Type of brakes - Cone brakes Video

Off-Road and Industrial winches use a patented cone style brake. A cone brake is a type of drum brake except instead of wide circular friction surfaces that operate radially (like the drum brakes in an automobile), the surfaces are in the shape of a cone. The cone brake consists of two parts, a cup and a cone. One part is stationary and one rotates. The rotating part is attached to the main input drive shaft from the motor. One part is made out of steel and the other part is made from a friction brake material. There are several advantages to a cone style brake. Since braking capacity depends on surface area and the force applied between the cup and the cone, the angled surface of the mating conical components is greater than an equivalent pair of flat or curved surfaces. This allows for greater braking capacity in a smaller area. The cone brake requires less surface pressure than an equivalent drum or disc brake to operate. There is a natural wedging action between the cup and cone which offers quicker deceleration when the winch is stopped under load. The friction surfaces also tend to mate more equally than an equivalent drum or disc brake. The cone brake is activated by a cam whose ramp places an increasing force that pushes the rotating tapered surfaces together based on the relative motion of a load trying to turn the gears in the gearbox backward versus the motor trying to pay out rope. This action also happens when the motor is stopped after a winch-out operation.

Advantages of cone brakes Disadvantages of cone brakes