Tools of the Trade

You need to have the right tool for the job you're trying to do. This is my winch bar, "Frankenstein." Like the original, this Frankenstein was assembled from parts.
This Frankenstein started life as an ordinary winch bar; I don't even remember where I got it. I don't remember if I bought it, found it or if someone gave it to me. What I do know, is that after several years of pulling winches tight, hitting snap binders to ensure the handle was closed and pounding copper cathode sheets flat, 'ol Franky was looking a little the worse for wear. I was at the shop one day, and it occurred to me that I either needed to fix my winch bar or replace it.
My winch bar had been custom radiused, as shown in the picture below, and I really liked that curve right behind the slug that fit in the winches. With it curved like that, a tall dude like myself can get a better shot at the top hole on a winch. Since a new winch bar would have been straight, the decision was easy; so Frankenstein was born. The winch bar was starting to pull apart right behind the slug end, so I welded the tear shut. To forestall the bar pulling apart again, I decided to weld a spine down the length of the bar. The spine also acts as a wear surface; very handy when pounding on something.













The kinetic end had cracked as well. To avoid pulling the end apart, I welded a little plate across the kinetic end, then ground the end at an angle to facilitate getting the end under a binder handle.













I added reinforcement to the cup side of the kinetic end by putting a plate over it, then adding a mini-spine to it to keep the kinetic end form pulling off and drop me on my ass when tying a coil.














There you have it; a specialized, custom built tool for a difficult job. If you've built something like this, leave a comment and tell me what you think.