Patent ID: 7226041

Claim:
A winch assembly for automated lifting and lowering of a v-shaped platform of a boat lift structure, said assembly comprising in combination: a chassis having back mount and front access plates collectively arranged to mount and house therein first, second, and third drive assemblies, said first drive assembly comprising a first plate sprocket mounted to a spool assembly for concurrent operation therewith, said spool assembly comprising a cable hub having a pair of outwardly extending supports and a cabling barrel positioned thereinbetween and of larger diameter than said extending supports to collectively form adjoining surface area for attaching a pair of cable guards thereagainst to maintain localized positioning of a predetermined amount of cabling wound onto and attached at one end to said cabling barrel with a second end thereof being attached to the v-shaped platform, said cable hub having an axial bore extending lengthwise thereof for receiving therethrough and housing therein a cable shaft having first and second ends engaging said back mount and front access plates, respectively, said second drive assembly comprising a stepped hub of integral construction having three discrete cylindrical surfaces each of a predetermined diameter to form first and second annular walls and an inner bore extending lengthwise therethrough for accepting therein an intermediate axle, said first cylindrical surface having a primary plate sprocket positioned thereon and fixedly attached to said first annular wall, said third cylindrical surface having a secondary plate sprocket positioned thereon and fixedly attached to said second annular wall, said intermediate axle having first and second ends engaging said front access and back mount plates, respectively, said third drive assembly comprising a motor hub having primary and secondary cylindrical surfaces each of a differing diameter to collectively form an annular wall thereinbetween, said primary cylindrical surface having a plate sprocket positioned thereon and abutted against and fixedly attached to said annular wall and a first elongate bore extending lengthwise therethrough for accepting therein a portion of an output shaft of an electric motor mounted externally to said chassis, said secondary cylindrical surface having a second elongate bore extending lengthwise therethrough for accepting therein an axle, said second elongate bore being configured to align with an aperture extending through a mount plate used in mounting said third drive assembly to said back mount plate; means for coupling together said first, second, and third drive assemblies; and means for operating and controlling said electric motor to drive in unison said first, second, and third drive assemblies to perform the selective functions of lifting, stopping, and lowering the v-shaped platform.