Winch test
Winches can be the cause of serious accidents, sometimes even fatal ones. A frequent cause of accidents is faulty operation or using ancillary slings or cables of insufficient dimension. The latter in particular can endanger forestry workers if there are unnoticed changes in a winch’s tractive power over its service life. The reason is (in accordance with prevailing standards) tolerance for increases and decreases in tractive power may already amount to plus or minus 10 percent of nominal tractive power. If the forestry winch pulls significantly more, or if it is used with a deflection pulley or snatch block, all parts of the winching system can be overloaded and, in the worst case, fail. Upward deviation in traction can easily lead to accidents, especially when working with deflection pulleys or snatch blocks.
How often must Winch Tests be carried out?
If an untested winch pulls more than it is supposed to, that is according to its power rating, risks of danger can quickly escalate. As a result, the accident prevention regulations of Germany’s Social Insurance for Agriculture, Forestry and Horticulture (Sozialversicherung für Landwirtschaft, Forsten und Gartenbau (SVLFG)) and Germany’s Statutory Accident Insurance No. 54 (Deutsche Gesetzliche Unfallversicherung Nr. 54 (DGUV)) stipulate that winches, hoists and slings in commercial use must be tested every year.
Who is allowed to test Forestry Winches?
Regular winch inspection must be carried out by a competent person. Appropriate training courses for forestry operators are held in various institutions. Operators trained in this way acquire the necessary expertise. In practice, however, many test reports are only tick-the-box exercises because not all companies have the necessary measuring equipment. In particular, the test required for the load holding function in small winches and hoists is often not completed properly. Instead, tests may be carried out using a dynamometer, which only indicates maximum tensile load. However, a dynamometer cannot test brake holding capacity, also known as brake holding power. In addition, resulting documentation can be unsatisfactory.
Cable Winch Testing and Test Certificates
In order to comply with the legal requirements for small cable winches and hoists, we now offer a testing service for these devices on our in-house cable winch test rig. We can test capstan winches and small cable winches as well as cable hoists for you. Unfortunately, three-point winches cannot be tested on this test rig.
Once your cable winch or hoist has reached our premises, we carry out visual and functional tests. Tensile force measurement and brake holding capacity tests then follow. Our very precise winch tensile force measuring system is in turn tested by the German Forestry Association’s testing agency (Kuratorium für Waldarbeit und Forsttechnik (KWF)). The measurement results are documented in a test certificate, which you will receive by e-mail. You should plan to be without your device for approximately 7 working days which includes outward and return shipment (in Germany: international shipping will take longer). Please ensure no fuel is shipped.
What does the Testing Cost?
Testing costs €29.00 for a cable hoist and €39.00 for a small cable winch, each including ancillary slings and 19% VAT.
Points of Contact for Testing your Devices
In order to make processing your requirements as easy as possible, we suggest you download our form by clicking submission form for winches and hoists (PDF Download). The shipping address is David Dominicus GmbH, Steinbecker Str. 61, 29646 Bispingen. You can reach us by telephone on 0049 5194 970 0 or by email at materialpruefung@dominicus.de . Should you have any further questions please get in touch. In the meantime, we wish you all a safe working environment.
Summary of the Most Important Issues for Winch Testing
- Annual testing of equipment in commercial use is a legal requirement
- Testing can only be carried out by a qualified and competent person
- Testing is required for maximum tensile force and brake holding capacity
- Comprehensive documentation with a test certificate
- Requires approximately 7 working days (international shipping could take longer)