Halls stage pilewind winches

[GreatBigHippy]

Hi all,

I have been trying to get the info direct from Halls for over a week now but can't seem to get anywhere so I thought I might try the hivemind :)

 

We are getting some of the DGM manual pilewind winches installed which can be operated with a drill. I have used similar ones in the past that I operated using a Dewalt D21520 mixer drill and a very large bit at the end.

I am trying to find out if this would be a suitable drill for us with these winches and what kind of mounting/bit I would need.

If anyone has these winches and can help out I would be very grateful.

 

Many thanks,

 

Anthony

[top-cat]

Hi all,

I have been trying to get the info direct from Halls for over a week now but can't seem to get anywhere so I thought I might try the hivemind :)

 

We are getting some of the DGM manual pilewind winches installed which can be operated with a drill. I have used similar ones in the past that I operated using a Dewalt D21520 mixer drill and a very large bit at the end.

I am trying to find out if this would be a suitable drill for us with these winches and what kind of mounting/bit I would need.

If anyone has these winches and can help out I would be very grateful.

 

Many thanks,

 

Anthony

 

If they're not providing you the information you need why are you so set in buying from them? Why not buy from somebody who gives you the customer support you would expect with this type of product?

[andy_s]

you could try PMing blueroom member Chas at Halls...

[roryfm]

They need a 6mm hex bit if memory serves, and you need a fairly high powered drill - we used to only use the drill on fairly unloaded bars and even then would sometimes struggle.

Gearing ratio is 60:1 which means it takes a long time manually but is fairly easy going when raising by hand. Charles Haines (the previously mentioned Chas) is very helpful so keep trying!

[top-cat]

ISS supply some nice drill-powered winches, and IIRC also some drill powered stage lifts which are quite neat. (These may well be Hall manufactured, but ISS are still well worth a ring as a supplier and installer).

 

My recommendation having installed some drill-powered winches is that yes you do need a fairly meaty drill and often the most economical way - but also reliable especially over a long day - of doing it is with a mains drill not a battery one. Also if you can wire it into the wall permanently (IE without a plug, straight into a cable gland on the wall) it is less likely to go walkies when somebody else in the theatre needs a drill. This does of course mean you need to budget for a drill purposed solely for flys, but it's still more economic than a motor-per-bar system.

[J Pearce]

Consider the duty cycle of the drill too, we have a huge mains powered drill that will attempt to remove your arm if you don't soft start it, but even that will overheat and cutout if moving a lot of heavy bars up in quick succession.

 

Also consider whether you want two drills, and/or the cable arrangements to allow one drill to cover the whole fly rail. Ours has to be moved and replugged which can get a bit of a faff when the 13A plug is buried behind the tails from the LX tripe.