleaned, all moving

parts (rope guidance rollers, rope pulleys) should be tested

for ease of movement and, if necessary, oiled or lubricated.

In order to check and, if required, clean the inside of the rope

storage drum, the full length of the wire rope must be paid

out. As part of a general winch care routine, visual checks

can also be carried out on hydraulic hoses as well as

electrical cables and plugs.

Wire Rope:

Once the wire rope of the ROTZLER TREIBMATIC has been

fully paid out, the condition of the rope can also be checked

for any damage (such as kinks or wire breakage). Heavy

soiling can simply be washed off using plain water. It is not

recommended to use a high-pressure cleaner as the high

pressure of the water forces the lubricating agent out of the

wire rope, thus removing it from the individual strands and

leaving the rope unprotected against corrosion. In the interest

of rope protection following cleaning, the rope can be treated

using the ROTZLER rope conditioning agent, which provides

the rope with additional surface protection against corrosion.

Grease must not be used for corrosion protection purposes.

Rope Guide:

On leaving the ROTZLER TREIBMATIC, the wire rope is

guided through the vehicle chassis to the rope trumpet via

rope-guiding and deflection rollers. As part of the winch

care routine, the rope pulleys should be checked for ease of

movement and, if required, lubricated using commonly

available multipurpose grease.

Annually recurring inspections in acc. with BGV D8can be performed by ROTZLER for all winch models.

View of winch integration with rope guide using the winch ROTZLERTREIBMATIC 030 as an example.

The winch and rope storage drum can be flexibly installed in such a way as to fit the space available in any respective chassis.

Fire Brigades – Care, Maintenance andInspection of Winch Systems

FACT

ROTZLER FACT 3

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Maintenance Work

In addition to the general care a winch needs in relation to

its use, reliable system performance is also dependent on

performing regular maintenance tasks. The nature of these

tasks and the intervals at which they need to be completed

are described in detail in the manual for any ROTZLER

winch system.

Winch System:

The TREIBMATIC winch system is relatively maintenance-free.

If the above-mentioned regular care routine is observed,

a TREIBMATIC winch requires no further maintenance.

Hydraulics:

Since the hydraulic oil in the hydraulic system is subject to

natural ageing, it will need to be replaced even if the winch

system is only rarely used. Due to the hygroscopic properties

of the oil, the hydraulic oil draws humidity from the ambient

air, which in turn impairs the technical properties of the oil

over time. ROTZLER therefore recommends that hydraulic oil

should be replaced after 2 to 3 years. This oil change should

also go hand in hand with replacing the filter insert in the

reverse-flow filter of the oil tank.

Hydraulic Hoses:

Hose manufacturers recommend that hydraulic hoses should

be replaced after 6 years plus a maximum storage periods of

2 years. A hydraulic hose should therefore be replaced after

a maximum of 8 years. Based on customary use of winch

systems by fire brigades and their decades of experience,

the winch manufacturer ROTZLER recommends fire brigades

should replace hydraulic hoses after a 10 years at the very latest.

Annually recurring Inspection in accordance with

the Provisions of BGV D8

The directives issued by both the Employers’ Liability

Association and the Federation for Accident Insurance and

Prevention (BGV D8 and GUV 4.2, respectively) prescribe

annual inspections for winches as well as hoisting and pulling

equipment that must be conducted by a technical expert.

The mandatory inspections must be confirmed in a winch test

book by the expert. In this respect, the relevant provisions

(BGV D8, DIN 15020) clearly lay down the scope and criteria

of these tests, which include a function test, a pulling

test at maximum pulling force as well as a test of all safety

equipment.

Apart from needing expert knowledge to perform the inspec-

tions, additional equipment (e.g. pulling force gauge) is also

required. For these mandatory annual inspections, ROTZLER

provides a convenient inspection service for all winch

systems that complies with all regulations. Apart from the

assurance of having a

winch system expertly

tested directly by the

winch manufacturer, any

smaller problems can

be repaired at the same

time. On prior request,

any other repair work

can also be completed

in the course of annual

inspection, which saves both time and costs since additional

call-outs can be avoided.

ROTLZER Maintenance and Inspection Service

ROTZLER can coordinate regular winch inspection and

maintenance for all fire brigades and emergency services,

for which purpose extensive service packages are available

– right up to an “all-round-no-worries” package.

Some of the winch experts making up the ROTZLER service

team are themselves experienced firemen and will be happy

to answer any questions regarding safe and trouble-free

operation of winch systems on our

Service-Hotline +49 (0) 7627 701-112.

Further information on ROTZLER winches, accessories

and services can be found at

www.rotzler.com.

Fire Brigades – Care, Maintenance andInspection of Winch Systems

Winch inspections in acc. with BGV D8 are entered in the winch inspection book by the technical expert.

FACT

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ROTZLER GMBH + CO. KGWinches, Capstans and Winch systemsRobert-Bosch-Strasse 479585 SteinenGermanyPhone +49(0)7627 701-0Fax +49(0)7627 701-166info@rotzler.dewww.rotzler.com

ROTZLER INC.Unit 122, 7350 - 72nd StreetDelta, B.C. V4G 1H9CanadaPhone +1 604 940-7134Fax +1 604 940-7135rotzler.canada@rotzler.dewww.rotzler.com

ROTZLER KOREA LTD. SK Technopark Mecha Zone #308 77-1, Seongsan-dong, Seonsan-gu, Changwon, Gyeongnam 642-971 Korea Phone +82 55 282 5067 Fax +82 55 600 6220 rotzler.korea@rotzler.com www.rotzler.com