Winch maintenance

[TWDJ]

Just installed my new winch!! WOOHOO! Now, a couple of questions:

1 - I see a lot of folks just leave the winch out in the weather. Wouldn't a cover of some kind always be better?

2 - There is no lubrication needed on the winch itself but what about the cable? A light coating of machine oil or something just to keep the rust or whatever minimized?

 

[yjdave]

There are a couple of theory's on this. 1- if you put any cover on the winch it will hold the moisture in and never let it dry off. 2- the winch is for the most part sealed from the elements and doesn't need to be covered. I believe in #2. I just rebuilt mine after 7yrs of being abused and the inside only had a very little surface rust on the bottom of the motor housing. Also the cable does not rust. Your hook might get chewed and start showing some rust but nothing major.