The RED Winch Air Brake Unit

Spring pressure applies a steel disc to the brake material when the winch is not in use. This applies the brake at the motor drive and stops the winch from spooling out.

The brakes work in a way that they only come off or release when a voltage is applied to the motor solenoid signal terminals. When a signal is sent to the winch to operate either forward or reverse, that same signal is used to energise the air solenoid that feeds the brake system.

An air solenoid is fitted in-between the motors at the top of the winch. This is fed by an air supply from your truck or remote compressor. Min 5bar (70 PSI) required.

When you winch in or out, you energise the signal terminals on the motor Albright solenoids. This also energises the air brake solenoid valve. This then allows air to go into a specially designed chamber inside the air brake unit that releases the brake disc instantly.

When you remove your winching finger from the controls, the air solenoid dumps the air, and the springs apply the brake disc onto the brake pads. We can vary the number of springs in the brake to suit the weight of the vehicle if necessary, but so far this has not been needed. More springs equal a larger braking force but more abrupt stopping, which can cause snatching, which we do not recommend for the sake of your rope life.

One nice feature is when you are lowering out, you can switch your isolator off to the winch (no power to the motors) and just flick the winch out button on your dash. This still activates the air solenoid and releases the brake, and your vehicle only pulls out the rope off the drum for the amount of drop your vehicle needs or moves. This means compared to normal winching, you do not get overrun or excess rope coming off the drum and out the back of your truck, causing snatching and jerking as the vehicle takes up the slack rope that has been spooled out. We would expect a set of brake pads to last at least 2 seasons, if not 3 seasons, due to the material they are made from. This air brake design has been submitted for a full patent and is patent pending.

Important Note:

If using the Air Brake Unit (ABU) you will need an air solenoid and diode wire assembly to activate it. This works automatically by releasing the brake when you give your motor solenoids either a winch-in or winch-out signal.