Do LiftTech Direct Drive winch motors last ?

[swbca]

Our boat lift had been sitting in our back woods unused for 20 years. After doing a full update on cables, bunks, guides and cover, the original rubber wheel winch motor ran for about a minute, then quit. The two wires that run directly into the motor were an open circuit with an ohm meter so I ordered an AC LiftTech Direct Drive winch.

 

Then I saw many old BOS threads on this product and they were all positive. The question now is - DID THEY LAST ?

 

Does anyone know if the AC unit is slow like the 12v DC or fast like the 24v DC ?

[SkiBadger]

I've been using an AC version I picked up on eBay for 5+ years wihout issue on a Shorestation hoist. Goes up faster than the 12v rubber wheel I replaced. It has my vote.

;)

[Andre]

Drive (electronic board) went bad on mine and i replaced myself for 300$ CDN.

[DavidN]

Mine is doing fine since 2015.

Had to replace the main circuit board last year after a lightning strike hit the neighbors house and fried a few items in ours as well.

Can’t comment on the speed other than it’s faster than using the hand winch wheel which I had to while waiting on the replacement part to arrive. What a pain in the butt that was.

 

Here it is with the cover removed:

 

 

[LeonL]

@swbca what's a unit like you described cost? Why does it need a circuit board? Why not simply an up/down switch? I have a friend who is looking to power a ShoreStation and is undecided what route to take. I have seen a 12V truck winch used by connecting directly to the cable. One guy on our lake fabricated an adapter and used an ACE winch.

[swbca]

@leonl It cost 1045 for the AC Model including a $50 metal enclosure for the whole thing and including a wired pendant control. Some models also have a wireless fob button control and some models have a phone app for controlling the unit.

 

For the manual controlled units with only the wired pendant, I don't know what the board would be for, except I doubt if the wired pendant is actually handling the 11 map current draw of the motor. The board could just be a control circuit acting as an intermediary between the low current user controls and the high current motor.

 

What helped me make the decision, when I priced a replacement motor for the original rubber wheel winch it was over $800 and I would still have the old rubber wheel and wobbly 36" ShoreMaster wheel. The direct drive is clean update.

 

https://www.lakelite.com/boat-lift-motors/

 

 

[Lars]

The motor has a soft start at minimum and might be an ECM, it doesn't slam on like a traditional motor. Here's a look at the inside of my 120V version:

 

I will say this is noticably faster than the old shore commander we had, but that could be a result of the new winch box we bought.

 

We also opted for the remotes as we store the keys in the house and can lower the boat as we walk to the dock. Plus the pendant is hard to get at if the boat is all the way up.

 

[LeonL]

Holy crap, Batman. Lots of electronics for a boat lift.

[MISkier]

@LeonL, I think most of that is to make sure the boat is properly centered as it glides onto the bunks and that the speed into the lift is precisely controlled.

[6balls]

been running that style since '02. Always take it off and in heated garage in the winter, tho.

[2Valve]

I was going to add one to my Lakeshore Lift, but $1900 for a new unit!!.

I'll just crank mine the old way (good workout) or look for a used one.

[Zman]

My LiftTech is now in it's 9th year. And, it gets used a ton. I'm in the south.

Still trouble free. It is mounted on a Craftlander lift.