Abstract:
A winch includes a motor and a rotatable drum drivingly attached to the motor. The rotatable drum includes an anchor pocket therein. A cable includes a proximal end connected to the rotatable drum by an anchor received in said anchor pocket with the cable wrapped around the anchor. The anchor includes a first slot in a surface thereof and the rotatable drum includes a second slot therein adjacent to the anchor pocket that allows access to the first slot in the anchor. An edge of the second slot forms a fulcrum point for a pry tool inserted into the first and second slots for freeing the anchor from the anchor pocket.

Description:
FIELD 
       [0001]    The present disclosure relates to a winch and more particularly to a rope anchor for a winch that allows for easy removal of the anchor after being set in place by the loading of the winch. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art. 
         [0003]    Winches commonly include a motor for driving a drum on which a cable can be wound or un-wound. The motor can be an electric, hydraulic, or a gas powered motor. The cable can be a rope, a wire cable, or other type of line or strap. When the cable becomes worn, it can be necessary to change the cable. Thus, it is desirable to provide a cable connection to the drum that effectively anchors the cable to the drum and further provides an easy method of disconnecting the cable from the drum. Cables have been connected to the drum by a wedge-shaped anchor that is received in a wedge-shaped pocket in the drum. When a load is applied to the rope by the motor and gear train, the anchor is drawn tightly into the anchor pocket in the drum. The higher the load applied to the cable, the more difficult it can be to remove the anchor from the anchor pocket. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a system to improve the ability to remove an anchor to allow a cable of a winch to be changed without damaging the rotatable drum. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features. 
         [0005]    A winch includes a motor and a rotatable drum drivingly attached to the motor. The rotatable drum includes an anchor pocket therein. A cable includes a proximal end connected to the rotatable drum by an anchor received in said anchor pocket with the cable wrapped around the anchor. The anchor includes a first slot in a surface thereof and the rotatable drum includes a second slot therein adjacent to the anchor pocket that allows access to the first slot in the anchor. An edge of the second slot forms a fulcrum point for a pry tool inserted into the first and second slots for freeing the anchor from the anchor pocket. 
         [0006]    Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. 
     
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
         [0007]    The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. 
           [0008]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an exemplary winch according to the principles of the present disclosure; 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of a winch drum, cable, and anchor system according to the principles of the present disclosure; 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a winch drum/cable assembly illustrating a process for removing the cable anchor from the drum according to the principles of the present disclosure; and 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an anchor according to the principles of the present disclosure. 
       
    
    
       [0012]    Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0013]    Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
         [0014]    Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail. 
         [0015]    The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed. 
         [0016]    When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engaged to,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. 
         [0017]    Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments. 
         [0018]    Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper,” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature&#39;s relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly. 
         [0019]    With reference to  FIG. 1 , an exemplary winch  10  according to the principles of the present disclosure includes a motor  12 , a gear train  14  rotatably connected with the motor  12 , and a drum  16  rotatably driven by the motor  12  and gear train  14 . The drum  16  can be supported on both ends by a drum support  18 . A cable  20  is wound onto the drum  16  and can be spooled out or spooled in for performing various pulling operations. 
         [0020]    With reference to  FIG. 2 , the rotatable drum  16  includes an anchor pocket  22  disposed in a cylindrical body  24  thereof. The anchor pocket  22  can be wedge-shaped, or other shapes can be used. The cable  20  extends through an opening  26  that communicates with the anchor pocket  22  wherein the proximal end of the cable  20  wraps around an anchor  30  that is received within the anchor pocket  22 . The anchor  30  can be wedged-shaped, circular, oval, or have other shapes and can include first and second side faces  32  at least one of which can be provided with a slot  34  that can extend through the anchor or can be formed like a divot, recess, pocket, or a raised edge. The proximal end of the cable  20  wraps around the anchor  30  and can be clamped to itself and pulled tightly so that the anchor  30  is wedged within the anchor pocket  22  of the rotatable drum  16 . The cable drum is provided with a slot  36  that is adjacent to the anchor pocket  22  and communicates with the slot  32  in the anchor  30  when the anchor  30  is inserted into the anchor pocket  22 . 
         [0021]    With reference to  FIG. 3 , a pry tool such as a screwdriver  40  can be inserted in the slot  36  of the rotatable drum  16  as well as the slot  32  of the anchor  30  and the inner edge  36  of the slot  34  can be used as a fulcrum point to allow pry tool  40  to pry the anchor  30  out of the anchor pocket  22  so that the cable  20  can be disconnected from the drum to be replaced or repaired. The corresponding slots  34  and  36  provided in the anchor  30  and rotatable drum  16  provide easy access for removal of the anchor  30  that has not been available in prior cable anchor systems. It is noted that the winch  10  can be rated at greater than 6,000 pounds and, therefore, the anchor  30  can become tightly wedged within the anchor pocket  22  making its removal very difficult. However, with the improved design of the present disclosure, removal of the anchor  30  from the anchor pocket  22  has been greatly improved. 
         [0022]    The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.